Oracle has announced the Oracle Cloud Resource Model Application Programming Interface (Oracle Cloud API) for managing cloud computing infrastructure.

Furthering its commitment to open standards, Oracle has contributed the Oracle Cloud Elemental Resource Model API, a subset of the Oracle Cloud API, to the Distributed Management Task Force (DMTF) for consideration in DMTF’s proposed Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) Cloud API standard.

The Oracle Cloud API specification is available on the Oracle Technology Network.

Extending IT Investments into the Cloud for Improved Flexibility and Service Levels

The Oracle Cloud Elemental Resource Model API encompasses the common elements that make up a cloud by specifying machines, storage volumes, and networks. The specification submitted to the DMTF describes how a machine can be provisioned from an image; how a volume can be attached to a machine; and how a machine can connect to a network. These basic building blocks are the basis to encourage open standardization in the industry.

The Oracle Cloud API follows the Representational State Transfer (REST) architecture style and uses HTTP methods to interact with the resources to achieve provisioning, associating, modifying, and retiring of entities.

As a full resource model, the Oracle Cloud API also includes composite entities to facilitate system deployments and management, including assemblies, deployment and scalability groups.

By leveraging virtualization, clustering and dynamic provisioning across all layers of the stack, the Oracle Cloud API helps ensure users can easily and efficiently manage their cloud-based resources to deliver better business agility and flexibility, high utilization, and reduced costs.

Customers can benefit from the built-in extensibility and interoperability the Oracle Cloud API provides, helping enhance reusability and maximize return on investment.

Supporting Quotes

"Enterprises are continuing to look to cloud computing to extend the value of their IT investments and better service users,” said Sushil Kumar, vice president, Oracle. “With the Oracle Cloud API, Oracle is further enabling customers and partners to build and manage cloud environments – based on an open, application-aware IaaS platform – to improve service levels and the overall end-user experience.”

“DMTF is committed to enabling interoperable management of IT systems worldwide by bringing the IT industry together to collaborate on the development, validation and promotion of systems management standards,” said Mike Baskey, DMTF chairman. “As the use of cloud environments accelerates, the industry needs to consolidate on a set of accepted standards. Contributions like the Oracle Cloud Elemental Model subset of the API will help speed development and adoption of cloud-related standards.”