Cinder (OpenStack)
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| Cinder (OpenStack) | |
|---|---|
| Name | Cinder |
| Developer | OpenStack Foundation |
| Released | 2011 |
| Programming language | Python |
| Operating system | Linux |
| Genre | Cloud computing |
| License | Apache License |
Cinder (OpenStack) is a block storage service developed under the OpenStack Foundation umbrella to provide persistent volumes for compute instances. It interfaces with compute services such as Nova and networking services such as Neutron to offer volume provisioning, snapshots, backups, and cloning for cloud platforms. Cinder is implemented in Python and integrates with a broad ecosystem of storage backends, hypervisors, and orchestration tools.
Overview
Cinder emerged alongside projects like Nova, Glance, Keystone, Horizon, and Swift to create a modular OpenStack Foundation platform. It provides APIs compatible with Amazon Elastic Block Store, OVA workflows, and enterprise storage arrays from vendors such as Dell Technologies, NetApp, IBM, Hitachi Vantara, and Pure Storage. The project aligns with Apache License licensing and collaborative governance models used by peers including Kubernetes, Ceph, and RabbitMQ. Cinder volumes are consumable by compute services running on hypervisors like KVM, Xen Project, VMware ESXi, and container runtimes cooperating with Docker or orchestration systems such as Kubernetes.
Architecture
Cinder follows a modular, service-oriented architecture integrating with Nova and Glance through well-defined REST APIs. Core components interact via messaging systems like Apache Qpid, RabbitMQ, or ZeroMQ and authentication provided by Keystone. The architecture separates control plane and data plane responsibilities; the control plane handles API requests, scheduling, and database state persisted in MySQL or PostgreSQL, while the data plane delegates I/O to backend drivers or external gateways such as Ceph, LVM, iSCSI, Fibre Channel arrays, and software-defined storage solutions. Integration points include dashboard plugins for Horizon and orchestration via Heat templates and Ansible playbooks.
Components and Drivers
The project contains several core services: the API service exposing REST endpoints, the scheduler choosing backends, the volume manager executing create/delete operations, the backup service coordinating with Glance or external object stores, and the receiver and exporter pieces used by replication and migration. Drivers translate Cinder operations into backend-specific actions and cover vendors such as NetApp, Dell EMC, Hitachi Vantara, IBM, Huawei Technologies and open-source backends like Ceph RBD, LVM, and Zadara. Cinder also supports iSCSI, Fibre Channel, NFS, and SMB protocols and integrates with hardware management systems from Red Hat, SUSE, and Canonical. Storage features include snapshots, cloning, volume migration, replication, tiering, and QoS, often interacting with Prometheus for monitoring and Grafana for visualization.
Deployment and Configuration
Deployments commonly use automation frameworks such as Ansible, Terraform, SaltStack, and Jenkins pipelines for CI/CD. Production installations configure services across multiple controller and compute nodes, leveraging databases like MariaDB and message queues like RabbitMQ with high-availability patterns drawn from projects such as Pacemaker and Corosync. Operators tune backend pools, scheduler filters, and allowed volume types to match hardware vendors including NetApp, EMC Corporation, Hitachi Data Systems, and cloud providers like Rackspace. Integration with identity, logging, and telemetry services—Keystone, Fluentd, Elasticsearch, Logstash, Kibana, Ceilometer—is standard practice for observability and compliance.
Use Cases and Integrations
Cinder is used for persistent block storage for virtual machines in private clouds operated by enterprises, telecommunications carriers, and research institutions such as NASA, CERN, and national supercomputing centers. It supports database workloads like PostgreSQL, MySQL, and Oracle Database as well as clustered file systems and containerized persistent volumes consumed by orchestration layers like Kubernetes via OpenStack Cinder CSI Driver. Integration scenarios include disaster recovery with DRBD, backup workflows with Bacula or vendor appliances, and convergence with software-defined storage stacks like Ceph and GlusterFS. Vendors and operators integrate Cinder into hybrid cloud offerings alongside services from Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform.
Development and Governance
Cinder development follows the OpenStack Foundation release cadence with regular cycle meetings, specification reviews, and contributor guidelines aligning with community projects like Nova and Neutron. Contributions are managed through code review systems and governance models comparable to Linux kernel and Kubernetes communities, with maintainers and core reviewers drawn from companies including Red Hat, Canonical, Huawei Technologies, IBM, and SUSE. The project participates in interoperable testing efforts such as OpenStack Interoperability and collaborates with storage vendors for driver validation and certification programs.