OpenStack PoC? No problem!

Setting up a proof of concept (PoC) environment is often one of the first steps in any IT project. It helps organizations to get to grips with the technology, validate the idea, and identify any potential risks. However, setting up an OpenStack PoC has always been a challenge due to the overall complexity of the project. Fortunately, both Sunbeam and Canonical OpenStack (based on Sunbeam) have now finally solved this long-standing challenge.

In this blog, I’ll cover Canonical’s proven path to setting up an OpenStack PoC. I will demonstrate how using the right set of tools is critical to the overall success of your project. By taking a closer look at the leading platforms, we’ll see how to get your OpenStack PoC up and running with ease.

OpenStack PoC – You’d better get it right

Does this story sound familiar?

Your organization has been using proprietary virtualization solutions for years. Those solutions have been meeting your organization’s needs – but at the same time, they have led to multiple challenges over the years. Total cost of ownership (TCO) increase, vendor lock-in or lack of technology autonomy are just some of the many examples.

But there is someone out there who knows that a better solution exists: someone who has been monitoring various trends in the IT industry for years and who perfectly understands that the future lies in cloud computing and open source. Someone who knows that, out of all the various cloud platforms, OpenStack stands out for its maturity, stability, and comprehensiveness.

That someone is you, isn’t it? Otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this blog, correct?

So you talk to your executive team one more time, as they are struggling with all those challenges. You pitch OpenStack, and suddenly they start listening to you, and your idea gets approved.

“All right!” they say. “Bring us a working PoC and then we’ll talk.”

You get a green light, a budget, and a timeline – everything you need for a successful project completion. You finally have a unique opportunity to fully transform the IT infrastructure in your organization.

But now it’s your turn. You have only one shot. You had better get your OpenStack PoC right.

Use the right tools

This is where our journey begins. By now, you’ve likely already done some research on your own: you’ve read about OpenStack, watched some YouTube videos, or even tried installing it on your own. And you’ve probably already seen why OpenStack is hard to get right the first time.

Let’s get straight to the point: OpenStack is complex. Many organizations that have tried it on their own in the past, failed. At the same time, projects that claimed to tame OpenStack’s complexity were not able to fulfill their promises. This is exactly why it’s critical to do the right research and use the right set of tools.

At Canonical we understand this challenge very well. Over years we’ve helped hundreds of customers build their large production OpenStack clouds. We have seen an endless evolution of OpenStack deployment and operation tools, including our own. We have also seen thousands of organizations like yours struggling to make their first steps. And this is exactly the reason why we decided to launch the Sunbeam project.

Sunbeam aims to drastically lower the barrier to entry to OpenStack. It provides a smooth installation experience, helping users with no previous experience get it up and running in less than an hour. Contrary to non-production solutions, such as DevStack or Packstack, the architecture of Sunbeam remains the same regardless of the scale. All of that makes Sunbeam an ideal candidate for your OpenStack PoC project as you know you get exactly the same experience as if you were deploying it in production.

Don’t believe it? Let’s try it together in four simple steps!

OpenStack PoC with Canonical OpenStack (based on Sunbeam)

NOTE: For the most up-to-date instructions, visit the product documentation.

Start with grabbing a spare physical machine that meets the following hardware requirements:

• 4+ core amd64 processor
• minimum of 16 GiB of RAM
• minimum of 100 GiB SSD storage on the rootfs partition
• fresh Ubuntu 24.04 LTS installed
• unlimited access to the Internet

Then run the following commands from the terminal:

1) Install Sunbeam:

sudo snap install openstack

2) Prepare the machine:

sunbeam prepare-node-script --bootstrap | bash -x && newgrp snap_daemon

3) Bootstrap the cloud:

sunbeam cluster bootstrap --accept-defaults --role control,compute,storage

4) Configure the cloud for sample usage:

sunbeam configure --accept-defaults --openrc demo-openrc

And that’s it! Your PoC environment is now up and running.

You can launch your first VM on top of the cloud by running the following command:

sunbeam launch ubuntu --name test

Sample OpenStack dashboard

Get help, if needed

So that was easy, but we both know that the reality is always slightly different. This is because your executive team might have certain expectations from your OpenStack PoC. Some examples of common requirements might be multi-node, highly available clusters or more complex network setups. This is hardly surprising: at the end of the day the PoC has to resemble the behavior of the existing infrastructure.

Luckily, the Canonical OpenStack documentation provides a comprehensive overview of all those more advanced scenarios, so that you can build your required features and functionality yourself. If you’re missing some info, or need help figuring something out (like with all PoCs), the official community forum is a fantastic resource to consult.

But if you’re looking for some extra help to get your OpenStack PoC not just right but absolutely perfect, then you’re even luckier, because you can get everything you need from OpenStack PoC delivered exactly to spec by cloud experts. 

We have recently launched an OpenStack Pilot package. This package provides Canonical OpenStack (based on Sunbeam) delivery on three to six physical machines. By relying on Canonical’s expertise and putting your trust in the hands of a partner who has been on the OpenStack market since Day One, you can rest assured that your project will be under full control from the very beginning.

For more information on the OpenStack Pilot package, see Canonical OpenStack datasheet.

What’s next?

Since a working PoC is essential for the overall success of your OpenStack deployment project, I encourage you to take a deep breath now and carefully consider next steps on your journey. Depending on where you stand with your project, information found in this blog might have an impact on both your schedule and your budget.

While evaluating this impact, do also consider visiting the following resources:

• Visit our product documentation for the most up-to-date information on setting up a PoC environment
• Read Canonical OpenStack datasheet to check all types of services available for enterprise customers
• Get in touch with Canonical to discuss your commercial project needs

Wherever you go we’ll keep our fingers crossed. Good luck with your PoC and see you on the other side!