Side by side
OpenStack Ironic vs Serva
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.
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 IronicChoose Serva for Windows-based network booting and operating-system deployment across BIOS and UEFI targets. Professional is the fit for commercial use or deployments that need the Task Sequence Manager and unlimited service time; Community is restricted to personal use and brief sessions.
Visit ServaThe facts
| OpenStack Ironic | Serva | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Not published | Not published |
| Runs on | API, Linux, Self-hosted | Windows |
| Lowest paid plan | Free or on request | Professional: $92 a year |
| Plans published | 1 | 2 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | docs.openstack.org | vercot.com |
| On os deployment software | #11 of 29 | #15 of 29 |
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
Serva: what it does well
- Bundles nine server services and a TFTP client.
- Supports BIOS, UEFI and ARM 32/64-bit UEFI targets.
- ProxyDHCP works without changing existing DHCP settings.
- Portable use requires no installation or registry keys.
- Professional includes unlimited PXE/BINL service time.
What to know first
- Community is limited to personal, non-commercial use.
- Community limits PXE/BINL service to 50 minutes and two clients.
- Community does not support WinPE booting or Task Sequence Manager.
- Available for Windows only.
Alternatives to OpenStack Ironic Alternatives to Serva The whole list