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Version 2.4.0.0

Date: 09.10.2024
Type: Major

About this Release​

This is a major release with the following new features and enhancements across the Apiculus® system.

New Features​

The following are the new features in this release:

Next-Gen VNF Virtual Firewalls​

Virtual Firewalls on Apiculus have transformed from the beta phase and become a fully supported feature, enabling Apiculus cloud users to use Virtual Firewalls in a Virtualized Network Function (VNF) style. Key features include support for multiple VLANs and Public IPv4 addresses and automated service activation. Additionally, service providers will gain enhanced monetisation options for firewall components, and Apiculus cloud subscribers will benefit from more robust firewall management capabilities.

Highlights​

  • Multi-VLAN support and multiple Public IPv4 addresses for Virtual Firewalls.
  • Automated service activation, reducing the need for manual intervention.
  • Service Provider Admins can manage the lifecycle, templates, and monitoring through Apiculus SP Admin, Apache CloudStack, and Zabbix.
  • Cloud Subscribers can create, configure, and manage Virtual Firewalls with enhanced network interface controls, snapshots, etc.
  • Limitations include predefined WAN-LAN configurations and one firewall per gateway.

IPv6 Support​

Apiculus introduces support for Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6), providing enhanced address space and routing for network traffic. IPv6 support is available for both shared and isolated networks, as well as for VPC Network Tiers. This release allows users to deploy instances with dual-stack (IPv4 and IPv6)configurations, supported on KVM and XenServer hypervisors.

Key Features​

  • IPv6 Addressing: Supports 128-bit IPv6 addresses with eight groups of four hexadecimal digits (e.g., 5001:0dt8:83a3:1012:1000:8s2e:0870:7454).
  • Dual-stack Environment: Instances in shared & isolated networks, also VPC network Tiers can obtain both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses from the DHCP server, enabling dual-network environments.
  • IPv6 Instance Behavior: Instances generate a self-assigned link-local IPv6 address and receive a stateful global or site-local address via DHCPv6.

Limitations​

  • Security groups, userdata, and metadata are not yet supported.
  • Password management is not available for IPv6 instances.
note

This feature is experimental on Apiculus. IPv6 network routing control in guest, shared and VPC Network Tiers is outside Apiculus management (A limitation on CloudStack).

Enhancements​

This sections describes the enhancements in this release.

UI/UX Enhancements​

  • New and improved layout for end-user notifications to enable faster parsing and scanning of content.
  • Standardised Console buttons with concise labels and intuitive icon as cue for opening in a new tab or window for 'further' management.

Other Enhancements and Fixes​

  • Enhanced the usage and rating system automatically to account for missed intervals.