CLOUD COMPUTING: AN INTRODUCTION

SUMMARY:

Cloud computing is an evolving technology that has services and component technologies that you can use to improve your efficiency and costs of doing end-user computing.

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TOPICS:

Official Definition of Cloud Computing

"Cloud Computing" as a Marketing Buzzword

"Service Models" of Cloud Computing

Detailed View

End-User View

An "Infrastructure as a Service" and "Virtual Machine" Example

A "Platform as a Service" Example

Negative Aspects of Cloud Computing

Predictions for the Future

Cloud Computing for the End User

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OFFICIAL DEFINITION OF CLOUD COMPUTING

The "National Institute of Standards and Technology" is part of the "Department of Commerce which is part of the Executive branch of the Federal government. The "National Institute of Standards and Technology" has created 15 drafts of their official definition of cloud computing. Their current definition is located at

http://csrc.nist.gov/groups/SNS/cloud-computing/:

The NIST Definition of Cloud Computing

Authors: Peter Mell and Tim Grance

Version 15, 10-7-09

National Institute of Standards and Technology, Information Technology Laboratory

Note 1: Cloud computing is still an evolving paradigm. Its definitions, use cases, underlying technologies, issues, risks, and benefits will be refined in a spirited debate by the public and private sectors. These definitions, attributes, and characteristics will evolve and change over time.

Note 2: The cloud computing industry represents a large ecosystem of many models, vendors, and market niches. This definition attempts to encompass all of the various cloud approaches.

Definition of Cloud Computing:

Cloud computing is a model for enabling convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications, and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction. This cloud model promotes availability and is composed of five essential characteristics, three service models, and four deployment models.

Essential Characteristics:

On-demand self-service. A consumer can unilaterally provision computing capabilities, such as server time and network storage, as needed automatically without requiring human interaction with each service’s provider.

Broad network access. Capabilities are available over the network and accessed through standard mechanisms that promote use by heterogeneous thin or thick client platforms (e.g., mobile phones, laptops, and PDAs).

Resource pooling. The provider’s computing resources are pooled to serve multiple consumers using a multi-tenant model, with different physical and virtual resources dynamically assigned and reassigned according to consumer demand. There is a sense of location independence in that the customer generally has no control or knowledge over the exact location of the provided resources but may be able to specify location at a higher level of abstraction (e.g., country, state, or datacenter). Examples of resources include storage, processing, memory, network bandwidth, and virtual machines.

Rapid elasticity. Capabilities can be rapidly and elastically provisioned, in some cases automatically, to quickly scale out and rapidly released to quickly scale in. To the consumer, the capabilities available for provisioning often appear to be unlimited and can be purchased in any quantity at any time.

Measured Service. Cloud systems automatically control and optimize resource use by leveraging a metering capability at some level of abstraction appropriate to the type of service (e.g., storage, processing, bandwidth, and active user accounts). Resource usage can be monitored, controlled, and reported providing transparency for both the provider and consumer of the utilized service.

Service Models:

Cloud Software as a Service (SaaS). The capability provided to the consumer is to use the provider’s applications running on a cloud infrastructure. The applications are accessible from various client devices through a thin client interface such as a web browser (e.g., web-based email). The consumer does not manage or control the underlying cloud infrastructure including network, servers, operating systems, storage, or even individual application capabilities, with the possible exception of limited user-specific application configuration settings.

Cloud Platform as a Service (PaaS). The capability provided to the consumer is to deploy onto the cloud infrastructure consumer-created or acquired applications created using programming languages and tools supported by the provider. The consumer does not manage or control the underlying cloud infrastructure including network, servers, operating systems, or storage, but has control over the deployed applications and possibly application hosting environment configurations.

Cloud Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). The capability provided to the consumer is to provision processing, storage, networks, and other fundamental computing resources where the consumer is able to deploy and run arbitrary software, which can include operating systems and applications. The consumer does not manage or control the underlying cloud infrastructure but has control over operating systems, storage, deployed applications, and possibly limited control of select networking components (e.g., host firewalls).

Deployment Models:

Private cloud. The cloud infrastructure is operated solely for an organization. It may be managed by the organization or a third party and may exist on premise or off premise.

Community cloud. The cloud infrastructure is shared by several organizations and supports a specific community that has shared concerns (e.g., mission, security requirements, policy, and compliance considerations). It may be managed by the organizations or a third party and may exist on premise or off premise.

Public cloud. The cloud infrastructure is made available to the general public or a large industry group and is owned by an organization selling cloud services.

Hybrid cloud. The cloud infrastructure is a composition of two or more clouds (private, community, or public) that remain unique entities but are bound together by standardized or proprietary technology that enables data and application portability (e.g., cloud bursting for load-balancing between clouds).

Note: Cloud software takes full advantage of the cloud paradigm by being service oriented with a focus on statelessness, low coupling, modularity, and semantic interoperability.

"CLOUD COMPUTING" AS A MARKETING BUZZWORD

The term "cloud computing" can be used narrowly or broadly.

When used narrowly, it is used to refer to servers delivered as virtual machines over the Internet.

When used broadly, it is used to refer to everything located outside of your home, school, business, or corporate firewall.

See

http://www.infoworld.com/d/cloud-computing/what-cloud-computing-really-means-031

Marketing personnel have been creatively using the "cloud computing" term to make existing products appear new-fangled and up-to-date:

Beware of the twisted meanings of the adjectives that are added to the word "cloud" such as

"Private" Cloud

"Public" Cloud

"Community" Cloud

"Cloud Operating System"

Everyone that uses these terms defines/twists the meanings of these terms to their mercenary benefit.

Beware of ads and presenters claiming that their product is a "true cloud" or the "only cloud-based" product.

http://www.complexevents.com/2010/04/05/cloud-computing-just-another-buzzword/

http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/44555

http://www.computerworlduk.com/in-depth/it-business/2360/the-tech-industrys-most-baffling-buzzwords-a-brief-guide/

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/microsoft/private-cloud-just-another-buzzword-for-on-premise-datacenter/2610

http://www.govtech.com/policy-management/State-CIOs-Offer-Government-Cloud-Option.html

"SERVICE MODELS" OF CLOUD COMPUTING

3 "Service Models" are part of the official definition of cloud computing:

IaaS: Infrastructure as a Service	PaaS: Platform as a Service	SaaS: Software as a Service
The proposition:	The proposition:	The proposition:
I will give you a virtual machine in the cloud which you can provision any time you want You pay for what you use You can scale it up or down whenever you wish You continue to use the same set of software	I will give you a software platform which you can use to build and deploy application in the cloud You pay based on usage You do not need to pay for any additional software	I will provide you with ready to use applications You just need to log in and use You not need to buy anything You have no administrative hassles You pay only for what you use
Questions / doubts:	Questions / doubts:	Questions / doubts:
Will things work exactly the same way it works now? Is my data secured with you? What guarantees do you provide?	I have to rewrite my existing applications I will also have to learn the new platform which is different I will get locked in to your platform	How do you take care of my needs if it is beyond or different from what you provide? How do I integrate with my existing applications?

Source:

http://setandbma.wordpress.com/2009/09/03/cloud-strategy/

DETAILED VIEW OF CLOUD COMPUTING

IaaS vs. PaaS vs. SaaS stack layers definition

Source:

http://www.katescomment.com/iaas-paas-saas-definition/

END-USER VIEW OF CLOUD COMPUTING

Source:

http://www.saasblogs.com/2008/12/01/demystifying-the-cloud-where-do-saas-paas-and-other-acronyms-fit-in/

AN "INFRASTRUCTURE AS A SERVICE" EXAMPLE

Demonstration of a "real" "Windows 2008 Server" virtual machine in the "Amazon EC2" ("Elastic Compute Cloud")

http://www.datacenterknowledge.com/archives/2008/03/27/google-data-center-faq/

http://www.datacenterknowledge.com/archives/2009/04/02/inside-a-google-data-center/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_platform

http://aws.amazon.com/ec2/pricing/

I chose to create/rent a virtual server in "Northern California":

The virtual "Windows 2008 Server" computer that was created by the Linux-based "Xen" hypervisor software in Amazon's "Electric Cloud Computing" cloud looks and behaves very similar to any other Windows computer.

You can use virtual machines running in free virtualization software for your home or business computing. Dennis McCormick and I use "virtual machine" computers inside our real, physical computers. It has many benefits:

Benefit 1:

Reduces the environmental/energy footprint and costs of doing computing by reducing the number of actual physical computers that we operate.

Benefit 2:

Provides for redundancy and isolation to reduce the probably and effects of virus or malware infections.

Benefit 3:

Allows for the testing and trial of software without the possibility of corrupting existing software.

See

http://aztcs.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/virtualmachines/virtualmachines.htm

for details.

A "PLATFORM AS A SERVICE" EXAMPLE

Demonstration of a "real" "Google AppEngine" account for developing Web-based "Google Apps":

NEGATIVE ASPECTS OF CLOUD COMPUTING

1. Dependency on a connection to the Internet.

2. Bandwidth usage constraints of some Internet Service Providers (ISPs) limit your usage of Internet-based services.

See

http://www.brighthub.com/environment/green-computing/articles/68275.aspx

3. Security issues and uncertainty:

For legal documentation, cloud storage could be considered by the courts to be an unauthorized "disclosure to a third part".

See

http://www.slaw.ca/2010/06/14/computing-in-the-cloud-a-warning-for-lawyers/

"NIMBUS CLOUD COMPUTER"

http://www.nimbuscc.com/joomla15/

Cloud-based computers are a technology that may or may take off.

PREDICTIONS FOR THE FUTURE OF "CLOUD COMPUTING"

http://siia.net/presentations/software/aatc/Saugatuck_SIIAOpSource_AllAboutTheCloud_Reshap.pdf

CLOUD COMPUTING FOR THE END-USER

EMAIL:

Gmail

Yahoo Mail

Live Mail (Hotmail)

VOICE AND/OR VIDEO AND/OR AUDIO AND/OR TEXT CHAT

Skype (Skype is a hybrid system that consists of services from the Internet cloud combined with "Skype" software that is running from your local computer.)

Gmail Voice and Video Chat

Yahoo Messenger with Enhanced Video Calling

Meebo (text chat only)

CONTACTS LISTS

Google Contacts

Yahoo Contacts

CALENDARS

Google Calendar

Example of "Google Calendar":

https://www.google.com/calendar/embed?src=tucsonjuniorleague@gmail.com&ctz=America/Phoenix&gsessionid=OK

Yahoo Calendar

Windows Live Calendar

TO-DO LISTS

Remember The Milk

Google Tasks: "Tasks" list is on the right side of the "Google Calendar"

Storage Online without Synchronization to an Offline Location

Adrive--50 Gigabytes for free

Google docs--1 Gigabyte for free

Skydrive--25 Gigabytes for free

Idrive--2 Gigabytes for free

My Picturetown--2 Gigabytes for free

Box.net--1 Gigabyte for free

DropBoks--1 Gigabyte for free

AARP.org--1 Megabyte of photos & 1 Megabyte of videos for free

Storage Online with Synchronization to Offline Location

Mozy--2 Gigabytes for free

The NIST Definition of Cloud Computing

Definition of Cloud Computing:

IaaS: Infrastructure as a Service

PaaS: Platform as a Service

SaaS: Software as a Service