Summary
Highlights
The initial lectures will cover an introduction to cloud computing, including NIST models, properties, characteristics, advantages, disadvantages, and the role of open standards.
The course will delve into cloud computing architecture, service-oriented architecture, and different service models like Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), Software as a Service (SaaS), and other 'as a service' possibilities, along with deployment models.
A significant aspect is service management, focusing on Service Level Agreements (SLAs), availability, and Quality of Service (QoS). Cloudonomics, or the economics of using cloud computing, will also be discussed, evaluating whether cloud adoption is always financially beneficial.
Resource management from the service provider's perspective, including CPU, RAM, hard disk, and network connectivity, is critical for optimal utilization and cost. Data management, scalability, and data services (including databases and data stores) in the cloud will also be explored.
Security is a major concern, covering infrastructure, data-related security, identity and access management, access control, trust, reputation, and risk in cloud computing environments.
The course will include case studies of open-source and commercial cloud platforms, potentially using cloud simulators. It will conclude with a look at recent trends in cloud computing, including fog computing, to identify future research opportunities.
Cloud computing is not a sudden invention but an evolution from previous computing paradigms. It built upon distributed computing, grid computing, cluster computing, and utility computing, incorporating their advantages to address new needs.
Distributed computing emerged from centralized computing, involving multiple autonomous computational entities spread geographically, communicating via message passing over a network. Key properties include fault tolerance, partial role playing by nodes, resource sharing, and load sharing, making systems robust and scalable.