Table Of Content
Cloud Computing
Technologies and Strategies
of the Ubiquitous Data Center
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Cloud Computing
Technologies and Strategies
of the Ubiquitous Data Center
Brian J.S. Chee and Curtis Franklin, Jr.
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CRC Press
Taylor & Francis Group
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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
v
vi Cloud Computing
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
Contents vii
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
viii Cloud Computing
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
Contents ix
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
Preface
This book looks at cloud computing from a manager’s perspective, and it
provides information that a manager can use to engage those who want to
talk about the mechanics of application design or the intricacies of finance.
There are certainly many subject-matter experts on various middleware
frameworks or the return on investment of virtualized environments who
could take the discussion much farther than this book will be able to go.
That’s fine. If you can begin the discussion, ask intelligent questions, and
follow along as the conversation begins to go into detail in one direction
or another, then this book will have done the job we intended.
What is it about cloud computing that demands that a book be writ-
ten (and, more important, read)? One of the most important reasons is
that cloud computing is a major trend in information processing today.
Consumers and enterprises alike are embracing the notion that they need
computing services—something that happens—rather than computing
devices—something that sits in the corner. The basic realization that one
can have access to a critical service without having to find room for a box
that sits in the corner is at the heart of cloud computing.
Of course, if that realization were all there was to cloud computing,
then this would be a very thin book indeed. Unfortunately, one of the
key qualities of clouds is that they are confusing. What are they? How are
clouds different than virtualization? Should my organization use a cloud
(or multiple clouds)? Can both clouds and virtualization play significant
roles in my organization at the same time? These are just four of the ques-
tions that come to mind about the topic that might just be the biggest
thing in computing in a generation (or, possibly, might be a passing fad
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