Krishnan wrote about the next version of Ubuntu, Karmic Koala, back in March and said;

Essentially, Ubuntu has decided to focus on developing features which will help propel Ubuntu Server edition to play a major role in the Cloud infrastructure ecosystem

By incorporating code from Project EUCALYPTUS into this latest version of the Linux distribution, servers running Ubuntu will be able to form Clouds inside your own data centre; Clouds that look and feel practically identical to those you might rent from Amazon out in the public Cloud. This isn't a direct replacement for Amazon in most cases, but it's definitely a compelling on-ramp to the Cloud that allows enterprise customers to test ideas and procedures internally before committing to move any data outside the firewall.

The release date for this Ubuntu update is later this week, and I spoke to Simon Wardley of Canonical earlier today to hear the Ubuntu side of a story that Rich Wolski (from EUCALYPTUS) and I discussed earlier this year.

Have a listen to hear what's in store, and get ready to unleash the Koala on Thursday.