Cloud Computing –An Introduction (CHAPTER I)

Cloud Computing is a model that enables network access to a shared pool of

computing resources.(e.g., servers, storage, applications, and services)
Applications such as e-mail, web conferencing, Customer Relationship Management
(CRM) execute on cloud. Cloud can provide services over public and private networks,
i.e., WAN, LAN or VPN.
Cloud is something, which is present at remote location.
✤ Cloud Computing is the practice of using a network of remote servers hosted on the
Internet to store, manage, and process data, rather than a local server or a personal
computer.
✤One part has a pool of computing resources i.e. provider
✤ Another part has network access and can use these resources i.e. user.
“Cloud computing provides pay-as- you-go, on-demand, virtually infinite

compute and storage resources that can expand or contract as needed,”

said Michael Crandell, CEO of RightScale, Inc.

A number of public providers are already adopting cloud

architectures—and we see private enterprise clouds coming on the

horizon. Today’s announcement of RightScale’s partnerships with

FlexiScale and GoGrid is an exciting indication of how mid-market and

enterprise organizations can really take advantage of multicloud

architectures. There will be huge opportunities for application design and

deployment—we are at the beginning of a tidal shift in IT infrastructure.

 FlexiScale is the only UK-based cloud computing provider and offers a

unique infrastructure on demand with 99.99 percent SLA (Service Level

Agreement) and many special features.

For example, each customer gets their own virtual disk so that data is

segregated and they can do their own low-level encryption, while virtual

network traffic is also segregated to deliver added security.

FlexiScale uniquely offers permanent on-demand storage and was the first

cloud provider to support Windows. With a strong reputation for customer

service, it also enables the creation of custom packages such as golden images.
Cloud arcs: An abbreviation for cloud architectures, which are designs for software

applications that can be accessed over the Internet.

Importance:
1. It enables consumers (the users who demand computing resources) rent, access to,
and scale resources as per their demands.
2. No need to invest in purchasing enterprise s/w or setting up large computing
infrastructures.
3. Vendors can rent relatively expensive solutions to smaller and budget-conscious
customers.
4. No need to sell the product; they can rent them.
5. New jobs.
Cloud Computing Vendors
There are scores of vendors who offer cloud services. What they have to offer varies based on the
vendor and their pricing models are different, as well. Let’s take a look at some of the big names in the
world of cloud computing.
1. Amazon
Amazon was one of the first companies to offer cloud services to the public and they are very
sophisticated. Amazon offers a number of cloud services, including:
• Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2): Offers virtual machines and extra CPU cycles for an organization.
• Simple Storage Service (S3): Allows us to store items up to 5GB in size in Amazon’s virtual storage
service.
• Simple Queue Service (SQS): Allows our machines to talk to each other using this message-passing
API.
• SimpleDB: It is a web service for running queries on structured data in real time. This service works
in close conjunction with Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3) and Amazon Elastic Compute
Cloud (Amazon EC2), collectively providing the ability to store, process, and query data sets in the
cloud.
These services can be difficult to use, because they have to be done through the command line.
Amazon’s virtual machines are versions of Linux distributions.
Amazon’s cloud services at http://aws.amazon.com
1. Google
Google offers online documents and spreadsheets, and encourages
developers to build features for those and other online software, using its Google
App Engine. Google reduced the web applications to a core set of features, and built
a good framework for delivering them. Google also offers handy debugging
features.
Groups and individuals will likely get the most out of App Engine by writing a layer
of Python that sits between the user and the database.
It can be found online at code.google.com/appengine/.
2. Microsoft
Microsoft’s cloud computing solution is called Windows Azure, an
operating system that allows organizations to run Windows applications and store
files and data using Microsoft’s datacenters. It is also offering its Azure Services
Platform, which is services that allow developers to establish user identities, manage
workflows, synchronize data, and perform other functions as they build software
programs on Microsoft’s online computing platform
Key components of Azure Services Platform include
• Windows Azure: Provides service hosting and management and low-level scalable storage,
computation, and networking.
• Microsoft SQL Services: Provides database services and reporting.
• Microsoft .NET Services: Provides service-based implementations of .NET Framework
concepts such as workflow.
• Live Services: Used to share, store, and synchronize documents, photos, and files across
PCs, phones, PC applications, and web sites.
• Microsoft SharePoint Services and Microsoft Dynamics CRM Services: Used for business
content, collaboration, and solution development in the cloud.
Microsoft plans the next version of Office to offer a browser-based option so that users
can read and edit documents online as well as offer the ability for users to collaborate using
web, mobile, and client versions of Office.
Cloud computing is a great way for IT professionals to focus less on their
datacenters, and more on the work of information technology.
 Cloud Computing Providers
Various Cloud Computing platforms are available today. The following table contains the popular Cloud
Computing platforms:

SN Platform Description

1 Salesforce.com: This is a Force.com development platform. This provides a simple

user interface and lets users log in, build an app, and push it in the cloud.

2 Appistry: The Appistry's CloudIQ platform is efficient in delivering a runtime

application. This platform is very useful to create scalable and service oriented
applications.
3 AppScale: The AppScale is an open source platform for App Engine of Google
applications.
4 AT&T: The AT&T allows access to virtual servers and manages the virtualization
infrastructure. This virtualization infrastructure includes network, server and storage.
5 Engine Yard:The Engine Yard is a rails application on cloud computing platform.

6 Enomaly:Enomaly provides the Infrastructure-as-a-Service platform.

7 FlexiScale: The FlexiScale offers a cloud computing platform that allows flexible, scalable and automated
cloud infrastructure.

8 GCloud3: The GCloud3 offers private cloud solution in its platform.

9 Gizmox: The Gizmox Visual WebGUI platform is best suited for developing new web apps and modernize
the legacy apps based on ASP.net, DHTML, etc.

10 GoGrid: The GoGrid platform allows the users to deploy web and database cloud services.

11 Google: The Google's App Engine lets the users build, run and maintain their applications on Google
infrastructure.

12 LongJump: The LongJump offers a business application platform, a Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS).

13 Microsoft: The Microsoft Windows Azure is a cloud computing platform offering an environment to create
cloud apps and services.

14 OrangeScape: OrangeScape offers a Platform-as-a-Service (Paas) for non-programmers. Building an app is

as easy as spreadsheet.

15 RackSpace: The RackSpace provides servers-on-demand via a cloud-driven platform of virtualized ervers.

16 Amazon EC2: The Amazon EC2 (Elastic Compute Cloud) lets the users configure and control computing
resources while running them on Amazon environment.
Cloud Computing

The cloud is Internet-based computing, whereby shared resources, software,

and information are provided to computers and other devices on demand – pay per use

basis.

Cloud Computing refers to manipulating, configuring, and accessing the

applications online. It offers online data storage, infrastructure and application. We need

not to install a piece of software on our local PC and this is how, the cloud computing

overcomes platform dependency issues. Hence, the Cloud Computing is making our

business application mobile and collaborative.

With cloud computing other companies host our applications.
Cloud Computing provide:

a. Cost-effective means of vitalizing and making use of resources more effectively

b. Low start-up costs – pay for use helps to kick-start companies

c. Scaling is proportional to demand (revenue) so it’s a good business model

d. Vast range of Cloud Computing applications

e. Virtual private servers, Web hosting, data servers, fail-over services, etc
Facilitates of Cloud Computing
 In other words, cloud computing is a model for delivering IT services.

Instead of a direct connection to the server, the resources are retrieved from

the Internet though web-based tools and applications.

Data and software packages are stored in servers. The cloud computing

structure allows access to information as long as an electronic device has

access to the web.

This allows employees to work remotely.

The name cloud computing was inspired by the cloud symbol that is often

used to represent the Internet in flowcharts and diagrams.

Cloud Computing Components- Servers and thin clients
Cloud Computing Overview Components- Services
Basic Cloud Characteristics
1. The “no-need-to-know” in terms of the underlying details of infrastructure, applications
interface with the infrastructure via the APIs.
2. The “flexibility and elasticity” allows these systems to scale up and down at will utilizing
the resources of all kinds -CPU, storage, server capacity, load balancing, and databases
3. The “pay as much as used and needed” type of utility computing and the “always on,
anywhere and any place” type of network-based computing.
4. Cloud are transparent to users and applications, they can be built in multiple ways
branded products, proprietary open source, hardware or software, or just off-the-shelf
PCs.
In general, they are built on clusters of PC servers and off-the-shelf components
plus Open Source software combined with in-house applications and/or system software.
Key attributes of a cloud computing

1. Shared / pooled resources

Resources are drawn from a common pool

Common resources build economies of scale

Common infrastructure runs at high efficiency

2. Broad network access

Open standards and APIs

Almost always IP, HTTP & WAP(Wireless App. Protocol)

Available from anywhere with an internet connection

3. On-demand self-service
Completely automated
Users abstracted from the implementation
Near real-time delivery (seconds or minutes)
Services accessed through a self-serv web interface
4. Scalable and elastic
Resources dynamically-allocated between users
Additional resources dynamically-released when needed
Fully automated
5. Metered by use
Services are metered, like a utility
Users pay only for services used
Services can be cancelled at any time