Work
on the Bugs Cloud Provider
In mid-October, we restarted the cloud service
CloudLITE, changing the platform provisioning and billing BILLManager. Today
will tell that we have changed, and why.
CloudLITE - it's IaaS-service based on VMware, to
automatically deploy virtual data center, create virtual machines with any
operating systems and configurations, and manage it all through the farm panel
VMware vCloud Director.
So the service was at the time of its launch in
April. Since CloudLITE already managed to fill some bumps (no casualties among
customers, thankfully), to acquire a stable pool of customers who have helped
us to pay attention to some points and make adjustments to the further
development of the service.
Control
Panel: It was
As shown, the rich functionality panel vCloud
Director not everyone liked, yes, many users appreciated the possibility of
enterprise-solutions, but there were many of those this abundance rather
confused. Go to vCloud Director was not easy, especially for yesterday Users
VDS / VPS: a complete stranger interface, a lot of options ... We have tried as
far as possible "facilitate" an acquaintance through the means of
instruction manual and video, but still some users lost, wrong - and as a
result left disappointed.
Again, as it turned out, not everyone is in
principle need a vast bunch of settings: Many well be arranged in one-click
opportunity to create a standard virtual server - preferably with a preloaded
operating system and other system software. Not surprisingly, these people are
totally inspired by the idea of spending time and effort to the study of the
rich instrumentation vCloud Director. As
a result, truly appreciated CloudLITE only users who are
already familiar with vCloud, - but because we wanted to please everyone.
Control
Panel: Become
Thus, the problem lay in the fact that, while
maintaining the functionality of vCloud Director for those who really need it,
do CloudLITE convenient and useful for users who are just discovering the
possibilities of IaaS.
The result was a compromise solution. In a new
personal account on the basis of BillManager (thanks to colleagues from
ISPsystem :)) there was a lite-panel virtual machines. Now users who are more
convenient to deal with the default templates of virtual machines can deploy
virtual server directly in your account.
Here
you can do all basic operations with a virtual machine:
·
Create / delete
·
On / off /
restart
·
Transition to
the management console of the machine
·
Setting the
backup (based on Veeam Backup & Replication Enterprise)
·
Purchase of
licenses Windows Server Standard 2008 and 2012.
More tweaks are always available in vCloud Director:
there you can work with all network settings (Firewall, NAT, VPN, load balancer,
etc.), Load the ISO-images of the OS, deploy virtual machines with their
operating systems, create VM templates, and import and export them.
Calculator
vs fixed rates
In the original version, we had a calculator which
allows you to create almost any configuration of power (CPU, memory, disk) and
immediately estimate the cost of the extended channel and additional IP. Life
has shown that in most cases, users need very specific - that is amenable to
standardization :) - "set" parameters. The new release, we decided to
move to fixed rates (12 pieces), broken down by four categories. We left the
opportunity to adjust the individual parameters within a single tariff, for
example, to increase the individual drives are not moving at the same time at a
senior rate and additional purchasing unnecessary additional processors and
memory. In the same way you can deal with memory and processors (starting from
the tariff group Standard).
Payment
Methods: it was
We are faced with the fact that the IT staff to
explore the CloudLITE often registered as private individuals (paying a
"test" pool with personal card) that at the time of placement of
productive "renew" account to the legal entity. The problem was that
in the first release CloudLITE users cannot make these changes on their own.
Payment
methods: become
The new Dashboard we considered like user script and
added this feature. Now, by registering at any convenient status (physical \
legal entity, individual entrepreneur), the user can, if necessary, change it
by yourself before each payment.
Billing
resources: it was
In the first release to activate the virtual
resources needed to make full payment in advance for the month ahead: if at the
beginning of the month on account of lacking to the total cost of the
subscription, the resources left in the lock. Despite our methodical through an
automatic e-mail reminders, some people were late with payment and as a result
found the stopped their resources. There
have been such cases: the user for whatever reason, could not pay the full
amount at the beginning of the calendar month and requested a postponement. We
often went to meet, especially for regular customers, but each such request had
to handle manually - but I wanted a system for solving the problem :).
Billing
resources: become
CloudLITE 2.0 The minimum billing period - a
calendar day, and therefore no need to make 100% advance payment for the month
ahead. Users can gradually replenish the account for any amount - the main
thing that made money was enough to pay for the day.
It will also be convenient to those who have the
resources - or the specific configuration - need only a few days.
