Documentation – OpenMetal Cloud

These guides cover usage and management of the OpenMetal Cloud product and are intended for:

  • Administrators of an OpenMetal Cloud Core and any expansion nodes
  • Any system administrator running their first OpenStack and Ceph public or private cloud
  • Users of the cloud resources (projects/virtual private cloud) within your public or private cloud
  • Users who will be automating against a project/virtual private cloud

New to OpenMetal?

Explore the power of your own cloud. See it in action as a hosted private cloud, for SaaS companies, for hosting and cloud providers and much more. Check out transparent pricing, and even try a free trial.

Product Manuals

Manuals are available for cloud operators, users of projects/virtual private clouds, and more.

Product Manuals

Specific Goal Tutorials

Included in the documentation is a collection of tutorials, helping guide you through common use cases of the OpenMetal platform, including how to provision a Kubernetes cluster.

View the Tutorials

Educational Articles

The manuals should be your first stop when using an OpenMetal cloud but we also have more general OpenStack content.

Here are a set of articles that can help you determine the makeup and size of your clusters.

Kubernetes

These guides are intended to be used as a reference for how to deploy Kubernetes clusters on OpenStack. We’ve documented the steps we took to deploy Kubernetes clusters with the major Kubernetes distributions on OpenStack.

Engineer’s Notes

The OpenMetal team is often doing things that have not been done commonly or may not have documentation online. We are going to publish these notes from those engineers solving real world problems as they occur. These notes are only a first cut on a subject area that can help get a key technical question answered.

 

 

OpenMetal private clouds use two powerful open source tools, OpenStack and Ceph. OpenStack provides the control plane, compute, networking, and APIs. Ceph supplies high-availability block storage, object storage, and, optionally, file storage.  Explore the power of an OpenStack private cloud, check out transparent pricing, and even try a free trial.

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Browse All OpenMetal Education Categories

We are always looking for suggestions to improve our Learning Center. Just email us at learn-suggestions@openmetal.io with yours!

New Educational Content

Jul
25

Beyond the VMware Crisis: The CFO’s Complete Migration Checklist

Escape VMware’s pricing crisis with this comprehensive CFO checklist. 12-week framework includes cost analysis, vendor selection & migration planning.

Jul
25

Blockchain Infrastructure for Regulated Finance: Why Bare Metal Matters for Compliance and Performance

Regulated financial institutions need blockchain infrastructure that balances innovation with compliance. Discover why bare metal servers deliver the control, performance, and security that enterprise blockchain demands—from validator nodes to tokenization platforms. No compromise required.

Jul
25

How to Benchmark Ceph Storage Performance

Learn how to effectively benchmark your Ceph storage cluster. This guide covers everything from preparing your test environment and choosing the right tools (like FIO and RADOS bench) to running tests and analyzing results, ensuring your storage is optimized for performance.

Jul
24

VMware Migration – From CapEx to Opex: CFO’s Guide to Predictable Cloud Spending with OpenMetal

CFOs are facing volatile IT costs from VMware renewals and public cloud bills. Learn how shifting from CapEx to OpenMetal’s fixed-cost OpenStack private cloud can turn cloud spending into a predictable Opex line item and deliver cost stability.

Jul
24

Achieving Data Sovereignty and Governance for Big Data With OpenMetal’s Hosted Private Cloud

Struggling with big data sovereignty and governance in the public cloud? This post explains how OpenMetal’s Hosted Private Cloud, built on OpenStack, offers a secure, compliant, and performant alternative. Discover how dedicated hardware and full control can help you meet strict regulations like GDPR and HIPAA.

Jul
23

Confidential Computing for Multi-Party Computation: How Bare Metal Infrastructure Enables Secure Collaboration

MPC lets multiple parties compute together without sharing private data — but infrastructure matters. Learn how confidential computing on OpenMetal bare metal servers with Intel TDX helps secure MPC deployments for blockchain, fintech, and privacy-first apps.

Jul
22

Why Modular Blockchains Need Custom Infrastructure: A Bare Metal Perspective

Modular blockchain networks like Celestia, Cosmos, and Polygon CDK are redefining infrastructure needs. This post outlines why bare metal servers and private clouds offer the control, performance, and predictability that modular blockchains require.

Jul
22

How to Set Up a VPN in OpenStack

Ready to lock down your OpenStack cloud? This complete guide walks you through setting up a VPN using VPNaaS. Learn to configure networks, create thorough IPsec security policies, and establish encrypted tunnels with step-by-step CLI commands, plus troubleshooting and security best practices.

Jul
18

Hardening Your Stack: How Confidential Computing Supports End-to-End Trust

Confidential computing is the missing piece for full-stack security. Learn how OpenMetal helps technical teams build end-to-end trust with hardware isolation and open source infrastructure.

Jul
18

How to Use Rally for OpenStack Testing

Testing OpenStack can be complex, but Rally makes it easier. Rally is an open source tool designed to test, benchmark, and validate OpenStack deployments. It helps you identify performance bottlenecks, evaluate scalability, and improve system performance. Learn how to use this powerful tool to help you confidently manage and optimize your OpenStack deployments.

Jul
16

Integrating Your Data Lake and Data Warehouse on OpenMetal

Tired of siloed data lakes and warehouses? This article shows data architects how, why, and when to build a unified lakehouse. Learn how to combine raw data for ML and structured data for BI into one system, simplifying architecture and improving business insights.

Jul
16

How to Host Reliable and Secure Blockchain Validator Nodes on OpenMetal

Validator uptime matters. Learn how to host blockchain validator nodes with OpenMetal’s bare metal and hosted private cloud for performance, security, and full infrastructure control.

Jul
15

Leader-Based vs Leaderless Replication

Leader-based vs. leaderless replication, which to choose? Leader-based systems offer strong consistency through a single leader but risk downtime. Leaderless systems ensure high availability by distributing writes, trading immediate consistency for resilience. Find the right fit with our guide!

Jul
13

Chennai Private Cloud, Bare Metal, and Dedicated Servers – Data Center and Colo

Chennai businesses benefit from hosting their applications on OpenMetal’s dedicated servers and cloud infrastructure located in Singapore.

Jul
11

When to Choose Private Cloud Over Public Cloud for Big Data

Are unpredictable bills, high egress fees, and performance throttling hurting your big data operations? Learn to spot the tipping point where a move from public cloud to a private cloud becomes the smart choice for predictable costs, better performance, and full control.

Jul
10

Confidential Computing for VPN Security: Protecting Data Beyond Transit

VPNs protect data in transit—but what about when it’s being processed? Discover how confidential computing closes the gap and how OpenMetal makes it deployable.

Jul
09

Ceph RBD Mirroring for Disaster Recovery

Ceph RBD mirroring offers a streamlined way to handle disaster recovery for private OpenStack clouds. RBD mirroring also reduces downtime and supports business continuity by enabling a smooth failover to secondary clusters during primary site outages. This functionality lays the groundwork for a resilient disaster recovery strategy and ongoing improvements.

Jul
03

Microsoft SQL Server on Azure vs TiDB Self-Managed Using Ephemeral NVMe on OpenMetal

Choosing a database? We compare traditional Azure SQL with a distributed TiDB cluster on OpenMetal. See how TiDB’s distributed design is able to fully tap into the power of ephemeral NVMe for speed and resilience, offering huge TCO savings by eliminating licensing and high egress fees.

Jul
03

Confidential Computing for AI Training: How to Protect Models and Data on Bare Metal

This guide makes confidential computing practical. Explore how to reduce deployment complexity using OpenMetal’s secure, TDX-enabled infrastructure.

Jul
02

Automated Multinode OpenStack Deployment with Kolla-Ansible

Kolla-Ansible simplifies multinode OpenStack deployments using Docker and Ansible automation. This guide walks you through the entire process, from hardware needs to final validation, helping you build a scalable private cloud faster and with fewer errors.

Jun
27

Architecting High-Speed ETL with Spark, Delta Lake, and Ceph on OpenMetal

Are you a data architect or developer frustrated by slow and unreliable data pipelines? This article provides a high-performance blueprint using Apache Spark, Delta Lake, and Ceph on OpenMetal’s bare metal cloud. Escape the “hypervisor tax” and build scalable, cost-effective ETL systems with direct hardware control for predictable performance.

Jun
25

5 Best Practices for Kubernetes and OpenStack Integration

The integration of Kubernetes and OpenStack is a mature strategy for building powerful, flexible, and cost-effective private and hybrid clouds. Success depends on understanding their complementary roles and taking advantage of integration points to create a cohesive system. This guide provides an analysis of five best practices for architecting, deploying, and managing Kubernetes on OpenStack.

Jun
24

Hong Kong Private Cloud, Bare Metal Servers, GPU Servers – Data Center and Colo

Hong Kong businesses benefit from hosting their applications on OpenMetal’s dedicated servers and cloud infrastructure located in Singapore.

Jun
22

Kuala Lumpur Private Cloud, Bare Metal Servers, GPU Servers – Data Center and Colo

Kuala Lumpur businesses benefit from hosting their applications on OpenMetal’s dedicated servers and cloud infrastructure located in Singapore.

Jun
20

Bangkok Private Cloud, Bare Metal Servers, GPU Servers – Data Center and Colo

Bangkok businesses benefit from hosting their applications on OpenMetal’s dedicated servers and cloud infrastructure located in Singapore.

Jun
20

Guide to All-NVMe Ceph Cluster Performance

When you combine Ceph’s smart, distributed software with storage that can handle millions of operations per second with near-zero delay, you get a solution that can go head-to-head with high-end, specialized systems. But it’s not as simple as swapping out your old hard drives for NVMe ones. Here’s how to do it right and all the potential performance benefits you can enjoy using an all-NVMe Ceph cluster.

Jun
20

Confidential Computing Practical Deployment: Simplifying for Secure Workloads

This guide makes confidential computing practical. Explore how to reduce deployment complexity using OpenMetal’s secure, TDX-enabled infrastructure.

Jun
13

Building a Scalable MLOps Platform from Scratch on OpenMetal

Tired of slow model training and unpredictable cloud costs? Learn how to build a powerful, cost-effective MLOps platform from scratch with OpenMetal’s hosted private and bare metal cloud solutions. This comprehensive guide provides the blueprint for taking control of your entire machine learning lifecycle.

Jun
13

AI Use Case: Hosting OpenAI Whisper on a Private GPU Cloud – A Strategic Advantage for Media Companies

Learn how media companies can deploy OpenAI Whisper on a private GPU cloud for large-scale, real-time transcription, automated multilingual subtitling, and searchable archives. Ensure full data sovereignty, predictable costs, and enterprise-grade security for all your content workflows.

Jun
13

Confidential Computing Performance: How to Balance Security and Speed on Bare Metal

Learn how to improve confidential computing performance using Intel TDX, bare metal, and GPU passthrough without sacrificing security.

Jun
11

Multi-Cloud Networking with Kubernetes and OpenStack

If you’re looking to simplify your multi-cloud strategy, combining Kubernetes with OpenStack is a powerful approach. OpenStack provides the core infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS), and Kubernetes orchestrates your containerized applications on top of it, giving you a consistent platform everywhere. This guide gives you a straightforward look at how to plan, build, and manage a multi-cloud network using these two technologies.

Jun
08

AI Use Case: Hosting BioGPT on a Private GPU Cloud for Biomedical NLP

Discover how IT teams can deploy BioGPT on OpenMetal’s dedicated NVIDIA GPU servers within a private OpenStack cloud. Learn strategic best practices for compliance-ready setups (HIPAA, GDPR), high-performance inference, cost transparency, and in-house model fine-tuning for biomedical research.

Jun
08

OpenStack vs Apache CloudStack: A Decision Guide for Migrating off VMware

Discover an in-depth comparison of Apache CloudStack vs. OpenStack for migrating from VMware. Technical buyers will learn about architectural differences, VMware integration strategies, migration utilities (virt-v2v, MigrateKit, Coriolis), and how OpenMetal’s managed private cloud on OpenStack can accelerate your transition with predictable pricing and SLA-backed support.

Jun
08

MicroVMs: Scaling Out Over Scaling Up in Modern Cloud Architectures

Explore how MicroVMs deliver fast, secure, and resource-efficient horizontal scaling for modern workloads like serverless platforms, high-concurrency APIs, and AI inference. Discover how OpenMetal’s high-performance private cloud and bare metal infrastructure supports scalable MicroVM deployments.

Jun
06

Cinder Volume Fails to Attach: Common Causes and Fixes

Frustrated by a Cinder volume that won’t attach? We’ve got you. This guide breaks down the common causes like incorrect volume states, backend config errors, and network glitches. Learn to troubleshoot and fix these attachment failures with practical CLI commands and preventative tips.

Jun
02

Modernizing Your Legacy Data Warehouse: A Phased Migration Approach to OpenMetal for Better Performance and Lower Costs

Struggling with an outdated, expensive legacy data warehouse like Oracle, SQL Server, or Teradata? This article offers Data Architects, CIOs, and DBAs a practical, phased roadmap to modernize by migrating to open source solutions on OpenMetal. Discover how to achieve superior performance, significant cost savings, elastic scalability, and freedom from vendor lock-in.

May
29

CephFS Metadata Management Explained

Explore CephFS metadata management in depth. This guide explains how CephFS separates metadata, uses Metadata Servers (MDS) with active-active setups, journaling, and caching for fast, scalable, and reliable POSIX-compliant storage. Understand its benefits for private clouds, HPC, and more.

May
28

An Introduction to Mistral Workflows in OpenStack

Mistral is OpenStack’s workflow automation service that simplifies cloud operations by turning manual tasks into automated workflows. Learn about how it works and how you can get started using it to help boost efficiency and resource management in cloud environments.

May
22

Configuring External Networks in OpenStack Neutron

Learn how to configure external networks in OpenStack Neutron. This guide walks through creating networks, subnets, routers, and floating IPs. Learn to secure connections, ensure high availability, and tune performance for reliable public access to your cloud.

May
21

How to Deploy Confidential Computing Workloads on OpenMetal Infrastructure

Learn how to deploy confidential computing workloads on bare metal using Intel TDX, OpenMetal servers, and secure infrastructure best practices.

May
20

Enabling Intel SGX and TDX on OpenMetal v4 Servers: Hardware Requirements

Learn how to enable Intel SGX and TDX on OpenMetal’s Medium, Large, XL, and XXL v4 servers. This guide covers required memory configurations (8 DIMMs per CPU and 1TB RAM), hardware prerequisites, and a detailed cost comparison for provisioning SGX/TDX-ready infrastructure.

May
19

Saving Energy With Dynamic Workload Consolidation

Dynamic Workload Consolidation is a proven strategy for reducing energy consumption and operational costs in private cloud environments. By intelligently managing your resources, you improve server utilization, cut down on wasted power, and contribute to a more sustainable IT operation.

May
14

Comparing OpenStack Monasca and Datadog for Private Cloud Monitoring

We’re diving into OpenStack Monasca and Datadog, comparing them as monitoring tools for private cloud environments. Picking one comes down to your organization’s way of working, your team’s skills, and your overall cloud strategy. We’ll get into how they work, benefits and challenges, their ideal use cases, and when you may want to use them together.

May
13

The Benefits of OpenStack-Based Hosted Private Cloud for IT MSPs

OpenStack-based hosted private clouds offer MSPs an exceptional opportunity to provide their clients with a high-performance, secure, and cost-effective cloud solution. By leveraging the flexibility of OpenStack, MSPs can fine-tune performance, reduce costs, and deliver customized solutions that align with client needs.

May
12

Building a Modern Data Lake Using Open Source Tools

Choosing to build on open foundations is a strategic investment in flexibility, control, and future innovation. By tapping into the power of the open source ecosystem, organizations can build data lakes and lakehouses that are powerful and cost-effective today, and also ready to adapt to the data challenges and opportunities of tomorrow.

May
12

10 Hugging Face Model Types and Domains that are Perfect for Private AI Infrastructure

A quick list of some of the most popular Hugging Face models / domain types that could benefit from being hosted on private AI infrastructure.

May
06

Building an On-Demand GPU Cloud: A Guide for Cloud Resellers Using OpenMetal’s Private GPU Servers

Discover how cloud resellers can offer scalable on-demand GPU services for AI/ML by leveraging OpenMetal’s Private GPU Servers. Learn about GPU time-slicing, MIG, virtualization strategies, and industry trends driving growth—plus key business benefits and real-world use cases.

May
06

When to Use Asynchronous Replication in OpenStack Clouds

Explore asynchronous replication in OpenStack clouds for improved application performance, cost savings, and flexible disaster recovery. Learn its benefits, common use cases with Cinder and Swift, conceptual setup, and key considerations like managing RPO and resource usage for a resilient deployment.

May
05

OpenMetal vs Public Cloud: Ending Unpredictable Cloud Bills with a Fixed-Cost Model

Explore how OpenMetal’s transparent private cloud pricing model helps organizations eliminate surprise bills, cut data egress costs, and avoid licensing fees. With average real-world savings of over 50%, fixed monthly pricing, and open-source foundations, it’s a smarter alternative to public cloud.

May
02

Network Segmentation Benefits and Risks in Private Clouds

Thinking about segmenting your private cloud network? This guide explains how it makes things safer and faster. We cover the pros, the challenges (like complexity and cost), plus useful techniques like VLANs and bonding. Get helpful tips so you can plan and manage it successfully.

Additional Resources

Account Management

If you are a current customer and need to connect with your account manager or dedicated support engineer, please log in to your OpenMetal Central account and navigate to the account services section.

OpenMetal Central Login

Pricing Estimator

Are you new to OpenMetal and need to estimate or compare costs? We stand for transparent pricing free of hidden costs and unnecessary license fees. Check out our online pricing estimator and then contact us if you have any questions.

View Pricing

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The Next Generation of Cloud Infrastructure Solutions

Cloud Cores

Start with all the top OpenMetal features in a highly available configuration.

Explore Cloud Cores

Cloud Expansion Nodes

Scale your cloud with flexible building blocks that fit your business.

Explore Cloud Expansion

Storage Clusters

Get high performance object, block, and file storage with fair egress at simple prices.

Explore Storage Clusters