We’re pleased to announce the release of Jungle Disk 2.60a, which adds support for our second cloud storage service, Rackspace Cloud Files. Cloud Files is an online storage service similar to Amazon S3 and operated by Rackspace, the parent company of Jungle Disk. Rackspace is the largest hosting provider in the world and has a reputation built on Fanatical Support. We discussed Cloud Files in more detail in our previous blog post, including the pricing for the service – a flat $0.15 per gigabyte with no additional charges for bandwidth or requests. Jungle Disk customers can now choose to store their data with Amazon S3 or Rackspace, or even both.
We’ve also added support for Jungle Disk-Managed Amazon S3 accounts, which we announced plans for last year. New customers can choose to use their personal Amazon S3 account or an Amazon S3 account managed by Jungle Disk. Using a Jungle Disk managed account eliminates the need for a separate signup process and manual copying of S3 account keys. This feature won’t be very useful for our existing users who already have their own S3 accounts, but it will greatly simplify the signup and install process for new users who aren’t familiar with Amazon Web Services.
The full list of changes and fixes in Jungle Disk 2.6 is below.
- Added support for Rackspace Cloud Files service
- “Buckets” now referred to as “Online Disks”
- Added support for managed Amazon S3 accounts, with usage billed by Jungle Disk
- Improved support for using multiple Amazon S3 accounts in Desktop Edition
- Added support for multiple Amazon S3 accounts in Workgroup Edition
- Added new Background Process manager to Mac version
- Added ability to enable and disable web access in the Desktop configuration dialog
- Improved handling for changed passwords
- Fixed installation issues with Jungle Disk service
- Fixed issue connecting to some UNC network shares
- Fixed timestamp issue on Linux network drive
- Fixed RequestTimeTooSkewed errors when local clock is wrong
- Fixed issue that prevented Macs from sleeping in some cases
- Fixed “run missed backup” option behavior when offline at scheduled time
- Fixed problem where a failure to obtain a directory listing would cause duplicate backups
- Fixed high CPU usage with large backup log files
Because of the number of fixes included, we recommend all users upgrade even if you aren’t planning to use Cloud Files or the other new features. Use the links below to download the new version now!
A mini-FAQ on Cloud Files and Amazon S3 managed accounts is included below:
What happened to Buckets?
Buckets are now known as Online Disks in Jungle Disk. Rackspace Cloud Files uses the term containers instead of buckets, but rather than confuse users with two terms for the same concept, we decided to move to a service-agnostic description. We now refer to both buckets and containers as Online Disks, a term which we feel gives users a clearer picture of what they represent.
How do I start using Cloud Files?
For Desktop Users, after upgrading to Jungle Disk 2.6, create a new Online Disk using the link on the left hand side of the configuration dialog (make sure Advanced Options are enabled). In the Create Online Disk dialog, change the location from Amazon S3 to Rackspace Cloud Files. Complete the dialog and you can then configure automatic backups or the network drive on your new Cloud Files online disk.
For Workgroup Users, you can create new Online Disks using the Web Management interface and select the location as Rackspace Cloud Files.
In the future, we are planning on offering a service to migrate data from Amazon S3 if desired, however for now you will need to re-upload your data to Cloud Files if you decide to make the switch.
How is Cloud Files Usage billed?
Cloud Files usage is billed at $0.15 per gigabyte-month. There are no additional charges for bandwidth or requests. Your Cloud Files usage charges will be included on your monthly Jungle Disk invoice (if you have Jungle Disk Plus or the Workgroup Edition). If you don’t have Jungle Disk Plus or Workgroup Edition, you will receive an e-mail asking you to update your payment information to allow us to bill you for Cloud Files usage. All our billing is currently done through Amazon Payments.
Does Cloud Files support Jungle Disk Plus?
Yes, all the Jungle Disk Plus features including upload resume, block-level updates and web access are supported by Cloud Files. There are no bandwidth charges for Jungle Disk Plus when used with Cloud Files.
What is the Managed Amazon S3 Account?
When creating an Amazon S3 online disk, you will have the option to use a Jungle Disk-managed Amazon S3 account or your personal S3 account. If you select a personal S3 account, you are responsible for signing up for the Amazon S3 service and paying the monthly charges directly to Amazon. If you select a Jungle Disk managed account, Jungle Disk will manage your S3 account and your usage charges will be billed on your monthly Jungle Disk invoice. For existing customers with personal S3 accounts already we recommend you continue to use your own account.
39 Comments
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Borek said,
March 12, 2009 @ 10:42 am
I would be interested in moving my data from Amazon to Cloud Files as it seems cheaper – don’t you offer a service (free or paid) that would allow me to do that without downloading the files locally and uploading them back to Cloud Files?
Thanks,
Borek
Jungle Dave said,
March 12, 2009 @ 10:55 am
@Borek – we are planning on offering a migration service in the future, but it’s not available right now.
Chris said,
March 12, 2009 @ 11:18 am
@Borek – I can probably guess what you’re going to say (I have to ask), but is there a time-line on the migration feature?
I have several gigs in several buckets that will take forever to move; a migration service would most def. convince me to move over to CF asap. Great job on the 2.6 release, btw!
Chris said,
March 12, 2009 @ 11:19 am
Oops, I meant “@Jungle Dave”.
Sorry for the confusion!!!
Jungle Dave said,
March 12, 2009 @ 11:36 am
@Chris – we don’t have a fixed time period yet, but are planning on including it in the next software release. For most users it will be faster to re-upload their data than wait for the service, but the service will make it easier.
John said,
March 12, 2009 @ 11:55 am
Looking forward to the S3-to-CF migration, especially being able to copy from S3 to CF so that I still have the files at S3 if I want.
Jim said,
March 12, 2009 @ 12:05 pm
Congrats! Can’t wait. I may move some data to Cloud Files soon just for the future CDN usage. Thanks for another great JD release!
beq said,
March 12, 2009 @ 2:53 pm
Jim, can I ask what you’ve heard about the future CDN availability, as I’m very interested in this?
Anyways, congrats to Jungle Disk for releasing 2.6 so soon! Downloading now…
Jungle Dave said,
March 12, 2009 @ 3:13 pm
@beq – Cloud Files can already be used for CDN distribution, just with tools other than Jungle Disk right now: http://www.mosso.com/cloudfiles.jsp
Sean / Marketing said,
March 12, 2009 @ 5:42 pm
Congrats on the update guys
Will be using both S3 & Cloud Files for backups now!
MattD said,
March 12, 2009 @ 7:40 pm
@Jungle Dave – the addition of Rackspace support is excellent, and the pricing very competitive. However, it doesn’t seem that we can use compatibility buckets with Rackspace, and from what I gather, the only way we can access the bucket/online disk is via the Jungle Disk interface?
So with Cloud Files we cannot manage our data independently of JD like we can with S3?
graham said,
March 13, 2009 @ 1:01 am
HI, congrats on the added functionality. I’m currently on Amazon S3, but would be interested in a Rackspace solution; however, in the interest of equality, will the functionality for moving data from S3 to Rackspace go the other way too?
(If you can build in a calculator based on usage patterns, that’s be great too.)
I appreciate Rackspace want to make some cash on their Jungledisk purchase, and it seems like users are benefiting, but is there scope to add more back ends to the JungleDisk setup?
Pete said,
March 13, 2009 @ 3:19 am
Awesome news! One question… Where do I go to view my Cloud Files usage?
Jungle Disk now with Cloud Files support at Scrufus said,
March 13, 2009 @ 3:19 am
[...] [via Jungle Disk Blog] [...]
Peter said,
March 13, 2009 @ 5:23 am
Please can we have some upgrade instructions. I’ve downloaded v2.6 for Vista, which installed on a slightly different path than the exisiting v2.1, but seemed to tidy up by emptying the files out of the old v2.1 folder except jungledisk_settings.xml.
I quit out of the setup wizard in v2.6 and copied jungledisk_settings.xml from the v2.1 folder to the v2.6 folder in the hope this would save me from re-entering the config again. It has half worked, seeming to have picked up the amazon account but not other settings like the password configuration which used to be ‘on startup and configure’ but is now switched off.
Should this have worked? Can you confirm what will have copied across OK and what won’t have. I don’t want to have to re-configure all of my backup config for instance?
The Jungle Disk updates are great, always lots of new features I need, but installing them is a pain, especially as I have a few different machines to update. Hence have got used to copying the config file around.
Peter
Michael Wexler said,
March 13, 2009 @ 7:49 am
So, just to get it straight. If I go to Mosso and set up an account (https://www.mosso.com/pricingfiles.jsp), I would pay for bandwidth in and out, just like S3. But if I do it through Jungledisk (ie, signup in the client, you guys bill me), I don’t pay the bandwidth charges?
I presume the bandwidth “no-charge” applies only to use via the Jungledisk Client, and that programmatic access by my own apps have the usual charges? https://www.mosso.com/pricingfiles.jsp implies that access via the Mosso “control panel” also has no bandwidth charges; are you emulating that model?
Thanks, Michael
Mike said,
March 13, 2009 @ 11:54 am
Will there be a “usa” cloud and a “europe” cloud for rackspace, simular to the amazon usa/europe clouds? My office is located in amsterdam.
Mosso: The Hosting Cloud » Blog Archive » Cloud Files Emerges! said,
March 13, 2009 @ 12:15 pm
[...] Jungle Disk on Cloud Files: Our sister company, Jungle Disk, providing online backup software, now offers the option to store data on Cloud Files paving the [...]
Scrib said,
March 13, 2009 @ 3:34 pm
In the previous verion of Jungle Disk the ‘Jungle Disk Account’ section in ‘Configuration’ used to tell you if you were using Jungle disk with Jungle Disk Plus.
This was important to me because although I had signed up to Jungle Disk plus, Jungle disk installed on my laptop didn’t recognise this fact. After finding a posting in your forums I had to change to the free trial account and then back to a paid account. At which point Jungle Disk, install on my laptop, acknowledged that I had Jungle Disk plus, and my large backups then started working.
This version doesn’t, it just says ‘Jungle Disk with active subscription’. So how do I know if the software knows I’m on Jungle Disk plus or not?
Jungle Dave said,
March 13, 2009 @ 3:54 pm
@Matt – we’ll be releasing source in the future that shows how to get to the data outside of Jungle Disk, if you so desire.
@Peter – simply running the new installer should upgrade you and offer to import your old configuration. If you’re having issues, please contact support.
@Pete – We’re going to be releasing web-based reporting in the near future, in the meantime you can run a consistency check from the Help menu in the software and get your current storage totals.
@Michael – Pricing for Cloud Files with Jungle Disk is different than using with with Mosso for CDN distribution. We waive the bandwidth and request fees with Jungle Disk.
@Mike – Rackspace hasn’t announced timing for Cloud Files outside the US, but it will likely come at some point.
@Scrib – if it says active subscription you’ve got Jungle Disk Plus (or our new $2/month subscription which includes Plus)
Rob said,
March 13, 2009 @ 4:29 pm
Dave,
Regarding this; “we’ll be releasing source in the future that shows how to get to the data outside of Jungle Disk.”
The already released source code for S3 is still valid (for S3)?
Nice release, by the way.
Tim said,
March 14, 2009 @ 7:19 pm
I get “Update Error: The update is improperly signed.” every time I try let JungleDisk update itself (from 2.5b to 2.6a) on my Mac.
Is 2.6A an alpha version or a real release?
Cordell said,
March 15, 2009 @ 11:50 pm
Are their any volume discounts with using Rack Space after you get above ‘x’ terabytes of backup disk space? (With Amazon there was a pricing discount schedule.)
Jungle Dave said,
March 16, 2009 @ 10:19 am
@Rob – Yes
@Tim – this should be ironed out now, if no, please download the installer from the downloads page on the site
@Cordell – Not currently, but note that the Amazon discounts only start at 50TB ($7,500/mo). If you’re planning on storing that much drop us a line and we’ll see if we can work something out.
David L said,
March 16, 2009 @ 11:52 am
Looks great. Testing out the reseller edition right now. One thing, when you enter the account information in to configure your account it mentions that your account information is different then your Amazon account. Can you remove the amazon reference?
Thanks for a great product!
Scott said,
March 18, 2009 @ 7:39 am
A question on migration, etc. With the reseller edition it would be nigh impossible to migrate them w/o doing it from our side of things. And tie the migration of each customer to when they upgrade their client software sets.
This is manageable but still a tad ugly. But it is what we intend to do with our customers. The savings my migrating to Cloudfiles justifies it.
So knowing what tools and when available is very important to us.
THX
Jungle Dave said,
March 18, 2009 @ 11:25 am
@Scott – when the migration tool is available, it will be a relatively simple process for your users. They will simply need to upgrade to the 2.6 software, then once all are upgraded you can initiate the migration process from our website. From there on, it will be completely automated and your users will be reconfigured with the new settings automatically. We don’t currently have a timeframe for the migration tool.
Mike said,
March 18, 2009 @ 3:51 pm
@Dave 11:25
sounds brilliant! Keep up the great work.
rapidfire said,
March 19, 2009 @ 4:13 am
The Rackspace support sounds good.
I am not sure if I understood this correctly. You were stating 15 c for 1GB flat with no additional fee for bandwidth or request.
When you go to Rackspace Cloudfile website and press the “buy” button, they tell you
“Cloud Files (Starts at 15¢ per gigabyte + bandwidth and request fees)”
https://www.mosso.com/buy.htm
So there seems to be an additional charge for bandwidth and requests.
Thanks for clarification,
rapidfire
Jungle Dave said,
March 19, 2009 @ 5:38 pm
@rapidfire – The pricing for using Cloud Files with Jungle Disk is different than using Cloud Files for content distribution with Mosso. When used with Jungle Disk, you don’t pay bandwidth and request fees. You also don’t need to sign up separately on the Mosso website – all the signup and billing is handled through Jungle Disk.
James said,
March 21, 2009 @ 12:39 pm
One more question about pricing: I already purchased the $20 lifetime Jungle Disk software license, will there still be a $2/month charge to use the Rackspace Cloud Files service through Jungle Disk?
Thanks
Tom said,
March 23, 2009 @ 4:43 pm
I’m new to jungledisk. I just downloaded v2.6 and went to set it up with cloud files, however, in the first time setup wizard i get to the “create an online disk” page but only get the two amazon S3 options, i can’t find any mention of cloud files. I’m on a mac running leopard. Any ideas?
Jungle Dave said,
March 24, 2009 @ 12:16 pm
@Tom – New cloud files online disks are temporarily disabled while we work on some optimizations for that system.
Jungle Dave said,
March 24, 2009 @ 12:38 pm
@James – No, you’ll just pay the storage fees.
Morris said,
March 25, 2009 @ 11:40 pm
Can we sign up to Jungle Disk and Mosso Cloud Files separately (just as you allow with S3)?
If so do we get billed twice for bandwidth (once by Jungle Disk, once by Mosso)?
PS: I know we would pay extra for bandwidth usage, but we want to be able to access and control our own files directly.
Tim R said,
March 26, 2009 @ 1:11 pm
What are the plans to continue support for Amazon S3 ? How much warning would we get if you plan to discontinue ?
Jungle Dave said,
March 26, 2009 @ 4:22 pm
@Tim – We have no plans to discontinue S3 now or in the future. Should that day ever come it would likely be because customers no longer were using it, but we would give plenty of notice in any case. Also, because Jungle Disk is software you can always simply continue using a previous version, particularly if you are using your personal Amazon S3 account.
@Morris – No, not currently. We’ll be releasing code in the near future that will let you access your files through the Cloud Files API instead of the Jungle Disk client if you prefer, same as with Amazon S3.
Dario said,
April 23, 2009 @ 9:44 am
Are Cloud Files available for European Customers?
Thx,
Dario
Jungle Dave said,
April 23, 2009 @ 9:56 am
@Dario – Yes, however their datacenters are currently all located in the US.