Editing Cloud Homelabs (section)

=== Ravello ===
Ravello is a really interesting product which impressed so much, [https://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/02/23/oracle_acquires_ravello_will_bake_it_into_big_red_cloud/ Oracle acquired them recently for ~$500m]!

Their key concept is that they are effectively a cloud hypervisor which can run on top of any public cloud, allowing you then to nest your chosen hypervisor and VMs inside of it! Yes, indeed this is taking [[vInception]] to a whole new level; [[Cloud vInception]]!!! You use a very easy to use visio-style SaaS interface to design your lab, and once you are ready to deploy it, they then choose whatever is the most cost effective cloud to run it on at that time. You are then simply charged by the hour for resources consumed. Simples!

In a very gracious move, Ravello is free for vExperts! Despite their recent acquisition, they have stated that the free access will continue for now. If you are a vExpert, go here to apply:
* [https://www.ravellosystems.com/go/vexpert Ravello vExpert Free Access]
[https://twitter.com/jaslanger Jason Langer] did an excellent writeup comparing the cost of running a homelab vs using Ravello, and the results were pretty impressive based on the use case of 12 hours per week (pretty heavy use!):
* [http://www.virtuallanger.com/2015/07/09/can-you-replace-your-home-lab-with-ravello-systems/ Can You Replace Your Home Lab with Ravello Systems?]
For more information and advice on using [[Ravello]] as your homelab, see our dedicated page on [[Ravello]] homelabs.