Apache CloudStack is an open-source IaaS platform used to manage compute, networking, storage, and virtual machines through a centralized management layer.
Instead of managing KVM hosts, storage, networks, IPs, templates, and VMs separately, CloudStack provides a single control plane for managing the infrastructure.
A typical CloudStack environment can include:
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Management Server
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KVM/VMware/XenServer hosts
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Primary Storage
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Secondary Storage
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Virtual Routers
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Templates and ISOs
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Public and private networks
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Zones, Pods, and Clusters
The important thing to understand is that CloudStack is the management/orchestration layer; it doesn’t replace the underlying hypervisor or physical infrastructure.