Studi-Cloud

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StudiCloud@HFU

Furtwangen University (HFU) operates its own private cloud infrastructure, Internal link opens in the same window:Cloud Infrastructure and Application (CloudIA). The target group of the CloudIA project are HFU staff and students running e-learning applications as well as external parties for collaboration. In May 2011, we launched a Studi-Cloud that allows any HFU member to create a virtual machine using an easy-to-use cloud wizard (as pictured above). Users can currently choose between three Linux VMs, accessible either via command line (SSH) or remote desktop (X2Go).

To avoid multiple user administration, StudiCloud authentication is based on a "Single Sign-On" (SSO) solution with Shibboleth. Every HFU student is granted access to the cloud administration interface with their HFU account.

Each VM is used exclusively by its creator. At night, every running VM is automatically shut down to prevent misuse. The VMs can be restarted at any time and no data is lost.

StudiCloud for Everybody

The StudiCloud software includes a WebGUI for an External link opens in a new window:Open Nebula driven cloud infrastructure. It allows user to create VMs through a simple-to-use web interface (External link opens in a new window:see screenshots). Furthermore, it provides a backend proxy to connect to the Single-Sign-On service Shibboleth for user authentication. StudiCloud interacts with the cloud management software External link opens in a new window:OpenNebula and required infrastructure components such as DNS, DHCP, NFS.

 

StudiCloud features

  • WebGUI for OpenNebula user to quickly deploy VMs
  • Graphical wizard driven VM creation
  • New VMs within seconds due to integration of KVM Copy-On-Write images
  • SSH-Key generation via Java Applet
  • User authentication via Shibboleth (infrastructure required)
  • Define how many VMs a user can run
  • VM start, stop, suspend, resume, delete
  • Interaction with infrastructure services such as DHCP, DNS, NFS

 

Related Publications

  • Frank Doelitzscher, Anthony Sulistio, Christoph Reich, Hendrik Kuijs and David Wolf, Private Cloud for Collaboration and e-Learning Services: from IaaS to SaaS, Computing, ISSN: 0010-485X, Springer, Jan. 2011.

 

StudiCloud Download

StudiCloud is released as Open Source software and publicly available for download at External link opens in a new window:SourceForge.net.

 

I will be happy to answer any questions about the project!

Your key contact

  • Prof. Dr. Christoph Reich
    Prof. Dr. Christoph Reich Head of Cooperative Doctoral Programme