1.411.23.1 ReleaseNotes En
On October 30, 2018 we released Cloudstack-UI 1.411.23.1. The main feature of this release is the Log View plugin allowing a user to view VM log files. During the past sprint, the team significantly enhanced the Affinity group selection form and Access VM dialog box. Besides, Main Navigation Bar is changed. See the details below.
In 1.411.23.1 Release users can view VM log files by enabling the new CloudStack-UI extension - Log View.
This extension uses the Log View backend-plugin that extends the CloudStack API with additional requests allowing users to access the VM log files storage. For the Log View UI-plugin operation, firstly, it is necessary to deploy the Log View backend-plugin which can be downloaded from GitHub. The plugin uses ELK to store machine log files and Filebeat to export log files from a VM to the storage. The plugin is developed and tested only with Apache CloudStack 4.11.1.
Then, it is necessary to enable the Log View UI-plugin via the CloudStack-UI configuration file. After activation, the View Logs section appears in CloudStack-UI. It allows a user to select VM log files and a time period to view the logs for. Logs can be viewed in direct and reverse chronological order.
Full deployment instructions are provided at the plugin page. The plugin is now in active development. At the nearest iterations, the following features will be implemented:
- displaying logs in real-time mode.
At the current iteration, we improved the Access VM interface to help those cloud users who face the problem of Access VM information search in cases VM template configurations go beyond the typical ones: a username, a port are non-standard; used password is not managed by CloudStack.
Access VM components allow a user to obtain all necessary credentials to access a VM in the final dialog box shown after VM creation, or later when a user selects a corresponding action in the VM Action box. Access VM component is implemented by defining the special template or machine tags. These tags determine the view and content of the Access VM dialog box. For today, we support three VM access modes: VNC, SSH, HTTP.
- Access VM component for accessing a machine via VNC console extends the CloudStack feature enabling a template owner to determine a login to access a machine.
- Access VM component for accessing a machine via SSH allows a user to get all necessary credentials to access a VM with SSH. In case the WebShell plugin is enabled, a user can SSH to VM in a browser.
- Access VM component for accessing a machine via HTTP is useful for templates with ready to use web systems deployed, such as SugarCRM or Wordpress. This tab in the dialog box provides a user with all necessary details to access a machine in a browser.
All three modes can be used for one machine at the same time. In this case, all three tabs - VNC console, SSH, HTTP - will be active in the dialog box.
For more details on configuring VM access via template tags visit the wiki-page in the GitHub project.
In the current release, we improved the affinity group selection component at VM creation and editing.
Now, when attaching an affinity group to a machine a user can select a group in the list of existing groups or create a new group. At creating a new group it is required to define a group type: affinity or anti-affinity.
Now we support the attachment of several affinity groups to one VM.
The main navigation bar is enhanced and now contains two levels expecting the implementation of new UI features in the future. In the new menu, all menu items are grouped into two main sections.
In the “Virtual Machines” section a user can manage machines, their settings, and view log files.
In the “Accounts” section a user can manage accounts and users, define UI settings.
To switch between main sections click on the "sandwich" button in the upper-left corner.
Validation is implemented to the following parameter values defined in the config.json file:
- API Doc Link
- VM colors
- Security Group Templates
- Offering Compatibility Policy
- Allow Reordering Sidenav
Now, if an incorrect value is specified, an error message appears in the console.
The release can be found at GitHub releases: https://github.com/bwsw/cloudstack-ui/releases/tag/1.411.23.1.
Prepared Docker image is available at DockerRegistry. You can pull it with:
docker pull bitworks.software:8443/cloudstack-ui:1.411.23.1
The project changelog is here: https://github.com/bwsw/cloudstack-ui/blob/master/CHANGELOG.md.
Deployment guide and project info can be found at GitHub pages: https://bwsw.github.io/cloudstack-ui/
The next release is expected to include the following features and updates:
- Proceed with Log View plugin development: dynamic logs loading on the screen, viewing logs online will be implemented.
- Adding the ability to specify a VM display name (may not be unique within a domain) to avoid machine name collision.
- Disc offering selector improvements to show all offerings but to allow a user to select only those that fit available account resources.
Dear community member, we will be thankful if you
- Try the project and provide us with a feedback;
- Share the information about the project and the release in social media;
- Mark the GitHub repository with a star to support the project;
- Join LinkedIn group.