Intro to Cloud Computing

Who is Fred Stluka?

Founder/CEO of Bristle Software, Inc.          http://bristle.com Java/Web/Ajax/SQL programmer Agile Agile/Lean software development Not "rigidly agile" Agile (pay as you go) contracts Agile (bite-sized) learning

• Mailing lists and Web sites
           http://bristle.com/invite.htm
• Cloud Computing Tips mailing list and Web page
           http://bristle.com/Tips/CloudComputing.htm
• This presentation
           http://bristle.com/Presentations/CloudComputing
• This presentation software (open source JavaScript)
           http://bristle.com

What is Cloud Computing?

• "Next big thing" (Internet, Web, Cloud, etc.)
• Sharing large server computers
• Information System Utility
  • IT as a utility, like water, sewer, electric, phone, cable TV
• Old technology
  • 1970's: "mainframe", "time-sharing", "virtual machine"
  • 1980's: "network", "LAN", "WAN", "Internet"
  • 1990's: "World-Wide Web", "hosting service", "groupware", "ASP"
  • 2000's: "virtualization", "hypervisor"
  • Mix them together, plus a jazzy new name
  • Technology is already mature
• Why now?    Broadband!
  • Everyone has it, and it's not expensive
  • Distance to CPU is irrelevant
  • Distance to data is irrelevant
• More info:
     http://bristle.com/Tips/CloudComputing.htm#intro_to_cloud_computing

Why Cloud Computing? (1/3)

• Lower cost (economies of scale)
  • Few large computers instead of many small ones
    • Less idle CPUs consuming electricity
    • Less heat generated, so less air conditioning cost
    • Less physical space
  • Centralized IT staff and support equipment
    • File backups
    • Software upgrades/patches/re-patches/re-re-patches
    • Software configuration/policies
    • Hardware upgrades/repairs (RAM, disk, UPS)
    • Virus scanners, signature files
    • Security (firewalls, tripwire, logwatch)
    • Account creation/monitoring
    • Disk space quotas
• You focus on business needs, not computer infrastructure
  • Producing products
  • Selling products
  • Paying invoices
  • Collecting payments
  • Communicating (e-mail, shared docs and spreadsheets, etc.)

Why Cloud Computing? (2/3)

• Scalable
  • Allocate more virtual servers as needed
  • Instantly -- no purchasing and shipping delay
  • Pay only for what you use
    • Don't pay to maintain peak capacity
    • Most IT resources world-wide are used less than 15%
• Disaster Recovery
  • Super thin client
    • Smart version of "dumb terminal"
    • Possibly no local hard drive
    • Viruses are not possible -- power off/on wipes it clean
    • No need for client computer backup
      • Computer dies, computer stolen, facility burns down?
        • No problem!
        • Plug in a new client computer
        • Connect to server via Web browser
        • Resume work immediately
    • No data theft from laptops
  • Robust server
    • Redundant data
    • Cloneable servers
    • Hot swap

Why Cloud Computing? (3/3)

• Mobile workers
  • Work from any client computer
    • Home, office, friend's house, Internet cafe, cell phone
• Collaborate
  • Share files
  • Concurrent editing, not mailing files back and forth
• More info:
     http://bristle.com/Tips/CloudComputing.htm#intro_to_cloud_computing

Why Not Cloud Computing?

Why Not Cloud Computing?

• Lack of control
  • Limited options offered by Cloud vendor
  • Data security
    • Is the Cloud vendor trustworthy?  Do your customers think so too?
    • Is the Cloud vendor competent to keep others out?
      • If not, how to explain to your customer w/o "Passing the buck" or "Pointing fingers"?
    • Is the line to the Cloud server secure?
  • Resiliency (24x7, "5-nines")
    • Is the Cloud vendor competent to ensure it?
    • Amazon promises 99.95% uptime
      • http://aws.amazon.com/ec2-sla/
  • Long-term viability
    • What if the Cloud vendor goes bankrupt?
    • Will data remain secure?
    • Will data be returned?  In what format?  Easily imported to another vendor?
  • Beware vendor lock-in
    • Look for open standards
    • Look for "import" and especially "export"
    • Look for growing flexibility
    • Beware Microsoft-like companies
  • More info:
    • http://bristle.com/Tips/CloudComputing.htm#saas_intro
    • http://bristle.com/Tips/CloudComputing.htm#paas_intro
    • http://bristle.com/Tips/CloudComputing.htm#iaas_intro

Where is Cloud Computing? (1/4)

• Public Cloud
• Private Cloud
• Hybrid Cloud
• More info:
     http://bristle.com/Tips/CloudComputing.htm#public_private_hybrid

Where is Cloud Computing? (2/4)

• Public Cloud
  
  http://www.flickr.com/photos/schristia/ / CC BY 2.0
  • Outside of your building
  • Accessible to public
  • Any valid login has access
  • Convenient
  • Secure?
    • Traditional security concerns:
      • Password-cracking, line sniffing, security exploits
    • New cloud-related (virtualization) security concerns
      • Side-channel attacks (from within the same cloud server)
        • Access to shared physical RAM
        • Keystroke monitoring

Where is Cloud Computing? (3/4)

• Private Cloud
  
  http://www.flickr.com/photos/oimax/ / CC BY 2.0
  • Same technology, same advantages
  • Secure, not accessible to public security exploits
    • Large companies
      • In your building, behind your firewall, on your cloud servers
    • Small companies
      • Outside of your building
      • Secure comm lines (dedicated line, encryption, VPN, SSL)
      • Restricted set of client computers, IP addresses, etc.

Where is Cloud Computing? (4/4)

• Hybrid Cloud
  
  http://www.flickr.com/photos/liberato/ / CC BY-SA 2.0
  • Recent innovation
  • Cloud with public and private parts
  • Efficient communication between parts
    • Not routed to your building, through your firewall, and back out to the cloud
  • More info:
       http://bristle.com/Tips/CloudComputing.htm#public_private_hybrid

SaaS -- Software as a Service

• Examples:
  • Web e-mail, Flickr, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn
  • Google Docs, Google Apps, Zoho
  • CRM, SalesForce.com
• No install, software runs remotely
  • Thin client, no hard drive
  • No patching, upgrading, etc.
  • No backups (disk crash, house fire, etc.)
  • Power on computer, run browser, be productive
  • Readonly boot drive
  • No virus scanner
  • No data theft from laptops
• Access from anywhere
  • Home, office, friend's house, Internet cafe, cell phone
  • Share files, collaborate on writing documents
• Pro:  convenience, ease of use, powerful apps
• Con:  inflexible usage models, no programming, vendor lock-in
  • Most offer import/export
• Ideal user:   Computer user, not programmer or sys admin
  
• More info:
     http://bristle.com/Tips/CloudComputing.htm#saas_intro

DaaS -- Desktop as a Service (1/2)

• Examples:
  • Inside a browser
    • EyeOS
      • http://EyeOS.org
      • http://lifehacker.com/364873/set-up-a-web+based-desktop-with-eyeos
      • Demo:  http://databasewisdom.com/videos/2009-02-01-eyeos.swf
    • Xcerion iCloud
      • http://iCloud.com
      • Demo:  http://databasewisdom.com/videos/2009-02-01-icloud.swf
    • G.ho.st (Global Hosted Operating SysTem)
      • http://G.ho.st
      • Demo:  http://databasewisdom.com/videos/2009-02-01-ghost_os.swf
    • Zoho
      • http://www.zoho.com
  • Client software required
    • VMWare View
    • Citrix XenDesktop
• Complete Desktop ("Webtop")
  • File Management (move, copy, delete, print, unzip)
    
  • Office (word processing, spreadsheets, presentations)
  • Productivity (contacts, calendar, note pad, clock)
  • Internet (browser, e-mail, RSS, FTP, IM)
    
  • Multimedia (photos, music, videos, streaming radio)
  • Finances (calculator, checkbook)
  • Games

DaaS -- Desktop as a Service (2/2)

• SaaS for entire desktop
  • No install, software runs remotely
    • Thin client, no hard drive
    • No patching, upgrading, etc.
    • No backups (disk crash, house fire, etc.)
    • Power on computer, run browser, be productive
    • Readonly boot drive
    • No virus scanner
    • No data theft from laptops
  • Access from anywhere
    • Home, office, friend's house, Internet cafe, cell phone
    • Share files, collaborate on writing documents
  • Pro:  convenience, ease of use, powerful apps
  • Con:  inflexible usage models, no programming, vendor lock-in
  • Ideal user:  Computer user, not programmer or sys admin
• Pro/Con:  Everything runs inside a browser
  • Including the browser
• Con:  Slow?
• Con:  Can't do anything w/o Internet connection
• More info:
  • http://clouddb.info/category/cloud-computing
  • http://clouddb.info/2009/02/01/3-cloud-operating-systems-you-can-use-right-now/
    

PaaS -- Platform as a Service

• Examples:
  • Google App Engine (different from Google Apps)
  • Force.com (hosts Salesforce.com)
  • Engine Yard, Coghead, Aptana, etc.
• SaaS for programmers, instead of users
  • Fewer apps, more development tools
  • No install, software runs remotely
    • Thin client, no hard drive
    • No patching, upgrading, etc.
    • No backups (disk crash, house fire, etc.)
    • Power on computer, run browser, be productive
    • Readonly boot drive
    • No virus scanner
    • No data theft from laptops
• Access from anywhere
  • Home, office, friend's house, Internet cafe, cell phone
  • Share files, collaborate on writing programs
• Pro:  convenience, ease of use, powerful tools
• Con:  inflexible programming models, vendor lock-in
  • More options added to Google App Engine:
    • Was:  Python only
    • Now:  Also JVM (Java, Groovy, JRuby, Scala, Clojure, AspectJ)
    • Now:  BigTable, GQL only
    • Future:  SQL?
• Ideal user:  Computer programmer, not sys admin
• More info:
     http://bristle.com/Tips/CloudComputing.htm#paas_intro

IaaS -- Infrastructure as a Service (1/2)

• Examples:
  • Amazon Web Services (hosts G.ho.st)
  • Joyent (hosts Aptana, LinkedIn, FaceBook apps, etc.)
  • Rackspace, GoGrid, FlexiScale, Microsoft Azure
  • Lots of others
• Simulation of a server
  • Just like a physical server w/o:
    • Hardware cost, electricity, Internet connection cost
  • Install and configure yourself
  • Hypervisor runs OSs, like OS runs programs (IBM VM)
    
  • Less electricity/AC overall, sits idle less
    
  • Allocated Disks, RAM, CPU
    
• Apps/tools
  • Standard apps/tools bundled with the OS
  • Other standard apps/tools may be preconfigured
    
  • Install/write your own apps/tools
    

IaaS -- Infrastructure as a Service (2/2)

• Cons:
  
  • Installs
  • Patching, upgrading, etc.
    
  • Security (tripwire, logwatch, virus scan)
    
  • But, you can farm out all of these
• Pros:
  
  • Vendor does backups, data duplication, etc
    
  • Access from anywhere
    • Home, office, friend's house, Internet cafe, cell phone
    • Share files, collaborate on docs, apps, etc.
      
  • Control:  No unexpected buggy patches, version upgrades, etc.
    
  • Portability!!!
    
    • Standard OS, standard admin skills
      
    • No GUI or binary installs, no point/click all day
      
    • Simply copy config files to a new server
      
• Ideal user:   Sys admin, who may be a programmer and/or user
• More info:
     http://bristle.com/Tips/CloudComputing.htm#iaas_intro

IaaS Use Cases

• Large companies reducing total number of servers
  • But, personally, I don't have hundreds of servers
• VMWare, Parallels, etc. as way to run Windows in Mac OS X
  
  • Might be useful sometimes, if I paid for the Windows license
• So why did I bother?
  
  • DSL modem resets
  • Electricity/phone line outages
    • AFTER a Verizon residential service repair of lawnmower damage
      
  • Hardware updates (new UPS every couple years)
    
  • Aging server -- major hardware upgrade looming
    
  • Cost:  $32/month vs $120/month just for DSL line
  • Much bigger/better/faster
  • Easily scalable
    • Client bidding a huge new contract
    • Scale as needed, within minutes, instead of buying max hardware just in case

New Possibilities (1/2)

• Scale up/down
  • Stop all servers during off hours (and stop paying)
    
  • Spin up 100 more servers for holiday shopping weekend
    
• Disposable servers
  • Spin one up to run an experiment, then terminate
  • Wipe training server after each session by terminating and allocating another
• Cutting over from DEV to TEST to PROD
  • Cycle through 3 sets of servers
  • Cutover is risk-free
  • Cutover is fast -- reduced "maintenance window"
  • Better yet, 4 sets  -- old PROD still there for rollback

New Possibilities (2/2)

• Disaster Recovery "fire drills"
  • Backups done regularly, but restores often fail under stress
  • Pretend PROD servers are gone
  • Re-create them, then compare with actual
• Proactive Security
  • Rotate a server out of PROD occasionally for forensic analysis
    • Proactively detect corruption or intrusion
  • Intrusion Recovery "fire drills"
  • Security audit team rotates out a PROD server and intentionally corrupts it
  • Can forensic analysis team find all of the injected problems?
• Was that file/userid already there?
  • Fire up a new vanilla server for 10 cents and find out
  • So cheap that employees will buy their own, like pencils
• More info:
    http://bristle.com/Tips/CloudComputing.htm#aws_intro

AWS -- Amazon Web Services

• Paid service to create virtual Linux, Solaris, and Windows servers
• Specific Amazon services:
  • S3 -- Simple Storage Service
  • EC2 -- Elastic Compute Cloud
    • EBS -- Elastic Block Store (maps EC2 to S3)
    • VPC -- Virtual Private Cloud
    • CloudWatch -- monitoring, metrics, reports
    • ELB -- Elastic Load Balancing
    • Auto Scaling -- Automatically allocate more resources
    • Create and sell subscriptions to your own AMIs
  • CloudFront
    • High-speed data caches at edges of cloud
  • RDS -- Relational DB Service
    • MySQL (like Oracle, Postgres, MS SQL Server, etc.)
  • SQS -- Simple Queue Service
    • Like JMS, IBM MQ Series, Oracle AQ, etc.
  • FWS -- Amazon Fulfillment Service
    • Store products at Amazon warehouses and ship from there.
  • FPS -- Flexible Payments Service
    • Inexpensive "micro payments" for products
  • DevPay
    • FPS for people leasing your custom AMIs and Web apps
• Features
  • Inexpensive
  • Convenient
  • Scalable
  • New possibilities
• More info:
     http://bristle.com/Tips/CloudComputing.htm#aws_intro

Getting Started at AWS EC2

• Steps:
  1. Create AWS Accounts
     
  2. Set Up Security
     
  3. Launch an EC2 Server Instance
     
  4. Login to the Instance
     
  5. Set the hostname
     
  6. Set an Elastic IP Address
     
  7. Point the DNS at the IP Address
     
  8. Relay Mail Through Another SMTP Server
     
  9. Mount a Persistent EBS Volume
     
  10. Configure the Server Instance
      
  11. Move Files to the EBS Volume
      
  12. Reserve an Instance to Save Money
      
  13. Manage Your AWS Billing
• More info:
     http://bristle.com/Tips/CloudComputing.htm#aws_getting_started

Questions?

• http://bristle.com/Tips/CloudComputing.htm
• http://bristle.com/invite.htm
• http://bristle.com
• mailto:fred@bristle.com
• Available for:
  • Custom Java/Web/Ajax/SQL programming
  • Training
  • Tutoring