rPath announced an updated solution for automating the packaging and management of applications that are ready to run in traditional, virtual or cloud-based environments.
The latest version of rBuilder (version 5) is designed to extend the ability of applications to integrate with an organization's existing tools and processes, as well as adding a management console for deploying, starting and stopping systems in production.
"rPath is focused on automating application deployment and maintenance across all target environments: bare metal, hypervisor and cloud," Jake Sorofman, vice president of marketing for rPath, tells 5 Minute Briefing. "We provide a way to package applications as ready-to-run systems that can land on any of these three target execution environments. In our experience, organizations expect to support a blended combination of traditional, virtual and cloud environments over time and they're looking for a unified approach to application deployment and management that spans the needs of each."
rBuilder also includes the capability to capture configuration information and dependencies between the components within the packaged system, the vendor said. The entire system definition, including components and dependencies, are managed within a version-controlled repository, which enables automated system maintenance.
The new release also includes a new dynamic user interface and wizard-driven processes guide users through the creation of an appliance, eliminating over 50 percent of the steps required in earlier versions, rBuilder states. Users can launch, start up, and shut down images across target environments, including VMware ESX, Citrix Xen, Microsoft Hyper-V, Amazon EC2, BlueLock, Globus, GoGrid and Rackspace. The console's APIs enable integration with existing management and provisioning tools.
"Many organizations are using rPath initially in bare metal environments simply to take overhead cost and risk out of today's manual process for system configuration and maintenance," Sorofman says. "The reality is that applications are becoming increasingly complex and this is making it harder than ever for IT to deploy and maintain apps using today's largely manual models. Our approach automates the creation, deployment and maintenance of these systems, which can take significant time, cost and risk out of the process."
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