Cloud Computing: Technologies and Strategies of the Ubiquitous Data Center

by Brian J.S. Chee, Curtis Franklin Jr.

Overview

Modern computing is no longer about devices but is all about providing services, a natural progression that both consumers and enterprises are eager to embrace. As it can deliver those services, efficiently and with quality, at compelling price levels, cloud computing is with us to stay. Ubiquitously and quite definitively, cloud computing is answering the demand for sophisticated, flexible services

Cloud Computing: Technologies and Strategies of the Ubiquitous Data Center looks at cloud computing from an IT manager’s perspective. It answers basic as well as strategic questions from both a business and a technical perspective so that you can confidently engage both IT and financial assets in making your organization techno- savvy, efficient, and competitive.

Any answers about the future of computing are definitely in the cloud

The first section of the book offers up a history of the computing roots that have evolved into cloud computing. It looks at how IT has been traditionally serving needs and how cloud computing improves and expands on these services, so you can strategize about how a cloud might provide solutions to specific IT questions or answer business needs.

Next, the book shows how to begin the process of determining which organizational needs would best be served and improved by cloud computing. Presenting specific cases as examples, the book walks you through issues that your organization might likely encounter. Written clearly and succinctly, it —

• Introduces you to the concepts behind different types of clouds, including those used for storage, those that improve processor and application delivery, and those that mix any and all of these services



• Covers typical concerns you will hear with regard to such issues as security, application

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781439806128
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	04/07/2010
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	6.50(w) x 9.90(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Brian J. S. Chee is one of the first 10 Certified Netware Instructors outside of Novell, Inc., Brian has seen networking evolve from the ground up from the viewpoints of a manufacturer, a distributor, a reseller, a computer scientist at the U.S. General Service Administration Office of Information Security (GSA-OIS), and now at the University of Hawaii School of Ocean and Earth Sciences and Technology (SOEST) as a researcher. As a Senior Contributing Editor to InfoWorld magazine and a long-time member of the Interop NOC team, Brian has a unique insight into networking trends and the emergence of new technology.

Curtis Franklin, Jr. has been writing about technologies and products in computing and networking since the early 1980s. A Senior Writer at NetWitness, he also contributes to a number of technology-industry publications including InfoWorld, Dark Reading, and ITWorld.com on subjects ranging from mobile enterprise computing to enterprise security and wireless networking. He is also online community manager for the Interop conference. Curtis is the author of hundreds of magazine articles, the co-author of three books, and has been a frequent speaker at computer and networking industry conferences across North America and Europe. When he’s not writing, Curt is a painter, photographer, cook, and multi-instrumentalist musician, and is active in amateur radio (KG4GWA), scuba diving, and the Florida Master Naturalist program.

Table of Contents

Preface xi

Acknowledgments xv

About the Authors xvii

Chapter 1 What Is a Cloud? 1

In This Chapter 1

In the Beginning 2

Computer Services Become Abstract 4

The ISO-OSI Model: Seven Layers of Abstraction 5

ODBC: The Abstract Database 7

OpenGL: Abstract Images 7

Demand Abstraction 10

What Can You Do with a Cloud? 12

Beowulf 13

Grid Computing 14

Virtualization 15

What Would You Like in Your Cloud? 16

The Anytime, Anyplace Cloud 18

Clouds Flight Path for Chapter 1 19

Chapter 2 Grids, HPCs, and Clouds 21

In This Chapter 21

Scientific Computing and Its Contribution to Clouds 22

Defining Terms: Grids and HPCs 22

Software for Grids and HPCs 24

Examples of Grid Applications 26

A Grid for the Stars 26

A Grid for Proteins 27

High-Performance Computing in Blue Hawaii 30

Scheduling Grids and HPCs 31

How Grid Scheduling Works 33

Phase I Resource Discovery 33

Phase II System Selection 35

Phase III Job Execution 36

Grid Versus HPC Versus Cloud 38

Cloud Development Stage 1: Software as a Service and Web 2.0 39

Cloud Development Stage 2: Hosted Virtualization 40

Cloud Development Stage 2.5: Playing the "Energy Savings" Card 40

Cloud Development Stage 3: True Clouds 41

Clouds Flight Path for Chapter 2 42

Chapter 3 Virtualization and the Cloud: What's the Difference? 45

In This Chapter 45

Virtualization as the Foundation for Clouds 46

The Missing Link Between Virtualization and Clouds 48

Virtualization: Abstraction in a Box 49

Instances 52

Managing Instances 54

Beginning and Perfecting Cloud Computing 55

Utopian Clouds? 57

Accounting for Clouds 59

A Matter of Trust 60

Self-Provisioned Virtual Servers 60

From Virtual Computing to the Cloud 62

Developing into the Cloud 63

Clouds: Minimum Commitments and Maximum Limits 63

Clouds Flight Path for Chapter 3 64

Chapter 4 Applications for Clouds 67

In This Chapter 67

Introduction 68

Browser Versus Desktop (aka Thick Versus Thin) 69

Plug-ins and Code Generators 70

The Advantages of Low-Level Languages 71

A Brief History of High-Level Languages 73

Database Abstraction and Putting the Database on the Web 75

Different Clouds for Different Applications 76

Processing Clouds 77

Storage Clouds 79

Email Protection Clouds 82

Strategies for Getting People into Clouds 82

Throwaway Clouds 84

Traveling Clouds 84

Occasional-Use Clouds 85

Company in a Box 87

Clouds Flight Path for Chapter 4 89

Chapter 5 Business in the Cloud 91

In This Chapter 91

Business Concerns About IT 92

Can Your Business Cloud? 93

Bandwidth and Business Limits 94

Testing for Clouds 95

Remote Access and the Long March to the Clouds 96

Traditional Server Load Balancing 97

The Virtualization Load Response 99

Computing on Demand as a Business Strategy 101

The Cloud Model for Partnerships 104

Seeding the Clouds of Federation 107

Clouds Flight Path for Chapter 5 111

Chapter 6 Cloud Providers 113

In This Chapter 113

Marketing the Cloud 115

The "Cloud City Market" 116

Amazon 117

Google 125

Microsoft 127

Client-Server and Other Asynchronous Methods 131

Other Clouds 132

Emerging Cloud Tools 134

Application Clouds 136

Personal Productivity Clouds 137

Trends Driving Us Toward Clouds 137

Zoho 138

SaaS Apps Turning into Clouds 139

The Edge of the Cloud 139

Energy Clouds 141

Who's Who in the Clouds? 141

Clouds Flight Path for Chapter 6 142

Chapter 7 Cloud Issues 145

In This Chapter 145

Stability 147

Partner Quality 149

Longevity 151

Business Continuity 153

Service-Level Agreements 154

Differing Opinions 154

Agreeing on the Service of Clouds 159

Solving Problems 162

What It Takes to Reach an Agreement 163

Quality of Service 164

Quality in the Cloud 165

Security in the Cloud 167

How Big is Your Fence? 167

Where is Your Fence? 168

Regulatory Issues and Accountability 169

Clouds Flight Path for Chapter 7 171

Chapter 8 Strategies for Clouds 173

In This Chapter 173

Key Cloud Strategies: First Steps 174

Thinking About Peaks and Valleys 181

Energy Issues 183

Experiments and Wild Hares 186

Dipping Your Toes into Virtualization 187

Planning for Success 193

Trial Projects for the Cloud 194

Clouds Flight Path for Chapter 8 195

Chapter 9 Cloud Security 197

In This Chapter 197

What Can You Do with Cloud Security? 198

Cloud Authentication 201

Cloud Filtering 204

Why Is Cloud Security Good? 206

What Are the Limits of Cloud Security? 207

What is the Future of Cloud Security? 209

Clouds Flight Path for Chapter 9 210

Chapter 10 The Future of the Cloud 211

In This Chapter 211

Putting Our Crystal Ball into Perspective 212

Cloud Development Tools in Perspective 214

Clouds of Different Types 217

Media Clouds 218

Security Clouds 219

App-Specific Clouds 220

Office Desktop and Groupware Clouds 221

Computing Clouds 224

Mobile Clouds 226

Changing the Definition of Virtualization 230

Making Your Application Cloud Aware 231

What Should a Cloud Descriptor Language Contain? 231

What are the Back Office Issues, and How Do You Pay for a Cloud? 232

The Cloud is the Computer 234

Clouds Flight Path for Chapter 10 235

Glossary 237

Index 265