Side by side
FAI (Fully Automatic Installation) vs OpenStack Ironic
Both stand on os deployment software. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
FAI covers unattended Linux deployment across physical and virtual machines, with configuration hooks, storage setup and cloud-image support. Its free software model and FAI.me media builder are useful options for teams planning repeatable Linux installations.
Visit FAI (Fully Automatic Installation)Choose Ironic if you need to provision physical machines and manage their hardware lifecycle, either independently or alongside OpenStack services. Look elsewhere if your deployment requires standalone multi-tenancy, or account for additional network isolation and cleanup needs in your environment.
Visit OpenStack IronicThe facts
| FAI (Fully Automatic Installation) | OpenStack Ironic | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Not published | Not published |
| Runs on | API, Linux, Self-hosted | API, Linux, Self-hosted |
| Lowest paid plan | Free or on request | Free or on request |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | fai-project.org | docs.openstack.org |
| On os deployment software | #7 of 29 | #11 of 29 |
FAI (Fully Automatic Installation): what it does well
- Free software under GNU GPL version 2 or later.
- Supports multiple Linux distributions.
- Offers PXE and unattended CD installation methods.
- Can configure RAID, LVM and disk partitions.
- FAI.me builds custom media without local installation.
What to know first
- Some distributions fetch remaining packages over the network.
- Questions and bug reports use mailing list and Debian BTS.
OpenStack Ironic: what it does well
- Provisions bare-metal machines standalone or within OpenStack
- Uses PXE, IPMI and vendor-specific remote management protocols
- Covers inspection, deployment, cleaning, adoption and retirement
- Supports RAID and BIOS configuration, firmware updates and rescue
- Integrates with Keystone, Nova, Neutron, Glance and Swift
What to know first
- The standalone scenario does not provide multi-tenancy
- Default flat networking does not isolate tenant interactions
- Default cleaning does not reset BIOS, reflash firmware or erase peripherals
Alternatives to FAI (Fully Automatic Installation) Alternatives to OpenStack Ironic The whole list