nova

Nova is a command line tool used in OpenStack, an open-source cloud computing platform. It is specifically designed for managing and provisioning virtual machines (VMs) and related resources in the OpenStack environment. Nova provides a high-level abstraction for managing multiple hypervisors and supports various virtualization technologies such as KVM, Xen, VMware, and Hyper-V.

With Nova, users can create, monitor, and control instances of VMs. It allows users to launch VMs from pre-configured images and specify the desired resources such as CPU, memory, and storage. Nova enables the allocation of floating IP addresses to instances, allowing for easy network connectivity. It also offers features like migrating instances between hosts for better resource utilization and load balancing.

Nova interacts with other OpenStack components like Keystone for authentication and authorization, Glance for retrieving VM images, and Neutron for networking functionality. It communicates with these components through APIs, enabling seamless integration and coordination between different services within the OpenStack ecosystem.

Overall, Nova plays a crucial role in managing the lifecycle of VMs in the OpenStack cloud environment, providing users with the ability to create and control virtual instances efficiently and effectively.