OpenStack foundation holds ‘OpenStack Summit Austin 2016’ from April 25 to 29 at Austin Convention Center in Austin, Texas. In this event, recent OpenStack version ‘Mitaka’ and various cases of application related to OpenStack are introduced.

More than 7,500 cloud computing developers and users from more than 60 countries are going to attend. At the keynote speech, it covers the connection of the next generation cloud-native application and the need for managing traditional business application as well as the use of OpenStack as an ‘integrated engine’ for a new cloud technology. Also, it highlights four main markets such as private cloud of enterprise, public cloud supplier, communication and NFV, and university research field as well as government.

In this summit, FIWARE Lab introduced about the method of monitoring cloud environments, which are separated by regions, at OpenStack base with a single window. This case implemented monitoring tools by using Ceilometer and Monasca, and it provided results to users by collecting and analyzing information through the monitoring tools. In this session, how to integrate two OpenStack projects, and the cases of data collection, measurement, analysis and application are introduced.


FIWARE is providing API library for various smart applications with a competence of OpenStack-based cloud, and it is composed of five parts. Also, GE(Generic Enablers) of FIWARE is a building block that can use functions through API, and the specifications are opened so that it can be used without loyalty. In the example of composition of the smart city platform architecture, GE can solve many parts of architecture and complete the platform by adding several enablers.

FIWARE Lab is operating OpenStack-based cloud infra in all parts of Europe, Latin America, etc. It is introduced that, in Europe, it has more than 3,000 cores, 10TB memory, and 600TB storage scale in 12 regions. This is the level of the top 30% of the recent survey results conducted on OpenStack users. Meanwhile, an infra of each region is specialized in compositions of functional parts upon the basic infra of a common element base.

As a tool for easily generating and operating instances of FIWARE, FIWARE OPS is introduced. This tool is consisted of GE distribution tool and monitoring tool by using OpenStack FUEL, a tool that manage connections between services such as multi domain VPN among regions, a service offer management as a preparation for service demand in the future by registering and distributing additional GE in IaaS region, etc.


Architecture of FIWARE Lab is composed in a form of multi-region distribution of OpenStack. Master region and infra of each region are connected with common elements such as Nova, Neutron, Cinder, Glance, Swift, Ceilometer, etc., and elements that only exist in the master region are Keystone, Horizon and Monasca. The monitoring is in a form of connecting and using Ceilometer, which is installed in each region, and Monasca, which is installed only in the master region.

There are four main requirements in the monitoring. Firstly, multi-region environment management through different users should be possible, and multi-tenancy was also mentioned as an essential part. In addition, different servers, processes are services can be monitored in different points of view, and, in aspect of performance management, a confirmation of the present point and a trend analysis function in the resource using part are required. Apart from this, a simple integration part with other monitoring tools is mentioned as a main requirement.

Monitoring architecture that uses Ceilometer and Monasca agent collects information, which is collected through Monasca agent from a node of each region, with controller node, assembles necessary information through Ceilometer, and sends to the master region. After receiving their information through Monasca API, the master region is using through database and big-data analysis. The information is visualized into infographic, and a user receives the information through FIHealth.


Of course, some problems occurred in realization. The first problem occurs when sending Ceilometer’s measurements in Ceilosca ver 2015.1 through Monasca API to non-string item that includes metadata.

It is revealed that the problem is solved by arranging metadata values when delivering measurements from Monasca API. Moreover, in filtering issue, it is added that it is solved by applying a new storage driver in a specific situation.

Tasks that would be implemented in the future are addition of data analyzing competence, which integrates Apache sparks, etc., or introduction of open source dashboard of Grafana, etc. At the same time, RCA, logging function of monitoring and analysis, Ceilometer Pollster through OpenStack FUEL, agents and other components’ implementation of automatic distribution function are mentioned as the next tasks. Apart from this, verification aspect about important contribution to OpenStack community is pointed out as a task.

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