10.4 Open-source cloud platforms
You can say what runs a private cloud when there is no public provider involved.
When there is no public provider involved, something still has to run the cloud, and this topic covers what: OpenStack and its components, OpenNebula and CloudStack and where each gets chosen, and Eucalyptus with its AWS-compatible-API idea — whose current status is itself a lesson about betting on compatibility. The honest framing is the operational cost: a private cloud is a product you now run. It sits in the architecture module because sovereignty, regulation and existing hardware are architecture constraints, and 'we will build our own cloud' usually costs more than it saves.
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OpenStack: the components, who runs it, and the operational cost of doing so
The best known open-source private cloud is assembled from many components, and running it is a substantial operational commitment in itself. That commitment is the fact most comparisons leave out.
OpenNebula and Apache CloudStack; where each is chosen
Two further platforms occupy the same space with different design choices, one favouring simplicity of operation and the other a more integrated model. Knowing they exist is enough at this stage.
Eucalyptus and the AWS-compatible-API idea — including its current status, which is a lesson in itself
One early platform aimed at compatibility with a major provider's interface, and what became of it is itself the lesson about depending on somebody else's shape. This item is a short case study.
When a private cloud is the right answer: sovereignty, regulation, existing hardware
Sovereignty requirements, regulation, or hardware you already own are the genuine reasons to run a private cloud. Each is a specific argument, not a general preference.
Why 'we will build our own cloud' usually costs more than it saves
Building your own usually costs more than it saves once staffing, hardware refresh and availability are counted honestly. This item is the counting.
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