14 DAY TRIAL // While scouring the Ubuntu FTP server yesterday, in eager anticipation for the Alpha 4 release of the Karmic Koala, the Softpedia team made an intriguing discovery that later proved to be the first images of Ubuntu Enterprise Cloud for Karmic Koala.
Ubuntu Enterprise Cloud uses Eucalyptus, an open-source implementation of the emerging EC2 standard proposed by Amazon, to deliver a cloud computing infrastructure that can be implemented by anyone, from individuals to businesses of any size.
By using the Ubuntu Enterprise Cloud infrastructure, an organization can adapt the size of its server base depending on requirements, enlarging or shrinking the capacity along with the variation in demand. This way, a group of servers combine their resources to form a cloud, to which servers can be added or taken offline without impacting uptime or running services.
Highlights of Ubuntu Enterprise Cloud:
· Easy package deployment and configuration; · Multiple clusters can be configured into a single cloud; · An interface compatible to Amazon's EC2, that enables moving from a private to a public cloud; · Enables users to learn popular management tools for cloud computing and to develop skills using techniques that they would deploy on a public cloud; · Popular development services, like an elastic block storage (EBS) equivalent and a storage manager that eases integration, providing compatibility with the Amazon S3 web storage infrastructure; · Elastic IP assignment support, that enables users to assign IPs to any virtual instance; · SOAP with WS-security provides secure internal communication; · Instance control operations that enable users to reboot virtual machines, helping them troubleshoot more effectively; · KVM hypervisor provides best-of-breed virtualization technology; · Basic 'Cloud Administrator' tools for system management and a web-based interface for configuration; · Compatibility with popular cloud management tools.
To employ the Ubuntu Server operating system on a public cloud, interested users can revert to Ubuntu Server Edition on Amazon EC2.
Download Ubuntu Enterprise Cloud 9.10 Alpha 4 right now from Softpedia. Remember that this is an alpha release and it should NOT be used in a production environment. It is intended to be used for testing purposes only. Please report bugs to the Ubuntu Bug Tracker.