E-Guide
Network considerations for cloud
computing
For many cloud computing applications, network performance will be the key to cloud computing performance. This expert e-guide from SearchCloudComputing.com explains how to achieve success with cloud computing by minding network considerations. Find out which things to consider for both private and public cloud access networking. And learn which skills you must have to utilize virtualization,
applications and networks to ensure cloud success.
E-Guide
Network considerations for cloud
computing
Table of Contents
Network considerations in cloud computing Do you have the cloud skills to pay the bills? Resources from Intel
Network considerations in cloud computing
By Tom Nolle, Contributor
Cloud computing is a technique of resource sharing where servers and storage in multiple locations are connected by networks to create a pool of resources. When applications are run, resources are allocated from this pool and connected to the user as needed. The missions of connecting the resources (servers and storage) into a resource pool and then connecting users to the correct resources create the network's mission in cloud computing.
For many cloud computing applications, network performance will be the key to cloud
computing performance. The implications are best understood by considering a kind of issue matrix: Public and private cloud applications in one dimension and cloud access versus intra-cloud networking in the other.
Public cloud access networking
First, public cloud access networking is most often through the Internet, though some cloud providers may be able to support virtual private networks (VPNs) for large customers. Accessing public cloud services will always create a tension between security and performance. Not all cloud computing providers will support encrypted tunnels, so your information may be sent in the open on the Internet. Where encryption is available, using it will certainly increase delay and may impact performance.
The only way to reduce delay without compromising security is by minimizing transit "hops". The Internet is a complex federation of interconnected providers, and reaching a given cloud computing service may involve transiting several provider networks. You will need to
determine how your cloud provider choices are connected to other ISPs, particularly those you use regularly. The best cloud/ISP combination in terms of delay will almost always be one with the smallest number of hops.
Private cloud access networking
The second network consideration is private cloud access networking. Most often,
enterprises will access their own private clouds using the same technology they employed for access to their data centers. This may include an Internet VPN or VPN service from a network operator. If application access was satisfactory in a "pre-cloud" configuration, a transition to private cloud computing is not likely to impact access performance.
Intra-cloud networking for public cloud services
Our third network application in cloud computing is intra-cloud networking for public cloud services. Public cloud computing networks are internal and thus not visible to the user, so when you secure public cloud computing services, it is very important to understand how your provider interconnects its cloud computing elements. The key issue to look for is the difference in network quality of service across the geography of the resource pool. If your cloud provider allows you to geographically narrow the range of resources that can be assigned to your application, then the performance variation across that narrower range should be examined. You'll want to include the intra-cloud network performance of public cloud providers in your cloud computing SLA.
Private intra-cloud networking
The final and most complicated issue for networking in cloud computing is private intra-cloud networking. What makes this particular issue so complex is that it depends on how much intra-cloud connectivity is associated with the applications being run. At a minimum, all cloud computing implementations will rely on intra-cloud networking to link users with the resource to which their application was assigned. Once the resource linkage is made, the extent to which intra-cloud networking is used depends on whether the application is componentized among multiple systems.
the major data center sites. It is important that these trunks have high enough capacity to insure that there are minimal network delays no matter where in the private cloud a given application is run. In fact, the ability of a company to create an effective private cloud will depend in large part on the quality of the network connections between the major data centers that make up the cloud. This is why it is usually more important to design the intra-cloud network in private intra-cloud computing than to design the intra-cloud access network.
While network performance is important to cloud computing, it's also important not to become obsessive about measuring and guaranteeing it. The key thing to look for in exploring the impact of networks on cloud computing performance is the differences that exist between your current application/network relationships and those that will exist under the cloud. Those differences are what will impact your users.
Do you have the cloud skills to pay the bills?
By Joseph Foran, Contributor
Cloud computing, with multitudes of corporate players, enormous growth, and multifaceted technologies, necessitates a high degree of proficiency in order for a person to be a
successful IT pro in the new world of cloud computing.
This set of skills can be as varied as the species of insects in a tropical rainforest: Hiring managers must determine what skills are must-haves, while human resource professionals need to understand the difficulties in balancing technical resumes in comparison to non-technical resumes. This variety of skills and understanding of the cloud also touches deeply into marketing, sales, advertising and other business functions. These folks must have a different level of technical understanding in order to properly do their jobs supporting cloud-based businesses.
The skills needed to be successful in the cloud world are even more diverse than the varieties of cloud technologies. The good news is most of the technology is the same, but the layers are becoming more intertwined.
Systems administration in a cloud environment is, like most enterprise technologies, a diverse task that is often deconstructed and assigned to different people with specialized roles. Because, like in the enterprise, the cloud technologies are heavily interrelated in operations and design, these specialists should have a solid understanding of all the technologies that surround the specialists' layer. Aside from raw hardware, there are four basic layers of technology skills that make up a cloud environment, each with Ogre-like layers within. These are:
1. The network layer 2. The virtualization layer 3. The operating system layer
The network layer
The network layer requires a solid understanding of the foundations: TCP/IP, DNS, and associated technologies like load balancing and NTP. Switching and routing are core functions of any network environment (and are no less important to the cloud) but above and beyond the basics is load balancing. A cloud environment is often one of the most complicated networks in existence, especially when that cloud environment is supporting hosting at a company like Rackspace, GoGrid, or Amazon.
The ability to competently rework entire networks on the fly is a crucial skill for any network admin in a cloud environment, and it is made all the more difficult by the large and complex load balancing rules necessitated by a multihomed network with numerous ISP connections to the Internet, numerous network devices and numerous core network devices. Having Cisco, F5, and Juniper expertise is a must, and having certifications to back up those skills is a huge plus.
Networking is also important to storage. While not a layer of cloud computing itself, shared storage, over IP or over proprietary protocols, depends heavily on networking and network principles. With the growth of iSCSI-based storage, the lines between storage and
networking are considerably less obvious than they were when Fibre Channel was the undisputed king of shared storage. With the impending 10 GB Ethernet explosion just
beginning to touch the industry, iSCSI will only gain further traction; thus understanding the network-dependent nature of iSCSI is a critical skill.
The virtualization layer
The virtualization layer is another operations-level component of cloud computing, and it is arguably the layer that has enabled cloud computing to exist in the first place. The ability to deploy large numbers of virtual machines on small, rack-dense hardware has enabled economies of scale that were heretofore unknown. Without virtualization, a single server rack can hold 42 servers (84 with half-depth 1U servers); with virtualization, that same rack can hold 420 (840) servers or more.
While no rack is ever filled to capacity with just servers, most virtualization hosts can also house far more than ten servers each. So while the above may be no more than "fuzzy math," it serves to illustrate the economies of scale virtualization brings to the table.
Furthermore, the remarkable load balancing present in VMware, Xen, and other virtual platforms is a key to fighting the percentages game played out with hardware failures in a large server farm. Having a strong understanding of VMware and Xen is crucial to any cloud computing effort, as these are the big players in the market. One must also understand Parallels, whose Virtuozzo and Server products have long been Web hosting staples and have made the transition to cloud platforms quite well.
Once again, an understanding of storage is an important subset of the cloud administrator's virtualization skill set. Connecting the many types of storage (NAS, DAS and SAN) to the virtualization host, properly allocating that storage in the first place, and maintaining connections requires an understanding of both the virtualization platform in use and the general tenets of shared storage. Likewise, an understanding of networking is needed to properly configure the hosts to communicate with each other and for the virtual machines on those hosts to be properly segmented.
The operating system layer
The operating system layer is the simplest on the surface, but arguably the most complex once you delve a bit deeper. There are two basic skill sets for the current market, and most system administrators have familiarity with both: Linux and Windows. While Linux is
certainly the biggest player on the block, Windows has up-and-coming potential beyond just the Azure platform (such as entire IT operations moving to the cloud, including desktops).
Setting up a server with the correct applications and settings, ensuring that the system is properly tuned for its environment and role, and maintaining those optimal performance settings requires attention to detail and core skills in the operating system being deployed.
Operating system admins need an understanding of networking, as well as storage and applications, in order to make the aforementioned connections. Because the operating system is the conduit through which applications are deployed, having well-rounded skills in storage and networking is essential to ensuring that cloud services can be optimally
deployed, delivered and maintained.
The application layer
Applications, including database applications, are the front-facing side of the cloud equation. Because of the diversity of technologies present here, there is no clear-cut set of application skills to list as "absolutes." Based on the current market, JavaScript, XML, PHP, Ruby, Lua, Perl, and Java are hot languages, while Apache, Tomcat, Rails, and the many flavors of SQL (PostgreSQL or MySQL, specifically) are the back-end infrastructure applications that every would-be cloud developer should have knowledge of. Again, like all of the technologies so far, a fundamental understanding of storage, as well as network and operating system technologies, is essential.
In all of these spaces, one will note the extensive use of open source technologies. As I've mentioned in other articles, the use of open source stacks has the lion's share of the market at the moment (though Microsoft's Azure platform and others do support a Windows-based cloud environment). With the increase in cloud desktops and complete IT infrastructure options being offered, the rise of Microsoft-based desktop technologies is ensured, though the extent of that rise remains unclear.
Whatever platform is chosen, it is imperative that applicants and hiring managers review their environment, understand the skills that are needed, and engage in clear discussions about what those skills are or will be.
Resources from Intel
Intel Cloud Builders Guide: Cloud Design and Development on Intel Platforms Telefonica Moves into the Cloud: Case Study
HyTrust, VMware, Intel® Cloud Builders Enhanced Cloud Security Guide
About Intel
For more than three decades, Intel Corporation has developed technology enabling the computer and Internet revolution that has changed the world. Founded in 1968 to build semiconductor memory products, Intel introduced the world's first microprocessor in 1971. Today, Intel supplies the computing and communications industries with chips, boards, systems, and software building blocks that are the "ingredients" of computers, servers and networking and communications products. These products are used by industry members to create advanced computing and communications systems. Intel's mission is to be the
