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Cloud computing
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CLOUD COMPUTING
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SYLLABUS

CLOUD COMPUTING
UNIT - I
Fundamentals – Cloud computing – History of Cloud Computing – Cloud Architecture – Cloud Storage
– Why cloud computing Matters – Advantages of Cloud computing – Disadvantages of Cloud
Computing – Companies in the Cloud Today – Cloud Services
UNIT- II
Web-Based Application – Pros and Cons of Cloud Service Development – Types of Cloud Service
Development – Software as a Service – Platform as a Service – Web Services –On-Demand computing
–Discovering Cloud Services Development Services and Tools – Amazon Ec2- Google App Engine –
IBM Clouds.
UNIT -III
Centralizing Email communications –collaborating on Schedules – Collaborating on To-Do Lists –
Collaborating Contact Lists – Cloud computing for the Community – Collaborating on Group Projects
and Events – Cloud Computing for the Corporation.
UNIT -IV
Collaborating on Calendars, Schedules and Task Management – Exploring Online Scheduling
Applications–Exploring Online Planning and Task Management – Collaborating on Event Management
– Collaborating on Contact Management – Collaborating on Project Management – Collaborating on
Word Processing – Collaborating on Databases – Storing and Sharing Files – Evaluating Web Mail
Services – Evaluating Web Conference Tools – Collaborating via Social Networks and Groupware –
Collaborating via Blogs and Wikis.
UNIT -V
OGSA – Sample Use Cases – OGSA Platform Components – OGSI – OGSA Basic Services. Globus
Toolkit – Architecture – Programming Model – High Level Services – OGSI.Net. Middleware
Solutions.
TEXT BOOK
1. Michael Miller, ―Cloud Computing: Web-Based Applications That Change the Way You Work and
Collaborate Online‖, Que Publishing, 2008.
M.Sc.Computer Science:Syllabus (CBCS)
16
REFERENCES
1. Haley Bear, ―Cloud Computing Best Practices for Managing and Measuring Processes for On-
demand Computing, Applications and Data Centers in the Cloud with SLAs‖, Que Publishing, 2009.
2. Thomas Erl, ―Cloud Computing‖, Paperback, 2014.
3. Arshdeep Bahga, Vijay Madisetti, ―Cloud Computing: A Handa-on Approach‖, Universities Press,
August 2014.
4. Rajkumar Buyya and James Broberg, ― Cloud Computing: Principles and Paradigms‖, Paperback,
2013
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Unit-I
Introduction
Majority of data is stored on local networks with servers that maybe clustered and sharing storage. This
approach has developed into a stable architecture, and provides decent redundancy when arranged right.
Cloud computing, a relatively new technology demands attention as it is fast changing the direction of
the technological scenario.
Be it Amazon‘s robust Amazon S3 cloud storage model or Google‘s unique and scalable Google File
System, it is clear that cloud computing has arrived with much to be picked up from.
Google, enjoys the status of being amongst a few pioneers of cloud computing. Its perspective will
enhance our understanding on the concept of cloud computing. From Google‘s perspective, there are six
key properties of cloud computing:
Cloud computing is powerful: It means that the computing power that is created by connecting hundreds
or thousands of computers together is way beyond the computing power of one single computer. Thus, it
is impossible for a single desktop PC to create power even close to that when thousands of computers
are created.
Cloud computing is user-centric: This means that once you become a user and are connected to the
cloud, then all the stored information be it – documents, images, messages, applications, become yours
and can be easily accessed by you. Yet another advantage of being a user is that not only can you access
all the data but you can also share it with other individuals. As a result, any other device that accesses
your data in the cloud also becomes yours.
Cloud computing is intelligent: As all the information and data are stored on the computers in a cloud,
data mining and analysis are essential to access all the available information in an intelligent manner.
One must, therefore, scrutinize all the information carefully before using it.

Cloud computing is task-centric: The focus remains on what an individual can do and how the
application can do it for him/her. One must instead focus on the application and what it can do.
Traditional applications like spreadsheets, word processing, emails and so on are losing their importance
when compared to the documents they create.
Cloud computing is programmable: This means that the tasks necessary with cloud computing must be
automated. For instance, the cloud‘s programming should automatically redistribute a computer‘s data to
a new computer in the cloud in case one computer goes off-line.

Cloud computing is accessible: This means that one is not limited to a single source of data, as one is
with a desktop PC. This is because when data is stored in the cloud, users can instantly find and retrieve
more information and from multiple repositories.

History of Cloud Computing

Before emerging the cloud computing, there was Client/Server computing which is basically a
centralized storage in which all the software applications, all the data and all the controls are resided on
the server side.

If a single user wants to access specific data or run a program, he/she need to connect to the server and
then gain appropriate access, and then he/she can do his/her business.
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Then after, distributed computing came into picture, where all the computers are networked together and
share their resources when needed.

On the basis of above computing, there was emerged of cloud computing concepts that
later implemented.

At around in 1961, John MacCharty suggested in a speech at MIT that computing can be sold like a
utility, just like a water or electricity. It was a brilliant idea, but like all brilliant ideas, it was ahead if its
time, as for the next few decades, despite interest in the model, the technology simply was not ready for
it.

But of course time has passed and the technology caught that idea and after few years we mentioned
that:

In 1999, Salesforce.com started delivering of applications to users using a simple website. The
applications were delivered to enterprises over the Internet, and this way the dream of computing sold as
utility were true.

In 2002, Amazon started Amazon Web Services, providing services like storage, computation and even
human intelligence. However, only starting with the launch of the Elastic Compute Cloud in 2006 a truly
commercial service open to everybody existed.

In 2009, Google Apps also started to provide cloud computing enterprise applications.

Of course, all the big players are present in the cloud computing evolution, some were earlier, some
were later. In 2009, Microsoft launched Windows Azure, and companies like Oracle and HP have all
joined the game. This proves that today, cloud computing has become mainstream.

Cloud Architecture
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
device), back end platforms (servers, storage), a cloud based delivery, and a network (Internet, Intranet,
Intercloud). Combined, these components make up cloud computing architecture.

The zero or ultra-thin client initializes the network to gather required configuration files that then tell it
where its OS binaries are stored. 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.
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A 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.
In order to be effective, the cloud storage needs to be agile, flexible, scalable, multi-tenancy, and secure.

This cloud architecture is deceptively simple, although it does require some intelligent management to
connect all those computers together and assign task processing to multitudes of users. This is how users
select a task or service (either starting an application or opening a document). The user‘s request then
gets passed to the system management, which finds the correct resources and then calls the system‘s
appropriate provisioning services. These services carve out the necessary resources in the cloud, launch
the appropriate web application and As you can see, key to the notion of cloud computing is the
automation of many management tasks. The system is not a cloud if it requires human management to
allocate processes to resources. What you have in this instance is merely a twenty-first-century version
of old-fashioned data centre-based client/server computing?
Generally, the cloud network layer should offer:
High bandwidth: Allowing users to have uninterrupted access to their data and applications.
Agile network: On-demand access to resources requires the ability to move quickly and efficiently
between servers and possibly even clouds.
Network security: 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.

Cloud Storage
Cloud storage is a model of networked enterprise storage where data is stored not only in the user‘s
computer, but in virtualized pools of storage which are generally hosted by third parties, too. Hosting
companies operate large data centers, and people who require their data to be hosted buy or lease storage
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capacity from them. The data center operators, in the background, virtualize the resources according to
the requirements of the customer and expose

them as storage pools, which the customers can themselves use to store files or data objects. Physically,
the resource may span across multiple servers. The safety of the files depends upon the hosting websites.

Cloud storage services may be accessed through a web service Application Programming Interface
(API), a cloud storage gateway or through a Web-based user interface. One of the primary uses of cloud
computing is for data storage. With cloud storage, data is stored on multiple third-party servers, rather
than on the dedicated servers used in traditional networked data storage.

When storing data, the user sees a virtual server—that is, it appears as if the data is stored in a particular
place with a specific name but that place does not exist in reality. It is just a pseudonym used to
reference virtual space carved out of the cloud. In reality, the user‘s data could be stored on any one or
more of the computers used to create the cloud. The actual storage location may even differ from day-to-
day or even minute-to-minute, as the cloud dynamically manages available storage space. But even
though the location is virtual, the user sees a ―static‖ location for his data, and can actually manage his
storage space as if it were connected to his own PC. Cloud storage has both financial and security-
associated advantages. Financially, virtual resources in the cloud are typically cheaper than dedicated
physical resources connected to a personal computer or network. As for security, data stored in the cloud
is secure from accidental erasure or hardware crashes, because it is duplicated across multiple physical
machines; since multiple copies of the data are kept continually, the cloud continues to function as
normal even if one or more machines go off-line. If one machine crashes, the data is duplicated on other
machines in the cloud.

Why Cloud Computing Matters

One of the biggest buzz terms in technology today is cloud computing. Companies all over the world are
utilizing the cloud for their businesses, allowing users to access their technology anytime, anywhere.
Essentially, organizations who are using the cloud, or cloud computing, have their files, software,
information and resources available anywhere in a virtual network. Cloud computing is really becoming
popular worldwide as it offers innumerable benefits to the clients. Most of the companies have realized
the importance of this technology as it offers plenty of storage options. This type of a storage process
permits all these organizations to take benefit in this process without actually having to reimburse any
additional costs that are usually connected with such type of storage resources. There are many
implications of cloud technology, for both developers and end users. For developers, cloud computing
provides increased amount of storage and processing power to run the applications they develop. Cloud
computing also enables new ways to access information, process and analyze data, and connect people
and resources from any location anywhere in the world. In essence, it takes the lid off the box; with
cloud computing, developers are no longer boxed in by physical constraints. For end users, cloud
computing offers all those benefits and more. A person using a Web-based application is not physically
bound to a single PC, location or network. Cloud computing simply means network access from just
about anywhere worldwide. You just need to log in to your account using an internet connection in order
to extract the important information from the service provider‘s website. This is an important feature of
cloud computing as it really helps in generating the best possible results. Documents hosted in the cloud
always exist, no matter what happens to the user‘s machine so all your data is stored in the cloud. It is
cost efficient as you can easily access to your information with minimal upfront spending.
The best thing about cloud computing is that it comes with a pay per use feature. This is the reason why
more and more companies are choosing it for the purpose of storage. The usage fee of cloud computing
is never a big problem for the enterprises as you just need to pay for the services that you make use of.
You don‘t need to pay in advance and thereby block your money. Once you use it for a specific period
of time, you will just have to pay for that amount of time. Software updates and renewals are also
handled by the cloud vendor and occur several times
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a year at no cost to the customer. This ensures that the user interface remains modern and up-to-date
with business demands. And then there is the benefit of group collaboration. The rise of cloud
computing is changing collaboration. Basic tools such as Outlook and Word are transforming into cloud-
based tools. Cloud-based collaboration means that many of the initial barriers to entry for collaboration,
such as expensive initial investment in infrastructure, have been removed. Instead, it allows for pay-as-
you-go usage and enables workers to keep using the tools they‘re already used to, only with cloud-based
features added on. With this benefit of group collaboration users from around the world can collaborate
on the same documents, applications and projects, in real time. Cloud computing does all this at lower
costs, because the cloud enables more efficient sharing of resources than does traditional network
computing. With cloud computing, hardware does not have to be physically adjacent to a firm‘s office or
data centre. In addition, additional cloud resources are always at the ready, companies no longer have to
purchase assets for infrequent intensive computing tasks. If you need more processing power, it is
always there in the cloud and accessible on a cost-efficient basis.

Advantages of Cloud Computing

A detailed analysis of cloud computing must address the advantages and disadvantages this growing
technology offers to individuals. Let‘s take a look at the positives and negatives of cloud computing.
Let‘s start our discussion with the advantages offered by cloud computing.

Low Cost Computers for Users

quantitative financial advantage is that you do not need a high-priced or a high-powered computer to run
cloud computing Web-based applications. All applications runs in the cloud and not on the desktop PC.
Thus, there is no need for the desktop PC to have a processing power or hard disk space that is
demanded by traditional desktop software. Thus, in cloud computing the client can use lower priced
computers. Also computers with, less memory, smaller hard disks, more efficient processors, etc. can be
conveniently used in cloud computing. In fact, in this scenario the client computer does not even require
a CD or DVD drive, as there is no need to load software programs or save any document files.

Better Performance

The apps are run from the cloud when a desktop PC does not have to run or store a number of software-
based applications. Users will see better performance from their PCs when there are lesser bulky
programs and other applications occupying the computer‘s memory. However, if you simply put
computers in a cloud computing system, then they will boot up faster and run faster, as there will be
fewer processes and programs loaded into memory.

More Flexibility

The very minute a firm needs more bandwidth than usual, cloud based service can instantly meet the
demand. This is because of the vast capacity of the service‘s remote server. This is a very significant
advantage of cloud computing.

Reduced IT Infrastructure Costs

The IT departments in large organisations can enjoy lower costs from the adoption of the cloud
computing models. The IT staff can use the computing power of the cloud to supplement or replace
internal computing resources instead of spending on more powerful servers.
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Less Maintenance Issues

Cloud computing is also very beneficial as it significantly reduces both hardware and software
maintenance for all big, small and medium sized organizations.
Maintenance costs are immediately lowered as less hardware and few servers are necessary in most
organization so maintenance costs are automatically reduced. As for the software maintenance, there is
no software on the firm‘s computers for the IT staff to maintain. This is because all the cloud
applications are centred somewhere else.
Cloud services are usually based on HTTP, XML, HTML, JavaScript, and other similar technologies.
Therefore, the infrastructure and technologies behind the cloud are not visible to the user.

Less Software Costs

Cloud computing reduces software costs as it reduces the need to purchase various software packages
for separate computers. Instead of buying various software packages for each individual computer in a
firm, only those employees genuinely using an application need access to that particular application in
the cloud. The IT staffs are saved the cost of installing and maintaining the programs regularly, on every
desktop in the organization.

Instant and Automatic Software Updates

Yet another software-related advantage to users of cloud computing is that they do not have to choose
between latest and obsolete soft wares. In a Web-based application, updates happen automatically and
are available to the user the next time he logs in to the cloud.
A cloud provider will also be able to upgrade a software keeping in mind the feedback it received from
the previous software releases.
Another advantage is that when a Web-based application is accessed by you, you will automatically get
the latest version for free. You will also not feel the need to download an upgrade, since, it will be
automatically downloaded.

Environment Friendly

Organisations that use cloud computing only use the server space they need which decreases their carbon
footprint. Using the cloud results in at least 30% less energy consumption and carbon emissions than
using on-site servers. Thus, cloud computing also proves to be environment friendly.

Improved Computing Power

You have the power of the entire cloud at your disposal. You can now perform supercomputing-like
tasks utilizing the power of thousands of computers and servers since you are no longer stuck to a single
desktop PC and you do not have to worry about what single desktop PC can do. You can, therefore,
perform more tasks in the cloud than as compared to your desktop.

Unlimited Storage Capacity

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The cloud offers a near limitless storage ability. Imagine a situation wherein your desktop is running out
of storage space. In this case, your computer‘s hard drive is nothing when compared to the millions of
gigabytes or hundreds of petabytes available in the cloud. You can therefor conveniently store whatever
you need to.

Increased Data Safety

All the data stored in the cloud stays in the cloud only. Unlike in desktop computing, where a hard disk
crash can destroy all important data and information, a computer crashing in the cloud does not affect the
storage of your data. This happens since data in the cloud is automatically duplicated, so nothing is ever
lost. In other words, in case your personal computer crashes, all your data is still safe and preserved in
the cloud and is, therefore, still accessible. In a world where few individual desktop PC users back up
their data on a regular basis, cloud computing can safely keep all the data and it also make this data
easily accessible.

Disadvantages of Cloud Computing

Like every other technology, cloud computing also has a few disadvantages. Certain reasons of yours
might restrict you from adopting cloud computing for your specific needs. Let‘s examine a few of the
risks related to cloud computing.

Needs Constant Internet Connection

Cloud computing is not possible without an Internet connection. Without an internet connection you
cannot access your documents and applications. No Internet connection means no work, in areas with
low or no internet connection or an unreliable one, could affect the business in a big way.
If you are working on a document when you are at a restaurant for lunch, or in your car, accessing cloud
based documents and applications will be hard if you don‘t have a strong Internet connection at the all
those locations. When you are depending on Web-based application a lot of what is nice about portable
computing becomes challenging.

Outages

While choosing a company for hosting make sure that the company has a strong and reliable cloud
server system. Additionally, your Internet connection will determine whether or not you and your
business have access to your network.

Does not Work Well with Low-speed Connections

A low-speed Internet connection, such as that found with dial-up services, makes cloud computing
difficult and often impossible. Web-based applications and other large documents need lots of
bandwidth to download. If you are struggling with a low-speed dial-up connection, it might take a lot of
time to just switch between pages in a document, forget about introducing a feature-rich cloud service.
Cloud computing is not for the slow or broadband-impaired.
Less Control

Even utilising the public cloud in business has an obvious disadvantage. By using this technology you
risk losing a level of control over your organisation. While many IT managers are experimenting with
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various ways of implementing an in-house cloud system that runs on delivered metered services, this is
not always the most lucrative business move.

Can Be Slow

Even on a fast connection, there is a possibility that Web-based applications maybe slower than opening
a similar software program on your desktop PC. That happens because everything about the program
and other information, right from the interface to the document you are working on, is sent back and
forth from your personal computer to the computers in the cloud. Also you might not get the instant
access you are used to with desktop applications, if the cloud servers happen to be backed up at that time
or if the Internet connection is slower than usual.
Futures might be Limited

This disadvantage might change in the near future but today many Web-based applications are not
complete with all the features their desktop-based associates may have. For instance, if we compare the
features of Microsoft PowerPoint to that of Google Presentations; you realise that lots more can be done
with PowerPoint than with Google‘s Web-based contribution. With basics being the alike, the cloud
application is still incapable of performing many tasks as it still lacks many of PowerPoint‘s advanced
features.
We must, however, remember that many Web-based applications add keep adding more advanced
features from time to time. For instance, Google Docs and Spread sheets, which started

Stored Data might not be Secure and Confidentiality Issues might exist

Cloud computing means Internet computing. It means that all your data is stored on the cloud that is on
the Web. So avoid using cloud computing applications that involve using or storing data that you are not
comfortable having on the Internet. Be sure to have strong security technologies and protocols
established before using cloud computing.

Possible Downtime

Cloud computing makes small business dependent on the reliability of your Internet connection. When
it‘s offline, you‘re offline. Even the most reliable service providers suffer server outages time and again.

You can get in trouble if cloud Loses your Data

We know that data stored in the cloud is unusually safe and it is duplicated across multiple machines.
That said, you must remember that there are chances that you may have no physical or local backup in
case your data might go missing. If you systematically download all your cloud documents to your own
desktop which not everybody does, you may secure your data.

Companies in the Cloud Today

We have just stepped in to become a part of the early days of the cloud computing revolution. Despite
the many cloud services available in the present day, more and more interesting applications are still
being developed to take cloud computing to the next level. In the present era, cloud computing is
attracting large organisations from across the computing industry, who all aim to establish lucrative
business models based in the cloud. Google is considered the only company so far, that has increasingly
accepted the cloud computing model. With powerful collection of Web-based applications, all served by
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its cloud architecture Google has proved its acceptance to cloud computing. Whether you want cloud-
based word processing (Google Docs), email (Gmail), presentation software (Google Presentations), or
calendar and scheduling function (Google Calendar), Google offers it all. Google is skilled in getting all
of its Web-based applications to interface with each other; their cloud services are interconnected to
benefit the user. Microsoft is yet another major company involved in the development of cloud services.
Microsoft offers Windows Live. Live Mesh initiative and Collection of Web-based applications promise
to link together all types of devices, applications and data in a common cloud-based platform. IBM has a
Cloud Computing Centre to deliver cloud services and research to clients. Amazon has its Elastic
Compute Cloud (EC2), a web service that provides cloud-based resizable computing capacity for
application developers. Various other smaller companies have also launched their own Web-based
applications mainly to exploit the collaborative nature of cloud services. In October 2007 a multi-
university project called the Academic Cloud Computing Initiative (ACCI) was announced to enhance
students‘ technical knowledge to address the challenges of cloud computing.

Cloud Services
Any Web-based application or service offered via cloud computing is called cloud services. A cloud
service is any resource that is provided over the Internet. The most common cloud service resources are
Software as a Service (SaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS) and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). SaaS
is a software distribution model in which applications are hosted by a vendor or service provider and
made available to customers over a network, typically the Internet. PaaS refers to the delivery of
operating systems and associated services over the Internet without downloads or installation. IaaS
involves outsourcing the equipment used to support operations, including storage, hardware, servers and
networking components, all of which are made accessible over a network. SaaS, PaaS and IaaS are
sometimes referred to collectively as the SPI model. Cloud services are the same thing as Web services.
However, the term cloud services has been more commonly used as cloud computing has become more
pervasive. Cloud services offer many advantages. If the user‘s PC crashes, it does not affect either the
host application or the open document; both remain unaffected in the cloud. In addition, an individual
user can access his applications and documents from any location on any PC.