Red Hat Upgrades Container Management
Red Hat is emphasizing application container management, security and provisioning in the latest releases of its Satellite management suite for Red Hat Linux 7.
Red Hat said Wednesday (Aug. 12) that Satellite 6.1 addresses the gradual shift toward container-based cloud deployments. The latest release therefore allows developers to integrate Satellite management software into a hybrid cloud while leverage better reporting around host systems during the transition, according to Joe Fitzgerald, vice president of Red Hat's Management Business Unit.
Specifically, the Satellite upgrades focus on extending systems management into container deployments, a capability designed to give users of Docker containers greater control around versioning, authentication and integration with existing platforms.
Other upgrades since the release last year of Satellite 6.0 include security enhancements focused on host vulnerability along with improved discovery and container management capabilities across physical, virtual and cloud environments, the company said.
Red Hat, Docker and other container proponents have been zeroing in on security concerns as they seek to move the technology from test and development to production. The Satellite upgrades announced this week address nuts and bolts issues associated with boosting container security in production environments. For example, Red Hat said the management upgrade includes better errata management used to address bug fixes, enhancement as well as security errata.
Moreover, an improved reporting capability is designed to allow quicker response when hosts are affected by security vulnerabilities. That capability aims at reducing exposure of sensitive data to recent vulnerabilities like Heartbleed and GHOST, a vulnerability within the Linux GNU C Library.
The Satellite update also includes a standard approach to monitoring enterprise infrastructure security that automates steps like verifying security patches and checking system configuration settings. It also monitors systems for compromises at a preset frequency, the company said.
Meanwhile, new container management features in Satellite 6.1 address the shift toward container deployments within cloud infrastructure. The stumbling block here has been improved management of sensitive applications and data in new container deployments. Red Hat said the Satellite upgrades would allow Docker users to leverage Satellite's control features centered on versioning, authentication and integration with existing platforms as a way to scale container deployments in production.
The upgrade also included an on-premise registry that provides access controls, auditing and an API for managing container deployments.
Satellite is also touted as simplifying the provisioning through new discovery procedures that allow automatic bare metal discovery of unknown nodes in the provisioning network. The new nodes can then "self-register" to Satellite and upload hardware features. "This discovery allows the software to best determine the type of system to provision," Red Hat noted.
Also included is network support for provisioning complex network infrastructure like virtual LANs.
Red Hat said Satellite 6.1 is generally available now to all Satellite subscribers.
