VMware Applies To Join Openstack Open Source Cloud Venture

Cloud technology company VMware has applied to join the open source Openstack Foundation, which has traditionally been seen as a competitor to VMware’s proprietary software.

VMware has applied for “gold” membership of the open source group according to the agenda of an OpenStack board meeting published on OpenStack’s Wiki site. The application – alongside Intel and NEC – came to light at the start of VMware’s giant VMworld event in San Francisco, but there was no fanfare, as the application has yet to be approved – and may be opposed by existing OpenStack members.

OpenStack, lips sealed

“No one has added much to the announcement. We’ve heard nothing about this internally,” said Jon Cairns, director of systems engineering  in Northern Europe for VMware.

Analysts see the application as a shrewd move, giving it a better story with large public cloud providers, and also some say over the future development of OpenStack.

Analysts welcomed the move. VMware “needs to be on the shopping list of not just internal private cloud vendors, but also with the external, public cloud providers who may have gone for OpenStack and looked to building it on a different virtualisation layer,” said Clive Longbottom of QuoCirca. “If VMware succeeds in becoming a Gold member, it suddenly has more of a say on the direction for OpenStack – not a strong one, but at least a say. It can also work on ensuring that [VMware’s] ESX is seen as being a valid underpinning for the stack with full VMware support, rather than something that works, but with VMware looking in different directions for its prime offerings.”

Announcements from VMworld and other recent news from VMware have been interpreted as showing increased willingness for VMware to accept the existence of multiple cloud technologies – or at least a recognition of the increased pressure from OpenStack, which is implemented by providers including Rackspace, Piston  and Dell.

VMware has moved away from a confusing policy of licensing its software by vRAM, and now offers it per CPU. Last month, the company also announced plans to splash $1.26 billion for virtual networking startup Nicrira, a major player in the OpenStack movement.

The move will put pressure on Citrix, which currently supports the rival open source project CloudStack  said Longbottom: “Does Citrix now jump back in bed 100 percent with OpenStack and drop CloudStack, or move the other direction?”

However, the move will be opposed by some members of OpenStack who, as Longbottom puts it, include individuals who “see VMware as being Satan’s granddad”.

Early indications of this reaction came a month ago, “Do they want to drive OpenStack forward? Or is it a Trojan Horse, where they want to use their position to — not necessarily sabotage — but slow down or steer or change the direction of OpenStack?” Piston’s CEO told Wired a month back, commenting on VMware buying OpenStack player Nicira.

VMware’s official announcements at VMworld included the bundling up of its data centre products into VMware vCloud Suite, and the launch of VMware Cloud Ops, a training package designed to help managers use the cloud to assist their business’ development.

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