UNIT 2 SOFTWARE AND
COMPUTER MANAGEMENT
2.1 CLOUD COMPUTING
Cloud computing – general term for the providing of hosted services over the
internet
Cloud service has 3 characteristics that set it apart from traditional hosting:
o Sold on demand
o It is flexible – user can use as much or little as needed
o Service is fully managed by the provider, user only needs a PC and internet
access
Public cloud – sells services to anyone on the Internet
Private cloud – business network or data centre that supplies to a limited
number of people
Virtual private cloud – when a service provider uses a public cloud resource to
create a private cloud
2.1.1 CLOUD COMPUTING SERVICES
Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)
The provider supplies the hardware infrastructure and software product
Can include web-based email or database processing
Cloud Backup / Online Backup
Another form of cloud computing used for backing up data over the Internet to an
off-site server
Server is hosted by a cloud service provider who charges the customer a fee
2.1.2 HARDWARE NEEDS FOR CLOUD SERVICES
Cooling Hardware
Cloud data centres produce heat, this needs to be cooled
Air conditioning is effective but requires a lot of power
Cooling by water is more efficient and cheaper
CPU, Memory and Local Disk Equipment
Traditional data centres require surplus memory, CPUs and disks to cater for
possible demands of workloads or even inefficient applications
Data Storage and Networking
Data storage and networking must be managed collectively to be efficient
The cloud should know where its data should be and to manage workload
effectively
Redundancy in Hardware
, Data centres must move data around the network for backup and disaster
recovery
These backups are on multiple drives simultaneously
This redundancy must be managed to minimise need for hardware
2.1.3 ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF CLOUD COMPUTING
Advantages
Cost efficient – elimination of investment in software and servers as well as
overhead charges
Convenience and continuous availability – there’s easy access to all data and
information anywhere
Backups and recovery – backing up and recovering data is simplified since it is
now on the cloud and not on a physical device
Cloud is environmentally friendly – takes fewer resources to compute hence
saving energy
Resiliency and redundancy – cloud offers automatic failover (procedure by
which a system automatically transfers control to a duplicate system when it
detects a fault or failure) between hardware platforms
Disadvantages
Security and privacy in the cloud – company essentially gives away private
data and info, the company needs to trust the service providers
Dependency on Vendor lock-in – there is a dependency on the provider, and it
is difficult to change provider
Technical difficulties and downtime – any network or connection problems will
render the setup useless
Limit control and flexibility – customer do not control the function and
execution of hardware and software
Increased vulnerability – the data and info is on the internet, hence they are an
easier target for hackers and malicious users
2.1.4 OWNERSHIP
It is often unclear who owns equipment and applications stored on a cloud
environment
Most cloud service providers state that the agreement they have is that the
person or registered entity owns the account
Individual account owners also have responsibilities such as turning off virtual
servers when not in use, as to decrease costs
2.2 VIRTUALISATION
It is the process of creating a virtual rather than an actual version of something.
2.2.1 VIRTUAL MACHINES
They act like real computers with an OS, but the software executed works
independently of the underlying hardware
The host machine is where the virtualisation takes place on
The guest machine is the virtual machine
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