Flexiscale Wish List

[jeisenbe]

Hi all,

We're trying to build up a list of popular features people would like to see added to the Flexiscale platform.

Please let us know what you want in a brief 1 paragraph post. If you wish to discuss these, please make another post and link from this thread. I'd like to keep this thread as clean as possible, so please try to stay on topic... We will be moderating this thread to clean it up semi-regularly though, so don't be alarmed if your post mysteriously disappears...

Regards,
Jonathan.

Current Tally:
MS Windows 2008: 2
Console Access: 2
Self-provisioned ISOs: 3
Direct Debits/alternative payment methods: 4
Specific Sub Control Panel access: 2
Management: (whatever the infinity symbol is in forum code - it's a high priority at the moment anyway...)
Image Cloning: 3
Storage Control: 2
HW VPN: 1
API Code Examples: 1

[chrisbond]

Few things I can think of:

Ability to upload own ISO
Physical access to console window (so you can mount iso to your vm machine and install it yourself if required).
Windows 2008 Image
SQL Server 2008

For example, we have Windows licenses else where and would be nice if we owned our own we could use our own isos and license keys therefore just paying for the virtual infrastructure.

[jeisenbe]

Hi Chris, thanks for the input, it has been added to the tally, and you get a first post prize (the prize is having the first post... :) )

...well, apart for MS SQL issue, as its not directly related to the platform. We will be providing it, like any other licensed MS Software through SPLA, when it becomes available.

[chrisbond]

One other thing that would be useful to us. The ability to add another user that can have certain privledges, ie. start stop a server but not modify config or add new virtual, etc.

[jeisenbe]

One other thing that would be useful to us. The ability to add another user that can have certain privledges, ie. start stop a server but not modify config or add new virtual, etc.

Chris,

You can do this yourself at the moment - for example: You can create a web-interface or other GUI using the API to allow specific functionality to your users.

I have however added the appropriate entry to the list and it will be taken under consideration.

[chrisbond]

I understand that infact after writing the post I did go into Visual Studio 2008 and point it the webservice for flexiscale. However, it doesnt generate correctly. I did post about this to http://www.flexiscale.com/forum/showthread.php?t=24 but havent had a response yet.

So another one for the list - full C# or VB.NET example for api that generates against vs2008 web reference correctly.

Cheers,
Chris

[The Developer]

I would like to seen an extensive control panel offered as standard through which email accounts, databases, software, system processes, resources and most other important things can be administered.

Also, it would be nice to see up-to-date software as standard, (PHP 5.2.5, CentOS5, MySQL5 etc), and maybe provision an easy update service for this software.

Also, any idea when the managed versions of the FlexiScale service will be released? A lot of your new features were said to come out in March, but since it's mid-April and I havn't seen anything new going on for a while, I'm beginning to wonder when these new features actually are going to be released. We are looking at FlexiScale as our new hosting platform in the future.

[jeisenbe]

... extensive control panel offered ... through which ... important things can be administered.
... up-to-date software as standard ...
... managed versions of the FlexiScale service ...

Hi The, and thanks for your interest. The extensive control panel with the software versions you mentioned are all included in the managed services, due out shortly - check your PM for more info

You will find that many new features have been implemented directly in the control panel and from the Website - you can now create your account, set up servers and modify specifications of the servers yourself entirely. API access is still granted as before (https://api.flexiscale.com). It'll let you play about, tell us what you think :)

[Room 108]

Here is my wish list to add to the tally:

1. Windows Server 2008 - More important than SBS 2003 in my view
2. Cloning of an existing image - I think this has been mentioned as 'in progress' previously
3. Ability to add specific actions e.g. Start/Stop/Add into existing reseller sub control panels.
4. Direct Debits
5. Reconfiguration of Disks for an existing server or ability to add more storage through control panel.
6. If you are going to offer Windows SBS then hardware based VPN access would be really useful. (I know you can do this with software on the server but it is not ideal).
7. More flexible reporting for billing. e.g. Breakdown by Server.

Regards

Darren

[jeisenbe]

Hey Room,

check your PMs for a response. Your requests have been tallied.

[Sven]

Hi,
Jonathan asked me to post my requests here; I think it is very important to have a flexible handling of the virtual images, in the ranking of importance:

- copying images in your control panel and/or via api and I like your idea of creating "golden images" for preselection when creating new virtual machines; so I would say "Please give me a new Windows Sharepoint Custom". Great. But copying images would be enough for the first step.
- uploading images to flexiscale. Would it make very easy to use existing images, e.g vmware images
- downloading images, e.g. for demonstration purposes, when you need the image offline.

So far, so good :-)

[jeisenbe]

Hi Sven, I've added your request to the tally.

Please check your PMs for clarifications.