Automating and simplifying the creation of virtual machines for students - An on-premises cloud

Abstract

This thesis is based on a project in cooperation with NTNU.

Most people will at some point have sat down in front of a computer, performing some task, and realized: "This isn’t going to work. I have a hammer, but right now I need a screwdriver."

Because so many different operating system platforms exist, many tools will be incompatible no matter which OS you choose. From Office on windows, to Linux specific server utilities, not having access to these tools present a problem when trying to learn how to use them, or use them to learn.

But what if we didn’t have to choose at all? Just get a Windows PC when we want to use Microsoft proprietary software or a quick Ubuntu machine when we want to host a website? This is actually something we can do with virtualization today. But doing it on consumer grade hardware is often painfully slow. So, why not just use the much more appropriate servers at NTNU?

So we were tasked with creating a solution that enables NTNU students and faculty to easily create and maintain their own virtual machines. The solution we created contains an easy to use website front-end, and a separate back-end that controls the logic of creating, updating, and controlling the VMs. The system is user friendly, accessible everywhere, reliable, and created with cutting edge programming techniques in mind.