5 new guides for using OpenStack

Are you interested in creating an open source cloud using the latest and greatest that OpenStack has to offer? We're here to help. We have gathered some of the best howtos, guides, tutorials, and tips published over the past month into this easy-to-use collection. Check out the list, get ready to learn, and if you get tripped up, remember that the official documentation for OpenStack is there to help.

December was a bit slower than some previous months on the OpenStack front, but we've still managed to bring together some great finds for you. This month, we look at migrating Ceph volumes, using the serial console in Nova, getting started with Heat, and more.

• First up, a quick post from Sébastien Han about how to import existing Ceph volumes in Cinder. If you're moving from one OpenStack installation to another for testing, upgrades, or just a general need to relocate, this may save you some time and trouble.
• Next, a great piece from Lars Kellogg-Stedman on how to use the serial console feature for accessing Nova servers. A new featured added in the Juno release, the serial console support is easy to set up and use, if you know how.
• We've covered Heat, the OpenStack orchestration project, a number of times here on Opensource.com. Here, Arthur Berezin walks you through the basics in his guide to getting started with Heat, which takes you through installation, a 'hello world' application, and running heat from the command line. Berezin also looks at some of the new features available in the Juno release.
• Have a NetApp storage device in your infrastructure setup? NetApp has a new guide to using PackStack to install Cinder with one of their storage backends.
• Another great new resource is Emily Hugenbruch's guide to testing in OpenStack, which gives some great ways for developers to test their code. Hugenbruch writes "As you begin creating patches for OpenStack, you have two choices: you can run some unit tests yourself and try to figure out your errors before taking them to the community, or you can write the code and then just throw it out there, hoping that reviewers and Jenkins will catch all your bugs. I highly recommend the first option. The second option will only make community members annoyed with you because they have to read your buggy code!"

That's it for this month. Check out our past OpenStack tutorials collection for more great guides and hints. And if we missed your favorite new guide or resource, let us know in the comments!