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February 5th, 2019 we opened the beta-testing VMmanager 6. Learn more
VMmanager today
In ISPsystem we develop our own solution for virtualization and containerization of computing resources. VMmanager allows to manage OpenVZ and KVM virtual machines (VMs) and provides a high availability (HA) in Cloud Edition.
The panel’s advantages from the IaaS market point of view:
- An automatic installation and a simple configuration. It allows turning a physical server into an element of virtualized infrastructure fast.
- Easy import of an existing infrastructure from third-party solution. Any virtual machine under libvirt management can be easily moved to VMmanager 5. Thanks to rsync it also works for OpenVZ 6 containers (CTs).
- A full control over VMs and CTs. It includes a distribution of computing resources and usage control, operating system and other software installation through templates, recipes and post-install scripts, an automatic network configuration and monitoring of VM/CT status.
VMmanager tomorrow
We create a brand new virtualization panel. VMmanager 6 will keep the best from the 5th generation, but will also receive a number of new features together with a new interface.
Now let’s talk about upgrading to VMmanager 6. According to our statistics, more than 50% of VMmanager 5 panels are installed on CentOS 7. The rest percentage is shared between CentOS 6 and Debian 8. We’d like to remember that an official support for these OS stops next year.
That is why the new version of VMmanager will work only with CentOS 7. Limiting the number of supported OS will allow us to release a new functionality and improvements faster.
If you run VMmanager 5 on CentOS 7 servers, upgrading to the new version will require just a couple click. If your VMmanager 5 manages clusters of CentOS 6 or Debian servers — they can be taken under control from VMmanager 6 interface.
It became possible thanks to the single entry point functionality that we have added to the new panel. It allows using VMmanager 6 interface for managing clusters with no regard to a physical location of servers or virtualization type. Same as the previous generation, VMmanager 6 will support KVM and OpenVZ (but OVZ 6 will be replaced by OVZ 7).
Howeve, we have also added a support of Virtuozzo 7, a new type of virtualization based on improved KVM and OVZ 7 technologies. Another great feature of VMmanager 6 is a support of Virtuozzo data storage.
A new architecture
Unlike a monolithic architecture of VMmanager 5, the new panel is developed on a basis of microservice architecture. Any new functionality will be added as a module. Microservices will allow us to improve a reliability of the panel and add a flexibility thanks to a module system.
Third-party developers will be able to create their own solutions and distribute it using our service. End customers won’t overpay for the things they don’t need.
A road to the clouds
One of the extension modules is IaaS module for managing a cloud infrastructure. It will make possible to create virtual data centers with VMmanager 6. Providers may automate the provisioning of virtual resources to clients, while the companies who need a private cloud will be able to deploy it fast.
The module will provide a dynamic management of computing resources and support virtual networks. Thanks to a network storage usage and a high-availability module the panel can create and manage a highly available cluster. Thus, the users of VMmanager 6 may take their positions on the growing IaaS market.