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UPD from 2020: since the article has been published, the development plans for VMmanager could have been adjusted. Read new report about platform to know the recent news.
VMmanager 6 can manage several clusters, in the future, it will be capable of working with virtual data centers and will support Docker. At our meetup in Moscow, Anton Chernousov, the product manager, told about its current features, our plans, prices, and the migration procedure. You can read the main information in our article.
VMmanager 6 features
We described the features of new VMmanager when we announced the SaaS-version of the control panel. Today we will tell about the functions that are already available in the control panel.
Virtual machine card
- Dashboard. The card contains the main information about a virtual machine: its MAC address, IP address, the cluster node, and its current state.
- User change. An administrator can change the VM user by entering a new email in the “Change user” field. The comprehensive search tool allows searching for a certain user among hundreds of customers.
- Resource change. If a user needs more resources, he can add them on-the-fly directly from the VM card. After resources have been changed, the system will perform the delayed restart of the virtual machine.
- Frequently performed operations in one click. We know what operations our users perform most often (suspension, restart, reinstall), and VMmanager 6 allows performing them just in 1 click..
VM images
We have implemented a new feature in VMmanager 6 — images of virtual machines. They help you create a fully functional copy of a virtual machine. VM images in VMmanager 6 allow performing the following operations:
- Recover. You can create one or several VM images and restore it in case of failure.
- Clone. An administrator can clone an existing virtual machine. It will be a full copy, only its IP address and password will be changed. This can be useful when a virtual machine has a non-standard configuration and it’s difficult to configure it in the same way again.
- Create a new VM. A service provider can create several VM configurations and save them as images. Later, he will simply select a required image, and the platform will create a new machine with pre-defined parameters.
Automation and management
While developing VMmanager 6, we studied the tasks that an infrastructure owner performs and added automation and monitoring tools. Now the current status of a virtual machine is displayed on the VM card.
- Support of several clusters. A user can manage several clusters on different cluster places from the single web-interface. An owner can monitor all his virtual machines located on different servers from one list.
- Increasing capabilities. With the micro-service architecture, we can easily add new features that service providers can offer to their customers.
- Bulk operations. You can suspend, restart, delete, or run a pre-defined script on several machines simultaneously.
- Distribution of virtual machines among clusters. An administrator can monitor node load, keep track of virtual machines and their statuses. Besides, the platform will inform how many similar virtual machines can be added to the node. When creating new virtual machines, the platform will analyze the cluster and add them to the appropriate node. Later, our users will be able to manage this feature. For example, you can set the parameter “Create new VMs on a free cluster” or “Create VMs associated with the certain tariff only on certain servers”.
New technologies for new customers
VMmanager 5 is designed for infrastructure owners and providers, however, developers also used this control panel. Their percent is rather small: according to our estimates it’s about 5-10% of VM users, but in 2 years this number will increase up to 25-30%.
Developers have a different approach to software products. They don’t need resources, but a complex of services to create and manage their own infrastructure. In VMmanager 6, we will add the tools they need but don’t have in VMmanager 5.
- Docker. We are developing the support of a popular container management technology. Users can run, suspend, and deploy containers on virtual machines.
- Flexible network management. We are planning to use Open vSwitch and deeply integrate it with VLAN management technologies, distribution and combination of virtual machines, routing and balancing.
- Virtual data centers. Developers will be able to create an infrastructure using resources and networks to connect virtual machines with each other according to their needs.
Migration from VMmanager 5
One of the most frequently asked questions from our customers is how to migrate from VMmanager 5 to VMmanager 6. A year ago, we promised that you can migrate using the same server provided that your infrastructure meets the following requirements:
- KVM virtualization (OpenVZ is not supported yet),
- qcow2 disks.
- CentOS 7.
If your servers meet the about requirements and there are no other technical restrictions, you can migrate wihin the same server with a mouse click. More than 50% of our users have such infrastructures and will be able to upgrade easily. We are now working with all other cases and will offer solutions to help you migate.
Our plans
In Q 2 - Q3 2019 we are planning to introduce an On-premise version that service providers can install on their servers. Now, we continue testing VMmanager SaaS, join us and send your feedback!