Missed any update about Windows Azure Pack? , you can check out our previous post here:-
- Building Windows Azure Pack Into Your Data Center–Part 1
- Building Windows Azure Pack Into Your Data Center–Part 2
- Building Windows Azure Pack Into Your Data Center–Part 3
- Building Windows Azure Pack Into Your Data Center-Part 4
In this series, we are going to talk about Cloud Cruiser integration with Windows Azure Pack. Cloud Cruiser is a popular product which provide chargeback and billing for private cloud.
Chargeback allow the customer to understand the real cost associated with running their workload in the cloud. They can see how extensively they are utilizing available resources or see whether or not their workloads are running on the appropriate resources or at the appropriate time of day. Ultimately, by applying a sophisticated chargeback model, you can help shape user demand and ensure that your infrastructure is being used to its full potential.
They have expanded product range and introduce a small version called “Cloud Cruiser Express” which cater for Windows Azure Pack. You can get Cloud Cruiser Express from Microsoft Web Installer and extension is installed during installation of Admin Portal and Tenant Portal.
Here is a comparison between Express version vs Full version.
Cloud Cruiser Express created a data source to Windows Azure Pack only. To use other data source as listed above, you need upgrade to full version. Once upgraded, you will have the ability to collect from many other platforms.
We have re-built WAP Preview version to RTM version and start to integrate it with Cloud Cruiser Express. To enable tenant to view cost in their management portal, you need to add Cloud Cruiser Service into Plan. Click
Select “Cloud Cruiser: Services into your Hosting Plan.
On tenant portal, you can click on “My Cost” to view your report & billing.
Now, let pay a visit to Cloud Cruiser Portal Interface to configure resource rates for the first time.Once login in, the home page of the portal is a dashboard that gives you the status of your business and the system at a glance.
Go to Billing > Services and select resource whose rate you want to change
Cloud Cruiser has been applying charges to WAP usage at default price rates every day.Below is a sample rate of provisioning Virtual Machine and let walkthrough on some setting that you probably would love to modify
Three types of rates that you can configure:-
With Basic rates, all rates is charged equally. You can define variable or fixed. Fixed rate charge once the first occurrence is found. Compare to Variable rate, the amount charged is directly proportional to the amount consumed.
With Tier rates, you can charge different rates for usage in different ranges. For example:-
| Tier 1 | Low | High | Fixed Rate |
| 1 | 1 | 1.00 | |
| 2 | 1 | 4 | 2.00 |
| 3 | 4 | 5.00 |
For user provision a VM, we just charge a fixed rate USD1.00. For more than 1 but less than 4 VM, we charge USD 2.00 per unit and lastly higher than 4VM, we charge USD5.00. The more VM that you provision, the more charges that we are going to bill you.
With State rates, the rates charge based on the status. For example, ONLINE , OFFLINE, SLEEP , HIBERNATE, etc. For example:-
| STATE | Variable |
| ONLINE | 2 |
| OFFLINE | 0 |
When tenant power ON the VM, we will charge USD 2.00. For VM which is turned off, then there is a zero USD charge.
Cloud Cruiser Express ships with a complete set of resources for all WAP services but you can add new resources if you would like. Meanwhile for rate plan, Cloud Cruiser automatically creates a rate plan corresponding to each plan in Windows Azure Pack and associates that plan with the appropriate subscription level customers.
How about during special occasion/promotion and you would like to give special discount or add an additional charges for extra services? Well, on the Cloud Cruiser Express, you can define Discount / Surcharges
Example:- Giving Discount to those who subscribe WAP –Virtual Machines services and set for Auto Debit Payment via credit card for every month. We are giving discount USD 7.00.
Besides that, we can also add surcharge for an additional services. For example: Backup VM to tenant. Here we are charging USD10.00 on monthly basic.
Alright, that was a quick overview of Cloud Cruiser Express for Windows Azure Pack. Stay Tuned for more..
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