There is a lot to say about the tons of new features, usability enhancements, bug-fixes and other important updates for this new 4.6 release of the free Datacenter and Cloud Computing Management System openQRM. Full steam ahead the openQRM team, now backed by its new main sponsor openQRM Enterprise GmbH, worked hard to get openQRM even more "enterprise-ready".

For sure, the most visible change in this remarkable openQRM 4.6 release is the optical facelift, resulting in a streamlined and user-friendly web interface. The "Datacenter Dashboard" was redesigned and now provides a clean and complete overview about status and performance of all managed subsystems. The new restructured tree-menu additionally increases the usability, all functions are "in place" now.

One of the most important new features in openQRM 4.6 is the "Cloud Selector", which the Cloud Administrator uses to define Cloud Products (e.g. CPUs, memory, disk space, VM types, applications, etc.) and their pricing. The updated Cloud configuration now allows to configure the mapping between the virtual Cloud Computing currency CCU (Cloud Computing Unit) and a real currency (e.g. US$ or Euro). Additionally, a Cost Calculator displaying the exact costs and hourly, daily and monthly charges was added in the Cloud Request Forms. A new "private Cloud Image" feature allows Cloud users to create and maintain their own private Cloud Server templates. Another important update in openQRM 4.6 is that the server moved to secure SSL-enrypted "https" and now seamlessly supports different server architectures (i386 and x86_64).

openQRM 4.6 includes support for "hybrid Cloud Computing" by providing an Amazon EC2 connector via its new "AWS plugin". This plugin integrates public Cloud Providers and allows to seamlessly migrate systems from openQRM to e.g. Amazon, Eucalyptus or UEC and also to import system images (AMI's) from those external Clouds into openQRM. Never it was easier to outsource capacities in case of business peaks.

Also new in openQRM 4.6 is an update of the RPM and Debian packaging system, resulting in better quality pre-built packages, and a web-based installer which simplifies setting up openQRM tremendously.

To perfect the 4.6 release two new plugins were added to support local deployment of Xen and KVM virtual machines using local LVM volumes as their image storage. Those plugins were also adapted to the openQRM Cloud Portal, now enabling the deployment of non-Linux operating systems such as Windows and Solaris from within openQRM.

A big thanks to the openQRM team for their effort put into this next milestone of openQRM, especially to the main contributors Andre Westbunk, Alexander Kuballa, Boris Krajewski, Christoph Möller, Ferdinant V., Gerben M., Kris Buytaert, Martin Tillmann and Thomas Halinka.