Fundamentals: Understanding Private Cloud Stacks
Private clouds represent the next stage of data center evolution--virtualization 2.0. They unify server, storage and network resources into a common resource pool, and are controlled by software that automatically allocates workloads, assimilates new hardware and meters usage. By incorporating self-service portals and automated provisioning, private clouds offer the promise of both improved IT efficiency and customer satisfaction.
The exemplars of dedicated private cloud stacks are still small research projects and startups like OpenStack, Eucalyptus and Nimbula. Meanwhile, incumbent data center virtualization and infrastructure management software vendors are scurrying to add cloud-like features to existing products. However, by adding onto systems designed around the notion of traditional servers, their strategy resembles putting a fresh coat of paint on an aging car.
Dedicated private cloud software stacks start with a blank sheet of paper. They are designed to provide a true resource utility, not discrete virtual servers, and offer features and flexibility that are more like Amazon Web Services than is possible with the incumbents’ hypervisorcentric approach. (S4240212)
Table of Contents
3 Author’s Bio
4 Executive Summary
5 Private Cloud Stacks: Time to Face the Reality of Virtualization
5 Figure 1: Planned Virtualization
6 Virtualization 2.0
6 Figure 2: Servers Hosting VMs in Production
7 Clouds and Hypervisors
7 Figure 3: Implementation of a Private Cloud Strategy
8 Cloud From the Start
9 Figure 4: Interest in Combined Manufacturer Complete Systems
10 Compute, Storage, Network Integration
10 Figure 5: Private Cloud Application Use Cases
11 Clouds and Storage
12 Multifaceted Automation
13 Applications and Usage Scenarios
14 Figure 6: Deployed Technologies
15 Stacks Are Just the Start
16 Related Reports
About the Author
Kurt Marko is an InformationWeek and Network Computing contributor and IT industry veteran, pursuing his passion for communications after a varied career that has spanned virtually the entire high-tech food chain from chips to systems. Upon graduating from Stanford University with a BS and MS in Electrical Engineering, Kurt spent several years as a semiconductor device physicist, doing process design, modeling and testing. He then joined AT&T Bell Laboratories as a memory chip designer and CAD and simulation developer.
Moving to Hewlett-Packard, Kurt started in the laser printer R&D lab doing electrophotography development, for which he earned a patent, but his love of computers eventually led him to join HP’s nascent technical IT group. He spent 15 years as an IT engineer and was a lead architect for several enterprisewide infrastructure projects at HP, including the Windows domain infrastructure, remote access service, Exchange e-mail infrastructure and managed Web services.
Be the first one to comment.