Ubuntu Server on Amazon Beta

We have just announced our beta of Ubuntu Server Edition for cloud computing. It uses Amazon’s established cloud service EC2. We’re supplying customised images that are quick to deploy and efficient in production. The images are based on Ubuntu Server Edition so have the same great security, performance, reliability and range of applications. Since they use the EC2 service it means that you can have a new server up and running with a few mouse clicks.

There’s been a lot of interest in cloud computing by developers and cutting edge users for a while. When unlimited processing power is available at the flick of a switch there are lots of intriguing possibilities from an application development perspective. With IT budgets under substantial pressure, new and cost effective ways of deploying services are coming to the centre stage. Deploying server instances in the cloud could offer real benefits to business users as it’s fast, and utility pricing means you’re only paying for the resources you use. I’m sure we’ll see cloud computing continue to grow in importance very quickly.

Ubuntu Server Edition is an ideal fit for cloud computing as it’s modular, efficient and designed to be easy to manage in large deployments. During the beta programme we’ll be providing a set of official Ubuntu 8.10 images for EC2 with maintenance updates and security updates. The intention is to make Ubuntu server available on EC2 as a supported deployment platform in the future.

We’d love as many people as possible to take part in the beta and give us feedback. If you’d like to sign-up you’ll need an Amazon Web Services (AWS) account and you should be aware that Amazon will charge you for your usage of EC2. There’s no additional charge for using the Ubuntu images, the maintenance is completely free. So if you’d like to take part in the beta programme please register on the Ubuntu on AWS page.

Steve George – Director, Corporate Services