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The OpenStack Handbook

From First Deployment to Production-Scale Cloud Operations

The OpenStack Handbook
This book is 100% completeLast updated on 2026-08-12
Steve Publications

Build OpenStack with confidence, from your first deployment to production at scale. This hands-on guide walks you through planning, configuration, security, daily operations and troubleshooting with practical examples and proven techniques. A dependable resource for admins, DevOps engineers and cloud architects.

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About

About the Book

This book is a comprehensive, practical guide to planning, deploying, configuring, administering, securing, operating, and troubleshooting OpenStack clouds. Written for system administrators, DevOps engineers, and cloud architects, it takes you from fundamental concepts through production-grade operations with detailed procedures, realistic configuration examples, and systematic troubleshooting techniques. Whether you are building your first lab environment or managing a multi-thousand-node enterprise deployment, this book serves as both a learning resource and an ongoing reference manual.

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Infrastructure as CodeSystems AdministrationSystems EngineeringNetworkingStorageCloud Computing

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Author

About the Author

Steve Publications

Steve is a technology professional with over 20 years of experience in software development, server infrastructure, cybersecurity, vulnerability research and reverse engineering. He specializes in analyzing complex systems, identifying weaknesses and improving security.

Beyond his professional work, Steve collaborates with researchers and industry experts to create practical technical books covering software development, cybersecurity, cloud computing, DevOps, AI and enterprise technologies. His goal is to help IT professionals, students and enthusiasts develop practical skills through clear explanations, real-world examples and hands-on exercises.

At Steve Publications, we use AI to assist with translation, proofreading and editing but not to replace the research, technical expertise or hands-on experience behind our books. Some authors publish under pseudonyms for privacy or professional reasons.

Every book is written, reviewed and maintained by experienced professionals, supported by a private community of over 420 engineers and researchers. We prioritize technical accuracy, practical value and regularly updated content over mass-produced AI-generated text.

We welcome experienced professionals interested in writing or reviewing books, especially in specialized and emerging technology fields. If you'd like to contribute, contact us with your area of expertise.

We stand behind our work. If a book doesn't meet your expectations, Leanpub offers a 60-day money-back guarantee.

Contents

Table of Contents

From First Deployment to Production-Scale Cloud Operations

Introduction: Why OpenStack Still Matters

  1. The State of Cloud Computing in 2026
  2. What OpenStack Is and Is Not
  3. Who Uses OpenStack and Why
  4. How This Book Is Organized

Chapter 1: OpenStack Architecture and Core Concepts

  1. The Big Picture: Controllers, Compute Nodes, Network Nodes, Storage Nodes
  2. Keystone: Identity and Authentication
  3. Nova: Compute Orchestration
  4. Neutron: Networking as a Service
  5. Glance: Image Management
  6. Cinder: Block Storage
  7. Swift: Object Storage
  8. Horizon: The Web Dashboard
  9. Supporting Services: Placement, Heat, Octavia, Magnum, Manila
  10. How the Pieces Fit Together: A Request Lifecycle

Chapter 2: Planning Your OpenStack Deployment

  1. Deployment Scenarios: Lab, PoC, Small Production, Enterprise Scale
  2. Hardware Requirements and Sizing Guidelines
  3. Operating System Selection and Support Matrix
  4. Network Design: Management, API, Storage, Provider Networks
  5. DNS, NTP, and Time Synchronization
  6. Storage Planning: Local vs Shared, Ceph Considerations
  7. High Availability Architecture Patterns
  8. Choosing a Deployment Method

Chapter 3: Prerequisites and Base System Preparation

  1. Installing the Operating System
  2. Configuring Static Networking
  3. Setting Up Hostnames and DNS Resolution
  4. NTP and Time Synchronization
  5. Package Repositories and Updates
  6. Firewall Configuration
  7. SSH Key Setup and Access Control
  8. Kernel Parameters and System Limits

Chapter 4: Installing Core Infrastructure Services

  1. Database Server Installation and Configuration
  2. Message Queue (RabbitMQ) Setup
  3. Memcached for Caching
  4. Keystone Identity Service Installation
  5. Creating Initial Users, Projects, and Roles
  6. Generating the Admin Credentials File

Chapter 5: Deploying Compute Services with Nova

  1. Placement Service Installation
  2. Nova Controller Components
  3. Configuring a Compute Node
  4. Verifying Compute Service Operation
  5. Understanding Nova Scheduling and Resource Tracking

Chapter 6: Deploying Image Services with Glance

  1. Glance Controller Installation
  2. Configuring Storage Backends for Images
  3. Uploading and Managing Images
  4. Image Formats, Properties, and Best Practices

Chapter 7: Networking with Neutron

  1. Neutron Architecture Overview
  2. Installing Neutron on the Controller
  3. Configuring the Network Node
  4. Provider Networks and External Connectivity
  5. Self-Service Tenant Networks
  6. Virtual Routers, DHCP, and NAT
  7. Floating IPs and External Access
  8. Security Groups and Port Security
  9. VXLAN, Geneve, and VLAN Backends

Chapter 8: Block Storage with Cinder and Object Storage with Swift

  1. Cinder Architecture and Installation
  2. Configuring Cinder Backends: LVM, NFS, Ceph RBD
  3. Managing Volumes, Snapshots, and Volume Types
  4. Swift Architecture Overview
  5. Installing and Configuring Swift
  6. Using Object Storage for Images, Backups, and Data

Chapter 9: Storage Deep Dive: Ceph Integration

  1. Why Ceph with OpenStack
  2. Ceph Architecture Primer
  3. Deploying a Ceph Cluster
  4. Integrating Ceph with Cinder
  5. Integrating Ceph with Glance
  6. Integrating Ceph with Nova Ephemeral Storage
  7. Monitoring and Maintaining Ceph

Chapter 10: The Dashboard, Orchestration, Load Balancing, and Containers

  1. Installing and Configuring Horizon
  2. Using the Dashboard Effectively
  3. Heat Orchestration Service
  4. Octavia Load Balancer as a Service
  5. Magnum Container Orchestration
  6. Manila Shared File Systems

Chapter 11: Daily Operations and Resource Management

  1. Managing Projects, Users, and Roles
  2. Creating Networks, Subnets, and Routers
  3. Launching Instances with the CLI
  4. Managing Volumes, Images, and Key Pairs
  5. Resource Quotas and Limits
  6. Instance Lifecycle: Snapshot, Resize, Migrate, Evacuate
  7. Scheduling Policies and Placement Filters

Chapter 12: Security Hardening and Access Control

  1. Identity Security: Domains, Groups, and Fine-Grained Roles
  2. Policy Files and Authorization Rules
  3. TLS Everywhere: Certificates and Encryption
  4. Securing the API Endpoints
  5. Network Isolation and Microsegmentation
  6. Secrets Management and Credential Rotation
  7. Firewalling and Network Security Best Practices
  8. Compliance and Auditing

Chapter 13: Automation, APIs, and Infrastructure as Code

  1. OpenStack REST APIs Overview
  2. Using the OpenStack CLI Effectively
  3. Client SDKs: Python, Go, and Others
  4. Terraform Provider for OpenStack
  5. Ansible Modules and Automation Playbooks
  6. CI/CD Integration for Cloud Workloads

Chapter 14: Monitoring, Performance, Upgrades, and Troubleshooting

  1. Monitoring Architecture: Telemetry, Metrics, Logging
  2. Setting Up Alerting and Dashboards
  3. Capacity Planning and Performance Tuning
  4. Backup Strategies and Disaster Recovery
  5. Upgrading OpenStack Releases
  6. Systematic Troubleshooting: A Methodical Approach
  7. Common Failure Modes and Remediation Procedures

Conclusion: Operating a Production OpenStack Cloud

  1. Lessons from Production Deployments
  2. The Path Forward for OpenStack Operators

References

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