Flux Cloud Tailored for Enterprises
Flux is set to unleash enterprise functionalities on the Flux Cloud with the release of FluxOS version 4. This new upgrade will focus on enhancing the performance and security of FluxNodes for enterprises and other end users.
Enterprise Features for Business, on Flux.
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Here is a breakdown of the key new features introduced with FluxOS version 4.
Enterprise Scores For Nodes and More Control Over Deployments.
FluxOS version 4 introduces features highly requested by Flux clients. With this new upgrade, nodes on the Flux network are now ranked according to their “enterprise score.”
The enterprise score itself is calculated as an aggregate of several parameters. These include; the maturity of the node (how long a node has been active on the Flux network), the node tier (Cumulus, Nimbus, or Stratus), the known node public key (identity of the node-operator), and public key collateralization.
The higher the enterprise score, the more suited and secured a node is for handling complicated applications. The concept of enterprise score is a game-changer for many reasons. For example, it will encourage node operators to improve their nodes’ performance and quality, which will overall enhance the network’s computational capabilities. Also, end users get more flexibility to choose nodes that are better suited to the demands of their business or personal needs. Clients can specify up to 120 Flux nodes for their enterprise needs.
This initial implementation of enterprise scores will also help the Flux team collect valuable information about network performance. As it matures, it will provide new pathways to optimize the performance and reliability of the Flux cloud.
Clients are now given more control over which nodes will run their applications, enabling more targeted deployments for clients with specific needs.
Private Dockers and Flexibility in Docker Repositories.
Private images and secrets are also now possible with FluxOS version 4. (Images in docker are simply an executable package containing all required to run an application. On the other hand, a secret refers to data that should not be stored unencrypted in a docker file or application source code.)
Leveraging on Secrets, users can choose which data parameters they want to be encrypted from public accessibility. This way, sensitive information can be kept out of the wrong hands. Security is a significant concern for many businesses; therefore, the introduction of Secrets on FluxOS version 4 is targeted at providing extra security measures for applications on the network.
Moreover, Flux Cloud now allows other docker repositories than just Docker Hub to be deployed as this FluxOS upgrade brings private images supported for docker hub as well as any other docker container registrars (ghcr, gcr, aws, custom). This will allow enterprise clients to use third parties software or proprietary applications without exposing sensitive data.
In addition, all FluxNodes now possess PGP identity and will generate a PGP ECC keypair to serve as their encryption key providing increased security for running applications.
End-users have highly requested the Flux network's privacy and security features; for some, it is essential to deploy their applications on Flux. Adding private images is a crucial milestone to increase adoption and bring in more application deployments, especially from the business market segment.
Networking Updates, More ports, Static IPS, and Syncthing Performance.
The upgrade massively revamps the FluxOS approach to using ports on the network. First, FluxOS now requires all ports to be tested instead of just reserved ports. Secondly, ports are now broken into categories. For example, ports 1–1023 are dedicated to enterprise applications; however, ports 22, 23, and others can not be assigned to any application (banned ports). FluxOS will also randomly test ports periodically to ensure they are still active; in the event of multiple failures of these tests, a DoS state will occur.
Why is this a big deal?
All ports requirement means FluxOS can now interact with more applications, removing the previous limitation of being compatible with only a few services.
The breakdown of ports into categories also positions the network to fully accommodate enterprise needs without compromising on performance for other users.
FluxOS version 4 will facilitate home hosting and the ability to execute port-forwarding. Port forwarding confers an additional layer of security and accessibility. It will also improve performance by ensuring traffic is directed at the correct application server. However, operators can also define a “blockedPorts” variable in which they can specify ports FluxOS should exclude from tests. This is important to avoid issues, especially when such ports are already in use by other devices on the home network.
The application’s internal networking scheme on FluxOS has also been updated to resolve the wrong assignment of public IP addresses to private networks. In addition, to spawn applications on nodes with static IP (usually nodes hosted on known VPS providers), operators can now use the “StaticIP” specification.
This is necessary for running applications that require constant access or need to provide precise geolocation information. In addition, this will help to avoid potential IP address conflicts. This also adds more flexibility to application deployments as clients can specify static IP for their application if required.
In previous versions of FluxOS, syncthing was controlled by and invariably linked with the Flux process. However, with version 4, syncthing is decoupled and will be independent of the Flux process. Instead, It will run in the background even when FluxOS is inactive. This correction fixes the persistent issues with FluxOS shutting down and restarting. Node operators will now experience a more fluid and seamless performance when running FluxOS.
Welcome to FluxOS version 4
The Flux team is excited to bring this version of FluxOS online. It is tailored to meet more specific and highly requested features from potential clients and will open the door to more deployments on the Flux Cloud.
Clients will find that there are many more options relating to the deployment of their applications, such as privacy features, a more extensive range of available ports, the option of having static IP, and more.
The update also enables the first iteration of enterprise scoring so node operators and the Flux team can utilize this information to improve the network performance. This will also bring more options to the future development of the network and more ways to differentiate between the performance and characteristics of different nodes.
Various optimizations have been added that should improve the reliability of the nodes for node operators. In particular, the syncthing update should remove one complication that could impact node uptime.
FluxOS version 4 will activate at Blockheight 1420000 on the 7th of July 2023, and all FluxNodes must be updated before that block height.
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