UNIT V - CLOUD COMPUTING

Definition of Cloud Computing – Characteristics of Cloud – Cloud Deployment Models – Cloud

Service Models – Driving Factors and Challenges of Cloud – Virtualization – Load Balancing –
Scalability and Elasticity – Replication – Monitoring – Cloud Services and Platforms: Compute
Services – Storage Services – Application Services

CLOUD COMPUTING
Definition
 Cloud computing[1] is the on-demand availability of computer system resources,
especially data storage (cloud storage) and computing power, without direct active
management by the user.
 Cloud computing means storing and accessing the data and programs on remote servers
that are hosted on the internet instead of the computer’s hard drive or local server.

Cloud Computing companies

1. Amazon Web Services(AWS): One of the most successful cloud-based businesses is
Amazon Web Services(AWS), which is an Infrastructure as a Service(Iaas) offering that
pays rent for virtual computers on Amazon’s infrastructure.
2. Microsoft Azure Platform: Microsoft is creating the Azure platform which enables the
.NET Framework Application to run over the internet as an alternative platform for
Microsoft developers. This is the classic Platform as a Service(PaaS).
3. Google: Google has built a worldwide network of data centers to service its search engine.
From this service, Google has captured the world’s advertising revenue. By using that
revenue, Google offers free software to users based on infrastructure. This is called Software
as a Service(SaaS).
4. IBM Cloud is a collection of cloud computing services for businesses provided by the IBM
Corporation. It provides infrastructure as a service, software as a service, and platform as a
service.
5. Oracle Cloud is a collection of cloud services offered by Oracle Corporation, including
infrastructure as a service (IaaS), platform as a service (PaaS), and software as a service
(SaaS).
6. Alibaba Cloud is the cloud computing arm of Alibaba Group, providing a comprehensive
suite of global cloud computing services to power both their international customers’ online
businesses and Alibaba Group’s own e-commerce ecosystem.
7. Tencent Cloud is a cloud service platform provided by Tencent. It provides a range of
services such as virtual machines, storage, databases, and analytics.
8. Rackspace is a provider of hybrid cloud computing, founded in 1998. It provides managed
hosting, cloud hosting, and email and app services.
9. Salesforce – A cloud-based customer relationship management (CRM) platform used for
sales, marketing, and customer service.
10. VMware Cloud – A cloud platform by VMware, offering services such as virtualization,
cloud management, and network virtualization.
Characteristics of Cloud

 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 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, tablets, laptops, and workstations).
 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.
 Rapid elasticity. Capabilities can be elastically provisioned and released, in some cases
automatically, to scale rapidly outward and inward commensurate with demand. To the
consumer, the capabilities available for provisioning often appear unlimited and can be
appropriated 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.[4]
Types of Cloud Computing Deployment Models
The cloud deployment model identifies the specific type of cloud environment based on
ownership, scale, and access, as well as the cloud’s nature and purpose. The location of the
servers you’re utilizing and who controls them are defined by a cloud deployment model. It
specifies how your cloud infrastructure will look, what you can change, and whether you will be
given services or will have to create everything yourself. Relationships between the
infrastructure and your users are also defined by cloud deployment types. Different types of
cloud computing deployment models are described below.
 Public Cloud
 Private Cloud
 Hybrid Cloud
 Community Cloud
 Multi-Cloud

Public Cloud
The public cloud makes it possible for anybody to access systems and services. The public
cloud may be less secure as it is open to everyone. The public cloud is one in which cloud
infrastructure services are provided over the internet to the general people or major indust ry
groups. The infrastructure in this cloud model is owned by the entity that delivers the cloud
services, not by the consumer. It is a type of cloud hosting that allows customers and users to
easily access systems and services. This form of cloud computing is an excellent example of
cloud hosting, in which service providers supply services to a variety of customers. In this
arrangement, storage backup and retrieval services are given for free, as a subscription, or on a
per-user basis. For example, Google App Engine etc.
Advantages of the Public Cloud Model
 Minimal Investment: Because it is a pay-per-use service, there is no substantial upfront fee,
making it excellent for enterprises that require immediate access to resources.
 No setup cost: The entire infrastructure is fully subsidized by the cloud service providers,
thus there is no need to set up any hardware.
 Infrastructure Management is not required: Using the public cloud does not necessitate
infrastructure management.
 No maintenance: The maintenance work is done by the service provider (not users).
 Dynamic Scalability: To fulfill your company’s needs, on-demand resources are
accessible.
Disadvantages of the Public Cloud Model
 Less secure: Public cloud is less secure as resources are public so there is no guarantee of
high-level security.
 Low customization: It is accessed by many public so it can’t be customized according to
personal requirements.

Private Cloud

The private cloud deployment model is the exact opposite of the public cloud deployment
model. It’s a one-on-one environment for a single user (customer). There is no need to share
your hardware with anyone else. The distinction between private and public clouds is in how
you handle all of the hardware. It is also called the ―internal cloud‖ & it refers to the ability to
access systems and services within a given border or organization. The cloud platform is
implemented in a cloud-based secure environment that is protected by powerful firewalls and
under the supervision of an organization’s IT department. The private cloud gives greater
flexibility of control over cloud resources.

Advantages of the Private Cloud Model

 Better Control: You are the sole owner of the property. You gain complete command over
service integration, IT operations, policies, and user behavior.
 Data Security and Privacy: It’s suitable for storing corporate information to which only
authorized staff have access. By segmenting resources within the same infrastructure,
improved access and security can be achieved.
 Supports Legacy Systems: This approach is designed to work with legacy systems that are
unable to access the public cloud.
 Customization: Unlike a public cloud deployment, a private cloud allows a company to
tailor its solution to meet its specific needs.
Disadvantages of the Private Cloud Model
 Less scalable: Private clouds are scaled within a certain range as there is less number of
clients.
 Costly: Private clouds are more costly as they provide personalized facilities.
Hybrid Cloud
By bridging the public and private worlds with a layer of proprietary software, hybrid cloud
computing gives the best of both worlds. With a hybrid solution, you may host the app in a safe
environment while taking advantage of the public cloud’s cost savings. Organizations can move
data and applications between different clouds using a combination of two or more cloud
deployment methods, depending on their needs.

Advantages of the Hybrid Cloud Model

 Flexibility and control: Businesses with more flexibility can design personalized solutions
that meet their particular needs.
 Cost: Because public clouds provide scalability, you’ll only be responsible for paying for
the extra capacity if you require it.
 Security: Because data is properly separated, the chances of data theft by attackers are
considerably reduced.
Disadvantages of the Hybrid Cloud Model
 Difficult to manage: Hybrid clouds are difficult to manage as it is a combination of both
public and private cloud. So, it is complex.
 Slow data transmission: Data transmission in the hybrid cloud takes place through the
public cloud so latency occurs.
Community Cloud
It allows systems and services to be accessible by a group of organizations. It is a distributed
system that is created by integrating the services of different clouds to address the specific needs
of a community, industry, or business. The infrastructure of the community could be shared
between the organization which has shared concerns or tasks. It is generally managed by a third
party or by the combination of one or more organizations in the community.

Advantages of the Community Cloud Model

 Cost Effective: It is cost-effective because the cloud is shared by multiple organizations or
communities.
 Security: Community cloud provides better security.
 Shared resources: It allows you to share resources, infrastructure, etc. with multiple
organizations.
 Collaboration and data sharing: It is suitable for both collaboration and data sharing.
Disadvantages of the Community Cloud Model
 Limited Scalability: Community cloud is relatively less scalable as many organizations
share the same resources according to their collaborative interests.
 Rigid in customization: As the data and resources are shared among different organizations
according to their mutual interests if an organization wants some changes according to their
needs they cannot do so because it will have an impact on other organizations.
Multi-Cloud

We’re talking about employing multiple cloud providers at the same time under this paradigm,
as the name implies. It’s similar to the hybrid cloud deployment approach, which combines
public and private cloud resources. Instead of merging private and public clouds, multi-cloud
uses many public clouds
Cloud Computing service models
Most cloud computing services fall into five broad categories:
1. Software as a service (SaaS)
2. Platform as a service (PaaS)
3. Infrastructure as a service (IaaS)
4. Anything/Everything as a service (XaaS)
5. Function as a Service (FaaS)
These are sometimes called the cloud computing stack because they are built on top of one
another. Knowing what they are and how they are different, makes it easier to accomplish your
goals. These abstraction layers can also be viewed as a layered architecture where services of
a higher layer can be composed of services of the underlying layer i.e, SaaS can provide
Infrastructure.

Software as a Service(SaaS)
Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) is a way of delivering services and applications over the Internet.
Instead of installing and maintaining software, we simply access it via the Internet, freeing
ourselves from the complex software and hardware management. It removes the need to install
and run applications on our own computers or in the data centers eliminating the expenses of
hardware as well as software maintenance.
SaaS provides a complete software solution that you purchase on a pay-as-you-go basis from a
cloud service provider. Most SaaS applications can be run directly from a web browser without
any downloads or installations required. The SaaS applications are sometimes called Web-
based software, on-demand software, or hosted software.
Advantages of SaaS
1. Cost-Effective: Pay only for what you use.
2. Reduced time: Users can run most SaaS apps directly from their web browser without
needing to download and install any software. This reduces the time spent in installation and
configuration and can reduce the issues that can get in the way of the software deployment.
3. Accessibility: We can Access app data from anywhere.
4. Automatic updates: Rather than purchasing new software, customers rely on a SaaS
provider to automatically perform the updates.
5. Scalability: It allows the users to access the services and features on-demand.
The various companies providing Software as a service are Cloud9 Analytics, Salesforce.com,
Cloud Switch, Microsoft Office 365, Big Commerce, Eloqua, dropBox, and Cloud Tran.
Disadvantages of Saas :
1. Limited customization: SaaS solutions are typically not as customizable as on-premises
software, meaning that users may have to work within the constraints of the SaaS provider’s
platform and may not be able to tailor the software to their specific needs.
2. Dependence on internet connectivity: SaaS solutions are typically cloud-based, which
means that they require a stable internet connection to function properly. This can be
problematic for users in areas with poor connectivity or for those who need to access the
software in offline environments.
3. Security concerns: SaaS providers are responsible for maintaining the security of the data
stored on their servers, but there is still a risk of data breaches or other security incidents.
4. Limited control over data: SaaS providers may have access to a user’s data, which can be
a concern for organizations that need to maintain strict control over their data for regulatory
or other reasons.

Platform as a Service

PaaS is a category of cloud computing that provides a platform and environment to allow
developers to build applications and services over the internet. PaaS services are hosted in the
cloud and accessed by users simply via their web browser.
A PaaS provider hosts the hardware and software on its own infrastructure. As a result, PaaS
frees users from having to install in-house hardware and software to develop or run a new
application. Thus, the development and deployment of the application take place independent
of the hardware.
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 configuration settings for the application-hosting environment. To make it simple,
take the example of an annual day function, you will have two options either to create a venue
or to rent a venue but the function is the same.
Advantages of PaaS:
1. Simple and convenient for users: It provides much of the infrastructure and other IT
services, which users can access anywhere via a web browser.
2. Cost-Effective: It charges for the services provided on a per-use basis thus eliminating the
expenses one may have for on-premises hardware and software.
3. Efficiently managing the lifecycle: It is designed to support the complete web application
lifecycle: building, testing, deploying, managing, and updating.
4. Efficiency: It allows for higher-level programming with reduced complexity thus, the
overall development of the application can be more effective.
The various companies providing Platform as a service are Amazon Web services Elastic
Beanstalk, Salesforce, Windows Azure, Google App Engine, cloud Bees and IBM smart cloud.
Disadvantages of Paas:
1. Limited control over infrastructure: PaaS providers typically manage the underlying
infrastructure and take care of maintenance and updates, but this can also mean that users
have less control over the environment and may not be able to make certain customizations.
2. Dependence on the provider: Users are dependent on the PaaS provider for the availability,
scalability, and reliability of the platform, which can be a risk if the provider experiences
outages or other issues.
3. Limited flexibility: PaaS solutions may not be able to accommodate certain types of
workloads or applications, which can limit the value of the solution for certain
organizations.
Infrastructure as a Service
Infrastructure as a service (IaaS) is a service model that delivers computer infrastructure on an
outsourced basis to support various operations. Typically IaaS is a service where infrastructure
is provided as outsourcing to enterprises such as networking equipment, devices, database, and
web servers.
It is also known as Hardware as a Service (HaaS). IaaS customers pay on a per-user basis,
typically by the hour, week, or month. Some providers also charge customers based on the
amount of virtual machine space they use.
It simply provides the underlying operating systems, security, networking, and servers for
developing such applications, and services, and deploying development tools, databases, etc.
Advantages of IaaS:
1. Cost-Effective: Eliminates capital expense and reduces ongoing cost and IaaS customers
pay on a per-user basis, typically by the hour, week, or month.
2. Website hosting: Running websites using IaaS can be less expensive than traditional web
hosting.
3. Security: The IaaS Cloud Provider may provide better security than your existing software.
4. Maintenance: There is no need to manage the underlying data center or the introduction of
new releases of the development or underlying software. This is all handled by the IaaS
Cloud Provider.
The various companies providing Infrastructure as a service are Amazon web services,
Bluestack, IBM, Openstack, Rackspace, and Vmware.
Disadvantages of laaS :
1. Limited control over infrastructure: IaaS providers typically manage the underlying
infrastructure and take care of maintenance and updates, but this can also mean that users
have less control over the environment and may not be able to make certain customizations.
2. Security concerns: Users are responsible for securing their own data and applications,
which can be a significant undertaking.
3. Limited access: Cloud computing may not be accessible in certain regions and countries
due to legal policies.

Anything as a Service
It is also known as Everything as a Service. Most of the cloud service providers nowadays offer
anything as a service that is a compilation of all of the above services including some additional
services.

Advantages of XaaS:
1. Scalability: XaaS solutions can be easily scaled up or down to meet the changing needs of
an organization.
2. Flexibility: XaaS solutions can be used to provide a wide range of services, such as storage,
databases, networking, and software, which can be customized to meet the specific needs of
an organization.
3. Cost-effectiveness: XaaS solutions can be more cost-effective than traditional on-premises
solutions, as organizations only pay for the services.
Disadvantages of XaaS:
1. Dependence on the provider: Users are dependent on the XaaS provider for the
availability, scalability, and reliability of the service, which can be a risk if the provider
experiences outages or other issues.
2. Limited flexibility: XaaS solutions may not be able to accommodate certain types of
workloads or applications, which can limit the value of the solution for certain
organizations.
3. Limited integration: XaaS solutions may not be able to integrate with existing systems and
data sources, which can limit the value of the solution for certain organizations.
Function as a Service :
FaaS is a type of cloud computing service. It provides a platform for its users or customers to
develop, compute, run and deploy the code or entire application as functions. It allows the user
to entirely develop the code and update it at any time without worrying about the maintenance
of the underlying infrastructure. The developed code can be executed with response to the
specific event. It is also as same as PaaS.
FaaS is an event-driven execution model. It is implemented in the serverless container. When
the application is developed completely, the user will now trigger the event to execute the code.
Now, the triggered event makes response and activates the servers to execute it. The servers are
nothing but the Linux servers or any other servers which is managed by the vendor completely.
Customer does not have clue about any servers which is why they do not need to maintain the
server hence it is serverless architecture.
Both PaaS and FaaS are providing the same functionality but there is still some differentiation
in terms of Scalability and Cost.
FaaS, provides auto-scaling up and scaling down depending upon the demand. PaaS also
provides scalability but here users have to configure the scaling parameter depending upon the
demand.
In FaaS, users only have to pay for the number of execution time happened. In PaaS, users have
to pay for the amount based on pay-as-you-go price regardless of how much or less they use.
Advantages of FaaS :
 Highly Scalable: Auto scaling is done by the provider depending upon the demand.
 Cost-Effective: Pay only for the number of events executed.
 Code Simplification: FaaS allows the users to upload the entire application all at once. It
allows you to write code for independent functions or similar to those functions.
 Maintenance of code is enough and no need to worry about the servers.
 Functions can be written in any programming language.
 Less control over the system.
The various companies providing Function as a Service are Amazon Web Services –
Firecracker, Google – Kubernetes, Oracle – Fn, Apache OpenWhisk – IBM, OpenFaaS,
Disadvantages of FaaS :
1. Cold start latency: Since FaaS functions are event-triggered, the first request to a new
function may experience increased latency as the function container is created and
initialized.
2. Limited control over infrastructure: FaaS providers typically manage the underlying
infrastructure and take care of maintenance and updates, but this can also mean that users
have less control over the environment and may not be able to make certain customizations.
3. Security concerns: Users are responsible for securing their own data and applications,
which can be a significant undertaking.
4. Limited scalability: FaaS functions may not be able to handle high traffic or large number
of requests.

CLOUD COMPUTING CHALLENGES

1. Data Security and Privacy

Data security is a major concern when switching to cloud computing. User or organizational
data stored in the cloud is critical and private. Even if the cloud service provider assures data
integrity, it is your responsibility to carry out user authentication and authorization, identity
management, data encryption, and access control. Security issues on the cloud include identity
theft, data breaches, malware infections, and a lot more which eventually decrease the trust
amongst the users of your applications. This can in turn lead to potential loss in revenue
alongside reputation and stature. Also, dealing with cloud computing requires sending and
receiving huge amounts of data at high speed, and therefore is susceptible to data leaks.

2. Cost Management
Even as almost all cloud service providers have a ―Pay As You Go‖ model, which reduces the
overall cost of the resources being used, there are times when there are huge costs incurred to
the enterprise using cloud computing. When there is under optimization of the resources, let’s
say that the servers are not being used to their full potential, add up to the hidden costs. If there
is a degraded application performance or sudden spikes or overages in the usage, it adds up to
the overall cost. Unused resources are one of the other main reasons why the costs go up. If you
turn on the services or an instance of cloud and forget to turn it off during the weekend or when
there is no current use of it, it will increase the cost without even using the resources.

3. Multi-Cloud Environments
Due to an increase in the options available to the companies, enterprises not only use a single
cloud but depend on multiple cloud service providers. Most of these companies use hybrid cloud
tactics and close to 84% are dependent on multiple clouds. This often ends up being hindered
and difficult to manage for the infrastructure team. The process most of the time ends up being
highly complex for the IT team due to the differences between multiple cloud providers.

4. Performance Challenges
Performance is an important factor while considering cloud-based solutions. If the performance
of the cloud is not satisfactory, it can drive away users and decrease profits. Even a little latency
while loading an app or a web page can result in a huge drop in the percentage of users. This
latency can be a product of inefficient load balancing, which means that the server cannot
efficiently split the incoming traffic so as to provide the best user experience.
5. Interoperability and Flexibility
When an organization uses a specific cloud service provider and wants to switch to another
cloud-based solution, it often turns up to be a tedious procedure since applications written for
one cloud with the application stack are required to be re-written for the other cloud. There is a
lack of flexibility from switching from one cloud to another due to the complexities involved.
Handling data movement, setting up the security from scratch and network also add up to the
issues encountered when changing cloud solutions, thereby reducing flexibility.

6. High Dependence on Network

Since cloud computing deals with provisioning resources in real-time, it deals with enormous
amounts of data transfer to and from the servers. This is only made possible due to the
availability of the high-speed network. Although these data and resources are exchanged over
the network, this can prove to be highly vulnerable in case of limited bandwidth or cases when
there is a sudden outage. Even when the enterprises can cut their hardware costs, they need to
ensure that the internet bandwidth is high as well there are zero network outages, or else it can
result in a potential business loss. It is therefore a major challenge for smaller enterprises that
have to maintain network bandwidth that comes with a high cost.

7. Lack of Knowledge and Expertise

Due to the complex nature and the high demand for research working with the cloud often ends
up being a highly tedious task. It requires immense knowledge and wide expertise on the
subject. Although there are a lot of professionals in the field they need to constantly update
themselves. Cloud computing is a highly paid job due to the extensive gap between demand and
supply. There are a lot of vacancies but very few talented cloud engineers, developers, and
professionals. Therefore, there is a need for upskilling so these professionals can actively
understand, manage and develop cloud-based applications with minimum issues and maximum
reliability.
 Virtualization
Virtualization is a technique how to separate a service from the underlying physical delivery of
that service. It is the process of creating a virtual version of something like computer hardware.
It was initially developed during the mainframe era. It involves using specialized software to
create a virtual or software-created version of a computing resource rather than the actual
version of the same resource. With the help of Virtualization, multiple operating systems and
applications can run on the same machine and its same hardware at the same time, increasing
the utilization and flexibility of hardware.
In other words, one of the main cost-effective, hardware-reducing, and energy-saving
techniques used by cloud providers is Virtualization. Virtualization allows sharing of a single
physical instance of a resource or an application among multiple customers and organizations at
one time. It does this by assigning a logical name to physical storage and providing a pointer to
that physical resource on demand. The term virtualization is often synonymous with hardware
virtualization, which plays a fundamental role in efficiently delivering Infrastructure-as-a-
Service (IaaS) solutions for cloud computing. Moreover, virtualization technologies provide a
virtual environment for not only executing applications but also for storage, memory, and
networking.

 Host Machine: The machine on which the virtual machine is going to be built is known as
Host Machine.
 Guest Machine: The virtual machine is referred to as a Guest Machine.
Work of Virtualization in Cloud Computing

Virtualization has a prominent impact on Cloud Computing. In the case of cloud computing,
users store data in the cloud, but with the help of Virtualization, users have the extra benefit of
sharing the infrastructure. Cloud Vendors take care of the required physical resources, but these
cloud providers charge a huge amount for these services which impacts every user or
organization. Virtualization helps Users or Organisations in maintaining those services which
are required by a company through external (third-party) people, which helps in reducing costs
to the company. This is the way through which Virtualization works in Cloud Computing.
Benefits of Virtualization
 More flexible and efficient allocation of resources.
 Enhance development productivity.
 It lowers the cost of IT infrastructure.
 Remote access and rapid scalability.
 High availability and disaster recovery.
 Pay peruse of the IT infrastructure on demand.
 Enables running multiple operating systems.

Drawback of Virtualization
 High Initial Investment: Clouds have a very high initial investment, but it is also true that
it will help in reducing the cost of companies.
 Learning New Infrastructure: As the companies shifted from Servers to Cloud, it requires
highly skilled staff who have skills to work with the cloud easily, and for this, you have to
hire new staff or provide training to current staff.
 Risk of Data: Hosting data on third-party resources can lead to putting the data at risk, it
has the chance of getting attacked by any hacker or cracker very easily.

Characteristics of Virtualization
 Increased Security: The ability to control the execution of a guest program in a completely
transparent manner opens new possibilities for delivering a secure, controlled execution
environment. All the operations of the guest programs are generally performed against the
virtual machine, which then translates and applies them to the host programs.
 Managed Execution: In particular, sharing, aggregation, emulation, and isolation are the
most relevant features.
 Sharing: Virtualization allows the creation of a separate computing environment within the
same host.
 Aggregation: It is possible to share physical resources among several guests, but
virtualization also allows aggregation, which is the opposite process.

Types of Virtualization
1. Application Virtualization
2. Network Virtualization
3. Desktop Virtualization
4. Storage Virtualization
5. Server Virtualization
6. Data virtualization
1. Application Virtualization: Application virtualization helps a user to have remote access to
an application from a server. The server stores all personal information and other characteristics
of the application but can still run on a local workstation through the internet. An example of
this would be a user who needs to run two different versions of the same software. Technologies
that use application virtualization are hosted applications and packaged applications.
2. Network Virtualization: The ability to run multiple virtual networks with each having a
separate control and data plan. It co-exists together on top of one physical network. It can be
managed by individual parties that are potentially confidential to each other. Network
virtualization provides a facility to create and provision virtual networks, logical switches,
routers, firewalls, load balancers, Virtual Private Networks (VPN), and workload security
within days or even weeks.

3. Desktop Virtualization: Desktop virtualization allows the users’ OS to be remotely stored

on a server in the data center. It allows the user to access their desktop virtually, from any
location by a different machine. Users who want specific operating systems other than Windows
Server will need to have a virtual desktop. The main benefits of desktop virtualization are user
mobility, portability, and easy management of software installation, updates, and patches.
4. Storage Virtualization: Storage virtualization is an array of servers that are managed by a
virtual storage system. The servers aren’t aware of exactly where their data is stored and instead
function more like worker bees in a hive. It makes managing storage from multiple sources be
managed and utilized as a single repository. storage virtualization software maintains smooth
operations, consistent performance, and a continuous suite of advanced functions despite
changes, breaks down, and differences in the underlying equipment.
5. Server Virtualization: This is a kind of virtualization in which the masking of server
resources takes place. Here, the central server (physical server) is divided into multiple different
virtual servers by changing the identity number, and processors. So, each system can operate its
operating systems in an isolated manner. Where each sub-server knows the identity of the
central server. It causes an increase in performance and reduces the operating cost by the
deployment of main server resources into a sub-server resource. It’s beneficial in virtual
migration, reducing energy consumption, reducing infrastructural costs, etc.
6. Data Virtualization: This is the kind of virtualization in which the data is collected from
various sources and managed at a single place without knowing more about the technical
information like how data is collected, stored & formatted then arranged that data logically so
that its virtual view can be accessed by its interested people and stakeholders, and users through
the various cloud services remotely. Many big giant companies are providing their services like
Oracle, IBM, At scale, Cdata, etc.
Uses of Virtualization
 Data-integration
 Business-integration
 Service-oriented architecture data-services
 Searching organizational data

Load Balancing in Cloud Computing

 Load balancing is the method that allows to have a proper balance of the amount of work
being done on different pieces of device or hardware equipment.
 The load of the devices is balanced between different servers or between the CPU and hard
drives in a single cloud server.
 Load balancing was introduced to improve the speed and performance of each single
device, and the other is to protect individual devices from hitting their limits by reducing
their performance.
 Cloud load balancing is defined as dividing workload and computing properties in cloud
computing. It enables enterprises to manage workload demands or application demands by
distributing resources among multiple computers, networks or servers.
 Cloud load balancing involves managing the movement of workload traffic and demands
over the Internet.
There are two primary solutions to overcome the problem of overloading on the server-
o First is a single-server solution in which the server is upgraded to a higher-performance
server. However, the new server may also be overloaded soon, demanding another
upgrade. Moreover, the upgrading process is arduous and expensive.
o The second is a multiple-server solution in which a scalable service system on a cluster of
servers is built. That's why it is more cost-effective and more scalable to build a server
cluster system for network services.
Cloud-based servers can achieve more precise scalability and availability by using farm server
load balancing. Load balancing is beneficial with almost any type of service, such as HTTP,
SMTP, DNS, FTP, and POP/IMAP.
It also increases reliability through redundancy. A dedicated hardware device or program provides
the balancing service.

Different Types of Load Balancing Algorithms in Cloud Computing:

1. Static Algorithm
Static algorithms are built for systems with very little variation in load. The entire traffic is
divided equally between the servers in the static algorithm. This algorithm requires in-
depth knowledge of server resources for better performance of the processor, which is
determined at the beginning of the implementation.
2. Dynamic Algorithm
The dynamic algorithm first finds the lightest server in the entire network and gives it
priority for load balancing. This requires real-time communication with the network which
can help increase the system's traffic.
3. Round Robin Algorithm
Round robin load balancing algorithm uses round-robin method to assign jobs. First, it
randomly selects the first node and assigns tasks to other nodes in a round-robin manner.
This is one of the easiest methods of load balancing.
4. Weighted Round Robin Load Balancing Algorithm
Weighted Round Robin Load Balancing Algorithms have been developed to enhance the
most challenging issues of Round Robin Algorithms. In this algorithm, there are a
specified set of weights and functions, which are distributed according to the weight
values.
5. Opportunistic Load Balancing Algorithm
The opportunistic load balancing algorithm allows each node to be busy. It never considers
the current workload of each system. Regardless of the current workload on each node,
OLB distributes all unfinished tasks to these nodes.
The processing task will be executed slowly as an OLB, and it does not count the
implementation time of the node, which causes some bottlenecks even when some nodes
are free.
6. Minimum To Minimum Load Balancing Algorithm
Under minimum to minimum load balancing algorithms, first of all, those tasks take
minimum time to complete. Among them, the minimum value is selected among all the
functions. According to that minimum time, the work on the machine is scheduled.
Load balancing solutions can be categorized into two types -
o Software-based load balancers: Software-based load balancers run on standard hardware
(desktop, PC) and standard operating systems.
o Hardware-based load balancers: Hardware-based load balancers are dedicated boxes
that contain application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) optimized for a particular use.
ASICs allow network traffic to be promoted at high speeds and are often used for
transport-level load balancing because hardware-based load balancing is faster than a
software solution.

Major Examples of Load Balancers -

o Direct Routing Request Despatch Technique: This method of request dispatch is similar
to that implemented in IBM's NetDispatcher. A real server and load balancer share a
virtual IP address. The load balancer takes an interface built with a virtual IP address that
accepts request packets and routes the packets directly to the selected server.
o Dispatcher-Based Load Balancing Cluster: A dispatcher performs smart load balancing
using server availability, workload, capacity and other user-defined parameters to regulate
where TCP/IP requests are sent. The dispatcher module of a load balancer can split HTTP
requests among different nodes in a cluster. The dispatcher divides the load among
multiple servers in a cluster, so services from different nodes act like a virtual service on
only one IP address; Consumers interconnect as if it were a single server, without
knowledge of the back-end infrastructure.
o Linux Virtual Load Balancer: This is an open-source enhanced load balancing solution
used to build highly scalable and highly available network services such as HTTP, POP3,
FTP, SMTP, media and caching, and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is done. It is a
simple and powerful product designed for load balancing and fail-over. The load balancer
itself is the primary entry point to the server cluster system. It can execute Internet
Protocol Virtual Server (IPVS), which implements transport-layer load balancing in the
Linux kernel, also known as layer-4 switching.
Types of Load Balancing
 Network Load Balancing
Cloud load balancing takes advantage of network layer information and leaves it to decide
where network traffic should be sent. This is accomplished through Layer 4 load
balancing, which handles TCP/UDP traffic. It is the fastest local balancing solution, but it
cannot balance the traffic distribution across servers.
 HTTP(S) load balancing
HTTP(s) load balancing is the oldest type of load balancing, and it relies on Layer 7. This
means that load balancing operates in the layer of operations. It is the most flexible type of
load balancing because it lets you make delivery decisions based on information retrieved
from HTTP addresses.
 Internal Load Balancing
It is very similar to network load balancing, but is leveraged to balance the infrastructure
internally.
Load balancers can be further divided into hardware, software and virtual load balancers.
 Hardware Load Balancer
It depends on the base and the physical hardware that distributes the network and
application traffic. The device can handle a large traffic volume, but these come with a
hefty price tag and have limited flexibility.
 Software Load Balancer
It can be an open source or commercial form and must be installed before it can be used.
These are more economical than hardware solutions.
 Virtual Load Balancer
It differs from a software load balancer in that it deploys the software to the hardware
load-balancing device on the virtual machine.

Cloud Elasticity
Elasticity refers to the ability of a cloud to automatically expand or compress the infrastructural
resources on a sudden up and down in the requirement so that the workload can be managed
efficiently. This elasticity helps to minimize infrastructural costs. This is not applicable for all
kinds of environments, it is helpful to address only those scenarios where the resource
requirements fluctuate up and down suddenly for a specific time interval. It is not quite practical
to use where persistent resource infrastructure is required to handle the heavy workload.
The Flexibility in cloud is a well-known highlight related with scale-out arrangements (level
scaling), which takes into consideration assets to be powerfully added or eliminated when
required.
It is for the most part connected with public cloud assets which is generally highlighted in pay-
per-use or pay-more only as costs arise administrations.
The Flexibility is the capacity to develop or contract framework assets (like process, capacity or
organization) powerfully on a case by case basis to adjust to responsibility changes in the
applications in an autonomic way.

It makes most extreme asset use which bring about reserve funds in foundation costs in general.
Relies upon the climate, flexibility is applied on assets in the framework that isn’t restricted to
equipment, programming, network, QoS and different arrangements.
The versatility is totally relying upon the climate as now and again it might become negative
characteristic where execution of certain applications probably ensured execution.
It is most commonly used in pay-per-use, public cloud services.
Example: Consider an online shopping site whose transaction workload increases during festive
season like Christmas. So for this specific period of time, the resources need a spike up. In order
to handle this kind of situation, we can go for a Cloud-Elasticity service rather than Cloud
Scalability. As soon as the season goes out, the deployed resources can then be requested for
withdrawal.
Cloud Scalability

Cloud scalability is used to handle the growing workload where good performance is also
needed to work efficiently with software or applications. Scalability is commonly used where
the persistent deployment of resources is required to handle the workload statically.
Example: Consider you are the owner of a company whose database size was small in earlier
days but as time passed your business does grow and the size of your database also increases, so
in this case you just need to request your cloud service vendor to scale up your database
capacity to handle a heavy workload.
It is totally different from what you have read above in Cloud Elasticity. Scalability is used to
fulfil the static needs while elasticity is used to fulfill the dynamic need of the organization.
Scalability is a similar kind of service provided by the cloud where the customers have to pay-
per-use. So, in conclusion, we can say that Scalability is useful where the workload remains
high and increases statically.
Types of Scalability:

1. Vertical Scalability (Scale-up)

In this type of scalability, we increase the power of existing resources in the working
environment in an upward direction.

2. Horizontal Scalability: In this kind of scaling, the resources are added in a horizontal row.

3. Diagonal Scalability
It is a mixture of both Horizontal and Vertical scalability where the resources are added
both vertically and horizontally.
 Difference Between Cloud Elasticity and Scalability :
Cloud Elasticity Cloud Scalability

Elasticity is used just to meet the sudden up

Scalability is used to meet the static increase in
and down in the workload for a small
the workload.
1 period of time.

Elasticity is used to meet dynamic changes,

Scalability is always used to address the increase
where the resources need can increase or
in workload in an organization.
2 decrease.

Elasticity is commonly used by small Scalability is used by giant companies whose

companies whose workload and demand customer circle persistently grows in order to do
3 increases only for a specific period of time. the operations efficiently.

It is a short term planning and adopted just

Scalability is a long term planning and adopted
to deal with an unexpected increase in
just to deal with an expected increase in demand.
4 demand or seasonal demands.

Replication
 Replication in Cloud Computing refers to multiple storage of the same data to several
different locations by usually synchronization of these data sources. Replication in Cloud
Computing is partly done for backup and on the other hand to reduce response times,
especially for reading data requests.
 Cloud Replication refers to the process of replicating data from on-premises storage to the
cloud, or from one cloud instance to another. Traditional data replication involves
replicating data across different physical servers on the company’s local network.
Cloud Data Replication Traditional Data Replication
Data is replicated from physical storage to the Data is replicated from one physical storage to
cloud, or from one cloud instance to another. another within the company’s local network.
It uses fully-managed remote servers located It uses in-house hardware and software that is owned
across the town or the county. and managed by the organization.
Cloud-based software and resources follow a
On-premise hardware and software, require users to
subscription-based pricing model, allowing users
purchase them at once, thereby making them a capital
to rent them on a monthly/annum basis. These
expense.
form the operating costs.
It is cost-effective as it only requires you to set up
It requires you to invest in hardware and software
an account with the cloud service provider to start
licenses, and hence it has a high up-front cost.
the replication process.
It only requires you to have an active internet You may not need an active internet connection to
connection to start the replication process. perform traditional data replication.
Advantages of Cloud Replication
 High Availability: Cloud Data Replication keeps your data offsite and away from the
premises. In case the primary instance is destroyed by a major disaster like fire, storm,
flood, etc., your secondary data instance will be safe in the cloud, allowing you to recover
data.
 Cheap: Replicating data to the cloud is much economical than replicating and maintaining
data in your data center. It helps minimize costs associated with managing the data center,
including hardware, software, support cost, etc.
 Scalable: Cloud Replication houses the support for on-demand scalability. It allows users
to either increase or decrease their storage requirements as their business expands or
contracts. It doesn’t require users to purchase additional hardware.
 Secure: Most cloud service providers provide a fully-managed service and are solely
responsible for maintaining physical and network security. It is, therefore, quite beneficial
for a small business that lacks proper security staff.

Disadvantages of Cloud Replication

The following are some of the challenges associated with Cloud Data Replication:
 An active internet connection is needed to perform Cloud Data Replication.
 Data replicated to the cloud is prone to security breaches as the cloud is easily accessible
from all parts of the globe.
 The enterprise has to develop trust in the third party to store its data.

Cloud Monitoring
Cloud monitoring is a process of observing the services and applications that are centered in the cloud,
providing you with essential data, valuable insights, and alerts to possible upcoming issues or
disruptions.
Cloud server monitoring empowers to optimize performance and reduce the downtime of cloud-based
apps, processes, data, and initiatives.

Types of Cloud Monitoring

Of course, the reality is not quite so cut and dried. After all, there are three types of cloud, many kinds
of data, and nearly innumerable cloud components operating at once. To ensure that your cloud
initiatives are performing to their potential, cloud monitoring takes several different forms.
The following are the five most common types:
Website Monitoring
At their most basic, websites consist of files, stored on a host computer — either owned by a specific
organization or the cloud-service provider — and shared with other computers across a network. When
working with websites, cloud server-monitoring focuses on user experience and availability, as well as
the availability of important resources. Cloud-based website monitoring tracks website traffic,
processes, time on page, resource usage, and search availability.
Database Monitoring
Cloud-based database monitoring involves accessing data integrity, tracking queries, reviewing
processes, tracking availability, and charting cloud-database resource usage. Database monitoring not
only helps inform updates and upgrades but also logs and tracks requests for data access, making it a
valuable security tool.
Cloud Storage Monitoring
Cloud monitoring for cloud-storage applications is capable of tracking a range of analytes
simultaneously. Often used in hosting infrastructure as a service (IaaS) and software as a service
(SaaS), cloud storage monitoring charts available storage, user actions, processes, and various
performance metrics.
Virtual Network Monitoring
Cloud monitoring in virtual networks creates virtual versions of important network elements, namely
firewalls, routers, and load balancers.
Virtual Machine Monitoring
Virtual machine monitoring is most commonly used as part of the IaaS model, often incorporating a
virtual server hosting multiple virtual desktops. This form of cloud server monitoring charts traffic and
users, along with the infrastructure and status of every associated virtual machine. Virtual machine
monitoring not only offers the benefits of cloud-based monitoring but also fills the role of IT
infrastructure monitoring for virtual desktops.

Benefits of Cloud Monitoring

 Quickly identify threats or other problems before they can create interruptions in your service
 Monitor relevant KPIs in real time with up-to-the-minute reporting to ensure that your business
is always moving in the right direction
 Protect against data loss by identifying and analyzing all data that leaves the network,
minimizing the impact of potential data breaches
 Improve performance with high-quality APIs, protected by authentication protocols
 Locate and repair delays within application workflow for improved response times
Additionally, because cloud monitoring services are themselves cloud-based, they offer many of the
advantages commonly associated with cloud computing. This includes preconfiguration and easy
installation, reduced investments in installing and maintaining on-premises solutions, improved
scalability, expanded accessibility, and more.
Challenges of Using Cloud Monitoring
While cloud monitoring offers many advantages in terms of tracking and analysis, there are some
challenges you should be aware of. First, however, it’s worth noting that the right services are more
than capable of working with you and your business to overcome these challenges. In most cases, the
benefits of monitoring cloud servers significantly outweigh any potential obstacles.
Lack of Skills
As more and more organizations make digital transformation a top priority, it’s becoming apparent that
there exists a cloud-skill shortage. In fact, according to a recent survey by Gartner, 63 percent of senior
executives identify talent shortage as a major concern for their organization.1 Businesses without the
right IT talent may have trouble properly managing cloud monitoring solutions. That said, most
established cloud monitoring service providers are able to work with clients to operate a desired target
environment smoothly and securely.
Multiple Cloud Providers
In enterprise, 92 percent of businesses use multiple clouds — public and private — to support evolving
IT infrastructures.2 This multi-cloud strategy may allow organizations to better address their unique
needs, but it also creates increased complexity in terms of cloud structure, and that can make cloud
monitoring a difficult prospect. Different cloud providers may result in siloed data and tools, forcing
clients to adopt a range of vendor-specific monitoring tools to properly track cloud performance.
Hybrid Infrastructure
Hybrid clouds face many of the same challenges as multi-cloud strategies. In a hybrid setup, data
resides in both public and private cloud environments; attempting to monitor that data and track
processes when dealing with two distinct kinds of cloud may result in lack of visibility. Again, public
cloud providers generally supply their own monitoring tools, but there’s no guarantee those tools will
function well in conjunction with an organization’s own private-cloud monitoring solutions.
Overcoming these challenges is a top priority for many organizations who are interested in monitoring
and improving the performance of their cloud applications. Gigamon provides the solution.