PES University Student Makes Global Impact with Open-Source Contribution to OpenStack

Darshan Malagimani, a final-year undergraduate student from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering (AI & ML) at PES University, has achieved a remarkable milestone by making a globally significant contribution to OpenStack, one of the world’s most widely deployed cloud computing platforms.

The Contribution
Darshan identified and resolved a critical flaw in the official OpenStack Glance installation guide related to Keystone Unified Limits, a core framework for quota enforcement and resource governance. His patch clarified ambiguous documentation that had caused silent quota failures and operational instability across numerous cloud deployments worldwide. This fix has now been merged into the OpenStack Glance 2024.1 documentation, making it the definitive global reference for production environments.

Global Significance

• OpenStack powers mission-critical infrastructure for leading organizations such as:
• NASA for scientific research and simulations.
• IBM for enterprise cloud solutions.
• CERN for large-scale physics simulations.
• Telecom giants like AT&T, Ericsson, and Huawei for carrier-grade infrastructure.
• Retail leaders like Walmart and Target for private cloud operations.

Darshan’s contribution ensures improved stability, safer quota governance, and reduced risk of production incidents across these ecosystems.

Recognition
The patch was merged on first submission, earning rare praise from OpenStack core reviewer Cyril Roelandt:
“Clean cherry-pick. Ninja-approving.”

Darshan is now ranked 11th globally for the OpenStack 2024.1 release cycle and recognized as a Top Contributor on Canonical Launchpad. He also holds an AWS Solutions Architect – Associate certification and is currently a Cloud Architect Intern at Good AI LLC, paving the way for a promising career in cloud architecture.

Message from the Chancellor
Prof. Jawahar Doreswamy, Hon’ble Chancellor of PES University, stated:
“Darshan’s achievement exemplifies the global impact PES University strives to instill in its students. Contributing to a critical open-source platform like OpenStack reflects our commitment to academic rigor, innovation, and real-world relevance.”