Cloud computing architecture

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Cloud computing architecture refers to the components and subcomponents required for cloud computing. These components typically consist of a front end platform (fat client, thin client, mobile), back end platforms (servers, storage), a cloud based delivery, and a network (Internet, Intranet, Intercloud). Combined, these components make up cloud computing architecture.

Contents

Cloud Computing Sample Architecture CloudComputingSampleArchitecture.svg
Cloud Computing Sample Architecture

Client platforms

Cloud computing architectures consist of front-end platforms called clients or cloud clients. These clients are servers, fat (or thick) clients, thin clients, zero clients, tablets and mobile devices that users directly interact with. These client platforms interact with the cloud data storage via an application (middle ware), via a web browser, or through a virtual session. Virtual sessions in particular require secure encryption algorithm frame working which spans the entire interface. [1]

Zero client

The zero or ultra-thin client initializes the network to gather required configuration files that then tell it where its OS binaries are stored. [2] The entire zero client device runs via the network. This creates a single point of failure, in that, if the network goes down, the device is rendered useless. [3]

Storage

An online network storage where data is stored and accessible to multiple clients. Cloud storage is generally deployed in the following configurations: public cloud, private cloud, community cloud, or some combination of the three also known as hybrid cloud. [4]

In order to be effective, the cloud storage needs to be agile, flexible, scalable, multi-tenancy, and secure. [5]

Delivery

Software as a service (SaaS)

The software-as-a-service (SaaS) service-model involves the cloud provider installing and maintaining software in the cloud and users running the software from cloud over the Internet (or Intranet). The users' client machines require no installation of any application-specific software since cloud applications run in the cloud. SaaS is scalable, and system administrators may load the applications on several servers. In the past, each customer would purchase and load their own copy of the application to each of their own servers, but with the SaaS the customer can access the application without installing the software locally. SaaS typically involves a monthly or annual fee. [6] [7]

Software as a service provides the equivalent of installed applications in the traditional (non-cloud computing) delivery of applications. [8]

Software as a service has four common approaches: [8] [9]

  1. single instance
  2. multi-instance
  3. multi-tenant
  4. flex tenancy

Of these, flex tenancy is considered the most user adaptive SaaS paradigm in designated multi-input four way manifold models. [10] Such systems are based on simplified encryption methods that target listed data sequences over multiple passes. [11] The simplicity of this concept makes flex tenancy SaaS popular among those without informatics processing experience, such as basic maintenance and custodial staff in franchise businesses.

Development as a service (DaaS)

Development as a service is web based, community shared tool set. This is the equivalent to locally installed development tools in the traditional (non-cloud computing) delivery of development tools. [8]

Data as a service (DaaS)

Data as a service web based design construct where cloud data is accessed through a defined API layer. DaaS services are often considered as a specialized subset of a Software as a Service (SaaS) offering. [12]

Platform as a service (PaaS)

Platform as a service is cloud computing service which provides the users with application platforms and databases as a service. [4] This is equivalent to middleware in the traditional (non-cloud computing) delivery of application platforms and databases. [8]

Infrastructure as a service (IaaS)

Infrastructure as a service is taking the physical hardware and going completely virtual (e.g. all servers, networks, storage, and system management all existing in the cloud). This is the equivalent to infrastructure and hardware in the traditional (non-cloud computing) method running in the cloud. In other words, businesses pay a fee (monthly or annually) to run virtual servers, networks, storage from the cloud. This will mitigate the need for a data center, heating, cooling, and maintaining hardware at the local level. [8]

Networking

Generally, the cloud network layer should offer:

Allowing users to have uninterrupted access to their data and applications. [13]
On-demand access to resources requires the ability to move quickly and efficiently between servers and possibly even clouds.
Security is always important, but when you are dealing with multi-tenancy, it becomes much more important because you're dealing with segregating multiple customers. [14]

See also

Further reading

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thin client</span> Non-powerful computer optimized for remote server access

In computer networking, a thin client, sometimes called slim client or lean client, is a simple (low-performance) computer that has been optimized for establishing a remote connection with a server-based computing environment. They are sometimes known as network computers, or in their simplest form as zero clients. The server does most of the work, which can include launching software programs, performing calculations, and storing data. This contrasts with a rich client or a conventional personal computer; the former is also intended for working in a client–server model but has significant local processing power, while the latter aims to perform its function mostly locally.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Citrix Systems</span> American software company

Citrix Systems, Inc. is an American multinational cloud computing and virtualization technology company that provides server, application and desktop virtualization, networking, software as a service (SaaS), and cloud computing technologies. Citrix claims that their products are used by over 400,000 clients worldwide, including 99% of the Fortune 100 and 98% of the Fortune 500.

Software as a service is a cloud computing service model where the provider offers use of application software to a client and manages all needed physical and software resources. Unlike other software delivery models, it separates "the possession and ownership of software from its use". SaaS use began around 2000, and by 2023 was the main form of software application deployment.

Software multitenancy is a software architecture in which a single instance of software runs on a server and serves multiple tenants. Systems designed in such manner are "shared". A tenant is a group of users who share a common access with specific privileges to the software instance. With a multitenant architecture, a software application is designed to provide every tenant a dedicated share of the instance—including its data, configuration, user management, tenant individual functionality and non-functional properties. Multitenancy contrasts with multi-instance architectures, where separate software instances operate on behalf of different tenants.

A virtual appliance is a pre-configured virtual machine image, ready to run on a hypervisor; virtual appliances are a subset of the broader class of software appliances. Installation of a software appliance on a virtual machine and packaging that into an image creates a virtual appliance. Like software appliances, virtual appliances are intended to eliminate the installation, configuration and maintenance costs associated with running complex stacks of software.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Desktop virtualization</span> Software technology

Desktop virtualization is a software technology that separates the desktop environment and associated application software from the physical client device that is used to access it.

Platform as a service (PaaS) or application platform as a service (aPaaS) or platform-based service is a cloud computing service model where users provision, instantiate, run and manage a modular bundle of a computing platform and applications, without the complexity of building and maintaining the infrastructure associated with developing and launching application(s), and to allow developers to create, develop, and package such software bundles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virtualization</span> Methods for dividing computing resources

In computing, virtualization (v12n) is a series of technologies that allows dividing of physical computing resources into a series of virtual machines, operating systems, processes or containers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rackspace Cloud</span> Cloud computing platform

The Rackspace Cloud is a set of cloud computing products and services billed on a utility computing basis from the US-based company Rackspace. Offerings include Cloud Storage, virtual private server, load balancers, databases, backup, and monitoring.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cloud computing</span> Form of shared internet-based computing

Cloud computing is the on-demand availability of computer system resources, especially data storage and computing power, without direct active management by the user. Large clouds often have functions distributed over multiple locations, each of which is a data center. Cloud computing relies on sharing of resources to achieve coherence and typically uses a pay-as-you-go model, which can help in reducing capital expenses but may also lead to unexpected operating expenses for users.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">OpenNebula</span> Cloud-computing platform for managing heterogeneous distributed infrastructure

OpenNebula is an open source cloud computing platform for managing heterogeneous data center, public cloud and edge computing infrastructure resources. OpenNebula manages on-premises and remote virtual infrastructure to build private, public, or hybrid implementations of Infrastructure as a Service and multi-tenant Kubernetes deployments. The two primary uses of the OpenNebula platform are data center virtualization and cloud deployments based on the KVM hypervisor, LXD/LXC system containers, and AWS Firecracker microVMs. The platform is also capable of offering the cloud infrastructure necessary to operate a cloud on top of existing VMware infrastructure. In early June 2020, OpenNebula announced the release of a new Enterprise Edition for corporate users, along with a Community Edition. OpenNebula CE is free and open-source software, released under the Apache License version 2. OpenNebula CE comes with free access to patch releases containing critical bug fixes but with no access to the regular EE maintenance releases. Upgrades to the latest minor/major version is only available for CE users with non-commercial deployments or with significant open source contributions to the OpenNebula Community. OpenNebula EE is distributed under a closed-source license and requires a commercial Subscription.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">FUJITSU Cloud IaaS Trusted Public S5</span> Cloud computing platform

FUJITSU Cloud IaaS Trusted Public S5 is a Fujitsu cloud computing platform that aims to deliver standardized enterprise-class public cloud services globally. It offers Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) from Fujitsu's data centres to provide computing resources that can be employed on-demand and suited to customers needs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Converged storage</span>

Converged storage is a storage architecture that combines storage and computing resources into a single entity. This can result in the development of platforms for server centric, storage centric or hybrid workloads where applications and data come together to improve application performance and delivery. The combination of storage and compute differs to the traditional IT model in which computation and storage take place in separate or siloed computer equipment. The traditional model requires discrete provisioning changes, such as upgrades and planned migrations, in the face of server load changes, which are increasingly dynamic with virtualization, where converged storage increases the supply of resources along with new VM demands in parallel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HP Cloud</span> Set of cloud computing services

HP Cloud was a set of cloud computing services available from Hewlett-Packard. It was the combination of the previous HP Converged Cloud business unit and HP Cloud Services, an OpenStack-based public cloud. It was marketed to enterprise organizations to combine public cloud services with internal IT resources to create hybrid clouds, or a mix of private and public cloud environments, from around 2011 to 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Internet area network</span> Type of large-scale computer network

An Internet area network (IAN) is a concept for a communications network that connects voice and data endpoints within a cloud environment over IP, replacing an existing local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN) or the public switched telephone network (PSTN).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2X Software</span> Maltese software company

2X Software was a Maltese software company specializing in virtual desktop, application virtualization, application delivery, Remote Desktop Services, remote access and Mobile Device Management. On 25 February 2015, 2X Software was acquired by Parallels, Inc. The 2X products, Remote Application Server and Mobile Device Management, are now included in Parallels' offering.

"X as a service" is a phrasal template for any business model in which a product use is offered as a subscription-based service rather than as an artifact owned and maintained by the customer. Originating from the software as a service concept that appeared in the 2010s with the advent of cloud computing, the template has expanded to numerous offerings in the field of information technology and beyond it. The term XaaS can mean "anything as a service".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dell Technologies PowerFlex</span> Software-defined storage product

Dell Technologies PowerFlex, is a commercial software-defined storage product from Dell Technologies that creates a server-based storage area network (SAN) from local server storage using x86 servers. It converts this direct-attached storage into shared block storage that runs over an IP-based network.

Citrix Virtual Apps is an application virtualization software produced by Citrix Systems that allows Windows applications to be accessed via individual devices from a shared server or cloud system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SAP Converged Cloud</span> Private computing cloud

SAP Converged Cloud is a private managed cloud developed and marketed by SAP.

References

  1. ↑ Sudha, M (2012). "Enhanced security framework to ensure data security in cloud computing using cryptography". Advances in Computer Science and Its Applications. 1 (1).
  2. ↑ Madden, B. (May 19, 2012) (2010-05-19). "Wyse hopes to shake up the thin client industry with a new zero client platform. Will it work?" . Retrieved 2012-05-27.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  3. ↑ Segal, I. ""When Is Zero Client Not Zero Client?", SysGen, Inc" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2003-04-03. Retrieved 2012-05-27.
  4. 1 2 Mell, P.; Grance, T. (September 2011). "The NIST Definition of Cloud Computing. NIST Special Publication 800-145 (September 2011). National Institute of Standards and Technology, U.S. Department of Commerce" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-05-20.
  5. ↑ Sherbak, T.; Sweere, N. & Belapurkar, V. "Virtualized Enterprise Storage for Flexible, Scalable Private Clouds. Reprinted from Dell Power Solutions, 2012 Issue 1" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-05-27.
  6. ↑ Chou, Timothy. Introduction to Cloud Computing: Business & Technology.
  7. ↑ Daisy, witson. "what is cloud computing". JanBask.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 Wang, R. "Tuesday's Tip: Understanding The Many Flavors of Cloud Computing and SaaS" . Retrieved 2012-05-27.
  9. ↑ "Understanding the Flex Tenancy Architecture by CITRIX" . Retrieved 2012-05-27.
  10. ↑ Andrikopoulos, Vasilios (2013). "Towards Modeling and Execution of Collective Adaptive Systems". ICSOC 2013: Service-Oriented Computing – ICSOC 2013 Workshops. Lecture Notes in Computer Science. 8377: 69–81. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-06859-6_7. ISBN   978-3-319-06858-9. S2CID   15216208.
  11. ↑ Li, Lin (2014). "Multi-tenant Data Authentication Model for SaaS" (PDF). The Open Cybernetics and Systematics Journal. 8 (8): 322–329. doi: 10.2174/1874110X01408010322 .
  12. ↑ O. Terzo, P. Ruiu, E. Bucci and F. Xhafa, "Data as a Service (DaaS) for Sharing and Processing of Large Data Collections in the Cloud," 2013 Seventh International Conference on Complex, Intelligent, and Software Intensive Systems, Taichung, 2013   
  13. ↑ M. Noormohammadpour, C. S. Raghavendra, "Datacenter Traffic Control: Understanding Techniques and Trade-offs," IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials, vol. PP, no. 99, pp. 1-1.
  14. ↑ Paladi, Nicolae; Gehrmann, Christian (2015). "Towards Secure Multi-tenant Virtualized Networks" (PDF). 2015 IEEE Trustcom/BigDataSE/ISPA. Vol. 1. pp. 1180–1185. doi:10.1109/Trustcom.2015.502.


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