Creating a Virtual Machine in Apache CloudStack (via CloudMonkey)

Overview Create a network Generate an SSH keypair Deploy a VM Associate a public IP Access the VM via SSH List Available Templates Templates define the base OS image your VM will use. cmk list templates templatefilter=all filter=id,name Example output: id name ----------------------------------- ------------------------------ b9d4cf39-88dc-4092-b972-9114d315bdc0 Ubuntu 24.04 List Network Offerings Network offerings define connectivity features like NAT, DHCP, and firewall. cmk list networkofferings filter=id,name,guestiptype,traffictype Choose: DefaultIsolatedNetworkOfferingWithSourceNatService Create a Network Create your isolated network....

November 5, 2025 · 2 min · Daman Arora

CloudStack Databases Explained: Foundation of the Management Server

CloudStack relies on two key databases — cloud and cloud_usage. Overview The CloudStack Management Server interacts continuously with a database backend. Every API call, VM operation, or event updates these databases. cloudstack-management │ ▼ MySQL Server ├── cloud └── cloud_usage Database Roles cloud The core operational database. Stores all configuration and runtime state. Key responsibilities: VM instances, volumes, and templates Networking, IP addresses, and VLANs User accounts, roles, and API keys Async jobs, events, and orchestration logs cloud_usage The usage and metering database....

November 4, 2025 · 1 min · Daman Arora

CloudStack Architecture: The Hierarchy Explained

CloudStack organizes infrastructure hierarchically. Each level serves a specific purpose. The Hierarchy Region (Geographically dispersed) └─ Zone (Usually = 1 datacenter) └─ Pod (Usually = 1 physical rack) └─ Cluster (Same hypervisor type) └─ Host (Individual physical computer) Regions Collection of zones across different locations. If one datacenter fails, other regions keep running. Visible to users: Yes Zones Typically one datacenter. Provides physical isolation (separate power, network). Contains pods and secondary storage....

November 3, 2025 · 2 min · Daman Arora

CloudStack Clusters: The enablers of high availability and live migration in a Pod

A cluster is a logical grouping of identical hosts that enables live migration—the ability to move running virtual machines between hosts without any downtime. This single capability is what makes CloudStack (and modern cloud infrastructure) so powerful. What is a Cluster? A cluster is: Logical — a software grouping, not physical hardware Homogeneous — all hosts must run the same hypervisor (all KVM, all Hyper-V, etc.) Self-managed — CloudStack automatically schedules instances and migrations within the cluster Migratable — instances can move between hosts without stopping Where Clusters Fit Region └─ Zone (Typically = 1 Datacenter) └─ Pod (Usually = 1 Physical Rack) ├─ Cluster 1 (All KVM) │ ├─ Host 1, Host 2, Host 3 │ └─ Primary Storage │ ├─ Cluster 2 (All Hyper-V) │ ├─ Host 4, Host 5 │ └─ Primary Storage │ └─ Cluster 3 (All vSphere) ├─ Host 6, Host 7 └─ Primary Storage Notice: multiple clusters can exist in one pod, but each runs a different hypervisor type....

November 3, 2025 · 3 min · Daman Arora

Fixing Audio on Dell 16 Plus with Ubuntu: Intel Lunar Lake RT722 Codec

If you’ve just installed Ubuntu on a Dell 16 Plus and found yourself staring at “Dummy Output” in your sound settings, you’re not alone. The culprit? Intel’s brand new Lunar Lake audio hardware with the RT722 codec - hardware so cutting-edge that Ubuntu’s audio stack doesn’t quite know what to do with it yet. The Problem After a fresh Ubuntu installation on the Dell 16 Plus, the system shows: “Dummy Output” as the only audio device No speakers or headphones detected wpctl status showing no real audio sinks Under the hood, the hardware is detected (aplay -l shows devices), but PipeWire/WirePlumber can’t create usable audio endpoints because:...

November 2, 2025 · 3 min · Daman Arora