Free Cloud Computing with Ubuntu One

Ubuntu One is a service that is being offered with new installs of the Ubuntu Linux operating system starting with Ubuntu 9.04. It will also be made available with Ubuntu 9.10. With Ubuntu One you can set up your own personal cloud, and be able to back up and access your files from on any Ubuntu PC that has the client software installed. Files are retrieved and stored automatically in the background (synced) as you work.

An icon in the information applet provides information about your client software, with information about connections, whether updates or occurring, completed, etc. If you use multiple computers, like different computers at your work office, and home office, then Ubuntu One may be service you may want to try. Ubuntu One basically eliminates the need to carry around a thumb drive with all of your files on them.

To use the service you need to set up an account at the Ubuntu One website using your primary email address for your login and a password. Then, once a connection is established, any files that you store or modify within the Ubuntu One folder on your desktop will be automatically synced with the server. You will need to run the client software any computer that you use to access the cloud. The client runs in the background and monitors any file changes on the server or within the server.

The Ubuntu One service offers two packages. There is a free service that offers up to 2 GB of storage. For the upgraded service you pay a $10 per month subscription price and get an additional storage space of 50 GB. With either service there are unlimited uploads or downloads.

You can also access your files via a web interface on a non-Ubuntu computer, or any computer that does not have the client software installed. For example, if you are working with a windows PC, simply navigate to the Ubuntu One website, log into your account, and download your file from the websites interface. If you make any changes to the file, you will need to manually upload the file back to the Ubuntu One server so that the changes will be synced to your other computer the next time you log in.

How well does Ubuntu One Work?

When Ubuntu One was first introduced several months ago as a beta test, I gave it a try. I ran into a few snags running some test files and syncing them up with a pair of PCs, a desktop and a laptop on a home network. Since that time and several revisions of the Ubuntu One client later, I have had no problems in syncing files between a desktop and laptop PC. The Ubuntu One client-server software seems to have it kinks worked out, and it has been working flawlessly.

Ubuntu One offers a solid back up solution for your files. An additional feature of Ubuntu One is that you can open up certain files for public access. For example, any work you do on a document can be broadcast to users of your choice, provided you have there account name. This makes collaboration work among Ubuntu One users feasible.

There are some changes in the offing for the Ubuntu One client development. It will soon be made available on other Linux platforms. For example, a client will soon be released for Fedora. In addition, according to PyCon 2010 Atlanta, Ubuntu One will also become available to Windows users in the near future. This is really big news, since you will be able to sync your files between a variety of computing platforms. It probably will only be a matter of time before a version will be made available for Mac OSX.