CIQ Introduces Tech Preview of Warewulf Management UI and Open Source API to Streamline HPC Cluster Management

New Management UI simplifies cluster administration and API enables automation and integration at scale.

RENO, Nev., April 17, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- CIQ today announced the tech preview release of a user-friendly management interface for the Warewulf cluster provisioning system. This new web interface, built on Cockpit and backed by a new, open source API, is designed to simplify and streamline management of high-performance computing (HPC) clusters. This new capability simplifies cluster administration for new and existing administrators while maintaining Warewulf's flexibility for research, commercial and fully integrated environments.

Warewulf, an open source cluster provisioning and configuration system created for HPC and distributed computing workloads, has long been recognized for its flexibility, performance and open architecture. With this new management interface, administrators can now interact with Warewulf through a web UI, making complex tasks easier and configuration more discoverable. The companion API, released under an open source license as part of the Warewulf project, opens up the platform for automation and tighter integration into broader infrastructure.

"Warewulf has always stood apart by being open, extensible and deeply customizable," said Gregory Kurtzer, founder and CEO of CIQ and creator of Warewulf. "With the new management UI and API, we're combining that power with ease of use. This release helps new and experienced users alike streamline cluster management tasks while also setting the foundation for Warewulf as a fully integrated appliance."

The management UI enables interactive management of critical Warewulf components such as:

• Nodes: Systems provisioned by Warewulf
• Profiles: Categories of nodes with a shared configuration
• Images: Operating system payloads for deployment
• Overlays: Built-in and site-specific customizations layered onto provisioned nodes

While all of these tasks have historically been completed via the command line, the new interface enhances accessibility and collaboration, especially in environments with varying levels of technical expertise or multi-admin workflows. The inclusion of in-line documentation and visual guides lowers the barrier to entry for cluster administrators new to Warewulf or those responsible for maintaining stability across generations of cluster deployments.

The API, released as part of the Warewulf open source project, offers programmatic control and is designed to integrate seamlessly into DevOps pipelines and custom infrastructure tooling. The UI is included with CIQ's Warewulf support offerings and will be available to customers, initially as a tech preview which targets early adopters, including existing CIQ customers and key partners.

A public webinar introducing the Warewulf management UI and API will be held on April 24, 2025.

This milestone comes at a pivotal time for the HPC market. Legacy options such as xCAT and ROCKS have reached end-of-life, while Bright Cluster Manager – previously the leading commercial competitor – has been repositioned by its new owner, Nvidia, leaving many users seeking cost-effective, open alternatives. CIQ's Warewulf offering, coupled with enterprise-grade support and enhanced by the Web UI, fills that gap with a modern, flexible solution.

Warewulf is one of the most functional, stable, and impactful HPC cluster management platforms in the industry and is in use across hundreds of research universities, national laboratories and commercial environments that require scalable, reproducible provisioning of compute resources. Its role as a foundational component of the OpenHPC stack and its strong community engagement position it as the most viable and sustainable open solution in its category.

For more information, visit https://ciq.com/products/warewulf.

About CIQ
CIQ delivers secure and performant software infrastructure for the demands of all modern workloads, from the most mundane to the most extreme HPC and AI jobs. We believe infrastructure should drive the future of your business and that both the operating system of a single machine and the orchestration layer to manage a cluster of machines – even across hybrid environments – needs to be optimized for your requirements. CIQ is an open source company that has started and contributed to critical infrastructure projects including Rocky Linux, Warewulf, Ascender, and Apptainer.

MEDIA CONTACT
Cristin Connelly
Cathey.co for CIQ
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SOURCE CIQ