Nova is an OpenStack project that provides a way to provision and manage computing resources in a cloud environment. It is a core component of OpenStack and is responsible for managing the lifecycle of virtual machines (VMs), also known as “compute instances”. Nova provides an API that allows users to create, delete, and manage VMs, as well as perform other operations such as attaching and detaching storage volumes, configuring network connections, and assigning floating IP addresses. Nova works in conjunction with other OpenStack projects such as Neutron (for network management), Cinder (for storage management), and Glance (for image management), to provide a complete cloud computing platform. With Nova, users can create and manage their own virtual infrastructure, and deploy their applications in a flexible and scalable manner, making it an essential tool for cloud computing administrators and users.
nova Command Examples
1. List VMs on current tenant:
# nova list
2. List VMs of all tenants (admin user only):
# nova list --all-tenants
3. Boot a VM on a specific host:
# nova boot --nic net-id={{net_id}} --image {{image_id}} --flavor {{flavor}} --availability-zone nova:{{host_name}}{{vm_name}}
4. Start a server:
# nova start {{server}}
5. Stop a server:
# nova stop {{server}}
6. Attach a network interface to a specific VM:
# nova interface-attach --net-id {{net_id}} {{server}}