Getting started with Cloud Computing

About

This page introduces and provides details about the 'OpenStack' cloud computing platform.

Sources

See https://docs.openstack.org/

Instances

Instances are virtual machines that run inside the cloud.

Volumes

A volume is a detachable block storage device, similar to a USB hard drive. You can attach a volume to only one instance. You can have up to 10 volumes with a total size of up to 400GB.

Create a volume

1. Log in to the dashboard.
2. Select the appropriate project from the drop down menu at the top left.
3. On the Project tab, open the Compute tab and click Volumes category.
4. Click Create Volume.
5. In the dialog box that opens, enter or select the following values.
6. Volume Name: Specify a name for the volume.
7. Description: Optionally, provide a brief description for the volume.
8. Volume Source: Select one of the following options:
   1. No source, empty volume: Creates an empty volume. An empty volume does not contain a file system or a partition table.
   2. Snapshot: If you choose this option, a new field for Use snapshot as a source displays. You can select the snapshot from the list.
   3. Image: If you choose this option, a new field for Use image as a source displays. You can select the image from the list.
   4. Volume: If you choose this option, a new field for Use volume as a source displays. You can select the volume from the list. Options to use a snapshot or a volume as the source for a volume are displayed only if there are existing snapshots or volumes.
   5. Type: Leave this field blank.
9. Size (GB): The size of the volume in gibibytes (GiB).
10. Availability Zone: The only option available is Nova.
11. Click Create Volume.

Images

A virtual machine image is a single file containing a virtual disk that has a bootable operating system installed on it. Images are used to create virtual machine instances within the cloud.

Access & Security

This tab on the dashboard allows you to add ssh key-pairs, and setup firewall rules.