The Rackspace Cloud vs Legacy Rackspace Public Cloud
The differences of the new Rackspace Cloud and Legacy Rackspace Cloud
Understanding the Difference: Rackspace Cloud vs. Legacy Rackspace Cloud
For those using Rackspace services, you may have heard of the Legacy Rackspace Cloud platform or our Rackspace Cloud platform. While they both offer public cloud-based multi-tenant infrastructure, they’re built on different underlying platforms, architecture, and OpenStack versions. This document is meant to highlight and understandsome of the key differences in the two platforms.
Platform Foundation
-
Legacy Rackspace Cloud
Launched years ago, this platform is proprietary and built using Rackspace's own custom technology stack but based around various versions OpenStack. -
Rackspace Cloud
Built to be more in-line with a single modern version of vanilla OpenStack, an open-source cloud platform. This allows more flexibility and compatibility with modern cloud-native tools and upstream OpenStack documentation.
Terminology
While there are many differences, there is a lot of similarity. Unfortunately, the two platforms do not always make use of the same terminology. As a result the terminology used for what is ultimately the same component may differ between the two platforms. Below is a table showing some of the key terms that you may be familiar with and what they are called on each platform.
| Component | Legacy Rackspace Cloud Term | OpenStack Flex Term |
|---|---|---|
| Control Panel | Cloud Control Panel (aka Reach) | Skyline |
| Server (Compute / VM) | Cloud Server | Compute Instance |
| Server Snapshot | Saved Image | Instance Snapshots |
| Load Balancer | Cloud Load Balancer | Load Balancer |
| Private Network | Cloud Network | Network |
| File Storage | Cloud Files | Object Storage |
| Storage Volumes | Cloud Block Storage (CBS) | Volume |
| Images | Base Images | Public Images |
| Identity Service | Cloud Identity | Keystone |
Know the Pros and Cons of Each Platform
Both platforms offer a robust array of products and services. It's important to understand the availability of features and services on each of the platforms. The tables below outline some of the details on each platform.
Legacy Rackspace Cloud
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Simple to Use Interface | Lack of CLI Support |
| CDN Object Storage Compatibility | Limited Customization |
| RackConnectv2 & RackConnectv3 Support | Older Platform |
| Database as a Service Support | Not Aligned with Vanilla OpenStack |
| Scheduled Snapshotting and Backup Services | Custom Images Not Officially Supported |
| PTR Record Support | Multiple Accounts Required for Segmentation |
Rackspace Cloud
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Flexible and Scalable | Steeper Learning Curve |
| Advanced Networking and Storage Options | RackConnect Not Currently Supported |
| OpenStack CLI Support | Requires Initial Network Setup |
| Newer Modern Hardware | Different UI for Each Region |
| License-Free Solution | No File-Based Backup Product |
| Security and Compliance Features | No Scheduled Snapshotting Feature |
| Retained and Floating IP Addresses | No Database as a Service Offering |
| In Line with Upstream OpenStack | No Object Storage CDN Capability |
| Supports Custom Image Import | PTR Record Creation Requires Ticket |
| Allows for Segmentation within Single Account |
IMPORTANT: There is no private network connection between the Legacy Rackspace Cloud and the new Rackspace Cloud.
Migration and Future Focus
Since we are continuing operate, maintain, and make slight improvements to our Legacy Rackspace Cloud platform, it is perfectly fine for customers to continue using its products and services. However, customers should be aware that they can build new projects out in Rackspace Cloud without interruption to any existing Legacy Rackspace Cloud workloads. This means customers can slowly migrate their workloads and spin up new projects on Racksapce OpenStack Flex to take advantage of the better performance, more modern tooling, and increased flexibility.
To see more about how to access and plan your migration to Rackspace Cloud, check our guides out here:
Accessing Rackspace Cloud
Planning a Migration to Rackspace Cloud
Summary
In summary, while we continue to operate, maintain, and improve on our Legacy Rackspace Cloud platform - focus on major improvements and new offerings will shift towards Rackspace Cloud.
Updated 1 day ago