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Description

This page serves as a host for release notes for the CloudControl UI.

CloudControl releases generally provide updates to, and new functionalities for the CloudControl UI.


New Features by Release

June 2016 ("Morpheus") 

Features added in the release that are unique to the Updated UI include:

  1. Use of Non-RFC 1918 IP as Private IP Addressing in MCP 2.0 - New functionality allows users to use non-RFC 1918 space for “private” IPv4 ranges on VLANs, Server NICs, Virtual Listeners, NATs, and Nodes. Such IPs are not routed to the Public Internet and act as “private” addresses within the Network Domain. More details are available at Introduction to IP Addressing and Routing in MCP 2.0.
  2. MCP 2.0 VLANs now have a choice of "High" or "Low" System IP Addresses - Prior to the June 2016 release, all VLANs were deployed with a set of system-reserved IP addresses at the start of the VLAN range. This prevented users from assigning the start of the VLAN range to Cloud Server NICs, nodes, and NATs and is now designated as "Low IP Addressing VLANs".  New functionality allows users to deploy VLANs with such system-reserved addressing at the end of the VLAN range, freeing up the start of the IP range for use with Server NICs, nodes, etc. This is called "High IP Addressing". For more details, see How to Deploy a VLAN on a Network Domain in an MCP 2.0 Data Center. Such VLANs will have an arrow next to the IPv4 range when viewing in the Updated UI in a VLANs and Servers view, looking like this:
  3. MCP 2.0 Firewall Rules can now be edited - You no longer have to replace MCP 2.0 firewall rules to make a change. For details, see How to Manage Firewall Rules on a Network Domain.
  4. Choice of Network Adapters and Server Gateway Addresses - When deploying a new Cloud Server, users can choose the VMware network adapter used for NICs (E1000 vs. VMXNET3) as well as the "gateway" IP address for the Primary NIC. For details, see How to Deploy a Cloud Server from a Guest OS Customization Image. You can also choose the network adapter when adding a NIC as described in How to Add an Additional NIC to a Cloud Server.

August 2016 ("Niven")

Features added in the release that are unique to the Updated UI include:

  1. DRS (Disaster Recovery Services) for Cloud is a feature available optionally in Private Cloud MCP 2.0 locations which enables real-time replication of the Cloud Servers and their associated local disk content between two data center locations in the same Geographic Region. For details, see: Introduction to DRS for Cloud

December 2016 ("Orwell")

Features added in the release that are unique to the Updated UI include:

  1. Non-Guest OS Customization Images and Server Deployments is a new feature that provides a method of server deployment that bypasses the guest os customization process. For details, see Introduction to Cloud Server Provisioning, OS Customization, and Best Practices.
  2. New Operating Systems - The newly supported Operating Systems are available only with the new Non-Guest OS Customization feature. For details, see What Operating Systems are Currently Supported on CloudControl?
  3. Open VM Tools Support - CloudControl now supports the open-source alternative to proprietary VMware Tools. In addition, the new Non-Guest OS Customization method does not require VM Tools to be installed. For details, see Understanding Support for VM Tools in CloudControl.
  4. NIC/Network Adapter Enhancements - The system now supports three additional Network Adapters described in What Operating Systems are Currently Supported on CloudControl? and also allows you to view and change the Network Adapters on a Cloud Server in MCP 2.0 as described in How to Change the Network Adapter of a NIC on a Cloud Server. 
  5. Ability to “Swap” VLANs Between NICs - You can now exchange VLANs between NICs in MCP 2.0, which is very useful should a Guest OS Customization deployment result in the incorrect ordering of NICs in the Guest OS after deployment. For details, see How to Change the Network Adaptor of a NIC on a Cloud Server.
  6. Cloud Backup Secondary Recovery - Users that have established Cloud Backup with a secondary copy can now perform restores from that copy. For details, see How to Set Up Secondary Recovery for File Systems.
  7. Cloud Backup SQL Backup - Cloud Backup has added support for a backup agent specific to Microsoft SQL Server. For details, see How to Manage a SQL Server Backup and SQL Server Support in Cloud Backup.

January 2017 ("Picard")

Features added in the release that are unique to the Updated UI include:

  1. Ability to Power Off a DRS Source Server - Users have the ability to power off a Source Server in a DRS Consistency Group. See How to Power Off a DRS Source Server
  2. Supported Operating Systems - There is a new dashboard which displays information about Operating Systems that are supported within CloudControl Navigating the Supported Operating Systems Dashboard

For further information regarding navigating the new Menu options available in the Updated UI, see Introduction to the UI

April 2017 ("Q")

Features added in the release that are unique to the Updated UI include:

  1. SCSI Controllers - The system now supports up to four virtual SCSI controllers per Cloud Server. Each SCSI controller provides 15 "positions" in which a local storage "disk" can be attached. This means that with the full complement of four SCSI controllers, there are 60 potential positions where local disks can be placed. See: Introduction to Cloud Server Local Storage ("Disks") and Disk Speeds
  2. Server Security Groups - Available only in specific Private Cloud and Hosted Private Cloud environments, allows users to isolate Cloud Servers from each other, preventing them from communicating with each other. See: Introduction to Security Groups
  3. "Small" size VLANs - Users can now deploy "Small" size VLANs which offer the same functionality as regular VLANs, but with a smaller amount of available IP Addresses. See Introduction to Cloud Network Domains and VLANs.

June 2017 ("Rincewind")

Features added in the release that are unique to the Updated UI include:

  1. Additional Local Disk support - The system now supports IDE, SATA, and Floppy controllers, as well as CD-ROM and ISO devices. See Introduction to Cloud Server Local Storage ("Disks") and Disk Speeds
  2. New User Role - The VPN role was introduced with this release. Users with the VPN role assigned can access Client-to-Site VPN. See How to Manage the Primary Administrator User and other Sub-Administrators as the Primary Administrator
  3. Password Strength Indicator and "Suggest Password" tool -Vulnerable, or easily guessable passwords are a security risk. The Password Strength indicator will indicate the strength of your password. You can also click the new "Suggest Password" button to have the system suggest a complex password for you to use, then copy it directly to your clipboard for easy deployment. See How to Deploy a Cloud Server from a Guest OS Customization Image.
  4. Sensitive Port Firewall Rule Warning - The UI will present a warning on new and existing Firewall Rules that expose sensitive ports. See How to Create a Firewall Rule on a Network Domain
  5. Import Bulk Firewall Rules from a .CSV file - You can now import bulk firewall rules from a .csv file. See How to Import Bulk Firewall Rules from a .csv File
  6. Filter Server Images by Data Center - When deploying a Cloud Server, you can now filter Server Images by Data Center. See How to Deploy a Cloud Server from a Guest OS Customization Image and How to Deploy a Cloud Server from a Non-Guest OS Customization Image
  7. View of MCP 1.0 Locations Disabled If No Assets in Location - if your organization does not have assets (i.e. Cloud Servers, Cloud Networks, or Client Images) deployed in a MCP 1.0 location, that location will longer appear in the UI or the associated List Data Centers API response. For more details, see Notice to Users – Suppression of MCP 1.0 locations without Cloud Assets from 22 June 2017.

October 2017 ("Simmons-A")

Features added in the release that are unique to the Updated UI include:

  1. SSL Offload - SSL Offloading allows you to set up proxies for SSL certificates at the Virtual Listener level rather than having to set up SSL certificates on individual virtual servers. For more information on SSL Offloading, see Introduction to VIPs in MCP 2.0
  2. Exclusively Reserved IP Addresses - IP Addresses (IPv4 and IPv6) can now be "Exclusively Reserved". An IP Address can be assigned to multiple assets prior to being exclusively reserved, but this can cause IP Conflict. Once an IP Address has been exclusively reserved, it can not be assigned to any new assets. For more information, see:
  3. NIC Connectivity - You can now choose whether the NIC(s) associated with an asset are 'connected' or 'disconnected'. For more information, see:
  4. Cloud Server Snapshot Feature - A Cloud Server Snapshot is a copy of a Cloud Server’s hardware and storage state at a given point in time. Cloud Server Snapshots include the current state of components of the virtual server, including CPU, RAM, disks, NIC cards, VLAN’s etc. Cloud Server Snapshots can be used to create a new Cloud Server with the same hardware configuration and storage state as the historical snapshot, giving users the ability to "roll back" to a previous state. For example, back to a time before a failure or fault occurred. Cloud Server Snapshot Feature can be enabled for a given Cloud Server, like Cloud Backups or Cloud Monitoring. For more information, see Introduction to Cloud Server Snapshots

November 2017 ("Simmons-B")

  1. Delete Snapshot Preview Server - You can now delete a Server that is in Snapshot Preview mode. For more information, See: 
  2. Summary Usage and Detailed Usage reports - You can now track Snapshot usage with the Essentials Snapshot Hours entry. For more information, see:

April 2018 ("Tardis")

  1. Advanced Snapshots  - You can now assign the 'Advanced Snapshots' plan to a Cloud Server that is enabled for Cloud Snapshots. The Advanced Snapshot plan takes daily snapshots and keeps Snapshots for 365 days. For more information see Introduction to Cloud Server Snapshots
  2. Provisioned IOPS and Variable IOPS Disk Speed - We have introduced a new Disk Speed, Variable IOPS which allows users to set the amount of IOPS on a Disk. For more information see Introduction to Cloud Server Local Storage ("Disks") and Disk Speeds
  3. MAC Address(es) - Snapshot Preview Servers can now maintain Historical MAC Address(es). See Introduction to Cloud Server Snapshots

July 2018 ("Trinity")

  1. Cloud Server Snapshots - There were several improvements made to the Cloud Server Snapshot feature:
  2. Provisioned IOPS and Variable IOPS Disk Speed - You can now deploy Cloud Servers and add Disks directly with Provisioned IOPS Disk Speed. See Introduction to Cloud Server Local Storage ("Disks") and Disk Speeds
  3. OS Units - Charges for OS Units are now only incurred while a Cloud Server is running. See Introduction to OS Units

October 2018 ("Uhura-A")

  1. Enterprise Cloud Network Domains - A new Network Domain service level that is required to fully utilize the Client Network Domain Static Routes and Detached VLAN features described below. See Introduction to Cloud Network Domains and VLANs.
  2. Network Domain Static Routes - Provides a view into the Static Routes associated with all types of Network Domains. In addition, users of Enterprise Network Domains can make changes to the static routes control the routing of IP traffic out of a Cloud Network Domain. See:
    1. How to View Network Domain Static Routes
    2. How to Add Client Network Domain Static Routes
    3. How to Delete Static Routes from a Network Domain
    4. How to Restore Network Domain Static Routes to the CloudControl System Values
  3. Detached VLANs - Allows users to deploy VLANs that are not routed through the Network Domain. They are "stand-alone" VLANs that let you interconnect with NICs on other Cloud Servers located on the same Network Domain while remaining isolated from the Network Domain's routing capabilities. In addition to Introduction to Cloud Network Domains and VLANs, see the potential use cases described in Introduction to Detached VLAN Use Cases.

November 2018 ("Uhura-B")

  1. Copy MCP 1.0 Server to MCP 2.0 - You can now copy a stopped MCP 1.0 Cloud Server to an MCP 2.0 Data Center location
  2. Cloud Server Snapshots - A new feature for Cloud Server Snapshots

March 2019 ("Visionary")

  1. Self-Service support for Network Domain SNAT Exclusions List - Users can now manage the Cloud Network Domain’s SNAT (Source NAT) Exclusion List through the UI
  2. Duo Multi-Factor Authentication for Client-to-Site VPN - Primary Administrators can now choose to enable multi-factor authentication for use of the Client-to-Site VPN. This MFA approach uses Duo (https://duo.com), a different approach than the two-factor authentication used for the UI itself which provides greater flexibility in the authentication methodology
  3. Support for Cloud Server Replication - The UI release supports a new replication feature in the Advanced plan for Cloud Server Snapshots. With this new feature, users can choose to replicate their Cloud Server Snapshots to a different location in the same Geographic Region. These replicated Snapshots can then be used to bring up a Snapshot Preview server in the replicated data center location, with the user choosing the VLANs on which the NIC’s should be deployed. An overview of this new Snapshot replication feature is available here:
  4. Preparing for Support for SCSI Disk Changes on Running Servers - In the next API release scheduled for late March/early April, the system will begin allowing users to make disk changes on running servers for SCSI disks. Some changes will also be allowed for SATA and IDE disks. In preparation for this change, the UI will no longer block such actions against running servers. However, until the API release, such actions will immediately fail when attempted.

 

April 2019 ("Wookiee")

  1.  Support for Disk Changes on Running Servers - In most cases, the system will now allow users to add disks, change disk speeds, change IOPS, and expand disks while the server is running. However, in order to introduce this improvement, new steps are required to enforce disk throughput settings on disks where Throughput limits are enforced. These include disks using Provisioned IOPS and disk speeds on the new Burstable IOPS infrastructure. Should the system be unable to apply the throughput settings, the system will prevent further adjustments to the server until it is rebooted or stopped. For full details, see the "Adding and Modifying Disks” section of:

  2. Change to Snapshot Preview Migration Behavior - When a Snapshot Preview Server is created, users have two hours to either delete the Snapshot Preview server or migrate it to production disk speeds. After that time, the system will automatically migrate the Cloud Server to production disk speeds. Prior to this release, if the migration failed, the server was placed in a FAILED_CHANGE state and users needed to open a support ticket to have the migration addressed. With this release, the system will re-attempt the automated migration up to three times. After three times, users can attempt to manually migrate the server, delete the server, or open a support case if repeated migrations fail to commit the server to the production disk speeds. For more information, see the "Migration of a Snapshot Preview Server to Production Disk Speeds" section of:

  3. Firewall Rule Statistics - There is a new section in the Firewall Rules tab of the Network Domain Dashboard which provides statistical information about the Network Domain's Firewall Rules. The newly exposed information can help you determine the effectiveness of your Firewall Rules. You are now provided with an "Overlap State", which notifies you if a Firewall Rule is either Redundant or Conflicting, a "Hit Counter", which tells you how many times a Firewall rule has been 'hit' over its lifespan, and a "Timestamp" of the last 'hit' on the Firewall Rule. See 
  4. DRS for Cloud - We have made some improvements to the DRS for Cloud feature, and made it available in more Data Centers. We have also improved the documentation around DRS Journal Sizing. See the "Sizing of DRS Journal for a Consistency Group" section of:
  5. Security Groups - Security Groups are now available on Enterprise Network Domains. There is also a new report, specific to Security Group usage

September 2019 ("Xerxes")

  1. Advanced Virtualization Settings - Advanced Virtualization Settings are a series of obscure vSphere configuration settings supported by CloudControl primarily for use in SAP private cloud environments. When such settings exist on an Image, they may prevent Server Deployment unless the location in which you're attempting to deploy the Server supports the settings
  2. Re-IP Address Rules - Users can configure a DRS Consistency Group to automatically update the IPv4 and IPv6 addresses as part of the Start Preview of a Consistency Group
  3. Historical Server Configuration - Users can view historical information about the hardware configuration of their Cloud Servers
  4. Replicated Snapshot Servers dashboard - The Compute menu has an item, Replicated Snapshot Servers which enables you to identify which Servers are being Replicated to a Target Data Center
    1. How to Identify what Servers are being Replicated into a Data Center Location

October 2019 ("Yoda")

  1. Change to Snapshot Plans - This release brings major changes to Snapshot Plans. Essentials and Advanced plans are discontinued as of October 24, 2019 and 3 new plans are being introduced - One Month, Three Month, and Twelve Month. Manual Snapshot retention is now set to 14 days, and the maximum number of Manual Snapshots allowed is 5 for ALL plans. Users will not be forced to move off the legacy plans, but if you wish to make changes to the Snapshot service, including adding Replication, you will need to select a new plan

December 2019 ("Zoidberg")

  1. Snapshot Archiving - We are adding an archival storage feature that will enhance the scalability of the Snapshots service. This is an enabler for the underlying technology required for multi-year retention of Snapshots, which will be made available in 2020 and provides the required infrastructure and architectural “runway” for the development of new features and functionality in the future.  When Snapshot Archival Storage is enabled, System Snapshots older than 7 days will be moved to archival storage. This means that if you decide to create a Snapshot Preview Server from a Snapshot that has been archived, it may take much longer to complete, as the system will need to move the Archived Snapshot back to local storage. 

February 2020 ("Zoidberg Update 1")

  1. Virtual Listener Statistics - As an extension of the API capability that was previously made available, you can now view statistics about Virtual Listeners in the UI which will help you assess their health, traffic rates, and diagnose infrastructure problems.
  2. Pool Member Statistics - This functionality will initially only be available via the API in the same way that Virtual Listener Statistics was released. Pool Member Statistics provide an extension to Virtual Listener statistics in order to offer additional granularity for visibility and diagnostics for the members of a Virtual Listeners’ pool. Using these statistics it is now much easier to diagnose issues with individual pool members (typically Cloud Servers), to see their status and understand the traffic loads.
    • Please see API 2 to learn how to set these variables
  3. Country Codes in Firewall Address Lists - This functionality is currently only available via the API. This security feature is an optional add-on for firewall address lists that allows you to set firewall rules based on geographic codes for countries. 
    • Please see API 2 to learn how to set these variables
  4. Updated "Recommendations" Screen - The UI has had an update to its recommendations screen (now called insights). This is part of the home page for each geography. The new screen is designed to be much faster to load and includes new recommendations that we will continue to enhance. These insights are intended to help clients reduce costs, remove unused resources, warn of potential issues, and alert on maintenance items.

March 2020 ("Amadeus")

  1. Hot Add CPU and RAM - Hot add CPU & RAM is exactly what it sounds like, it will allow you to change the amount of RAM and the number of CPU’s on a Cloud Server without restarting it. This feature will allow you to scale up performance in times of high demand, without server downtime. This is particularly useful if your architecture does not support server restarts outside of agreed maintenance windows.

June 2020 ("Bowie")

  1. OS Units Usage - OS Units are usage elements incurred by a Cloud Server for a subset of Operating Systems. Every Server, OS Image and Customer (Client) Image in CloudControl has an associated Operating System. Each Operating System is a member of a single OS Units Group. Each OS Units Group is defined to either incur a specific number of OS Units based on the number of vCPUs or not to generate any OS Units. If an OS Units Group is defined to generate OS Units, every Cloud Server that has an Operating System that is a member of the OS Units Group will incur OS Units usage based on the rates and methodology defined for that OS Units Group.
  2. Log Off VPN as Part of VLAN Creation - As part of VLAN Creation, you are now logged out of any Client-to-Site VPN Connections

December 2020 ("Elvis")

  1. Move Running Servers between User-Manageable Cluster - As of December 3, 2020, you can now move running servers between user-manageable clusters. Previously, Servers had to be in a stopped state. 

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