CloudComputing101

Cloud Computing 101, Ask your questions -- kim0

   1 [16:00] <kim0> Howdy
   2 [16:01] <kim0> Hello everyone, welcome to the very first Ubuntu Cloud Days
   3 [16:01] <ttx> yay!
   4 === ChanServ changed the topic of #ubuntu-classroom to: Welcome to the Ubuntu Classroom - https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Classroom || Support in #ubuntu || Upcoming Schedule: http://is.gd/8rtIi || Questions in #ubuntu-classroom-chat || Event: Ubuntu Cloud Days - Current Session: Cloud Computing 101, Ask your questions - Instructors: kim0
   5 [16:01]  * ttx attends two conferences at once.
   6 [16:01] <ClassBot> Logs for this session will be available at http://irclogs.ubuntu.com/2011/03/23/%23ubuntu-classroom.html following the conclusion of the session.
   7 [16:02] <kim0> So again, good morning, good afternoon and good evening wherever you are
   8 [16:02] <kim0> Please be sure you're joined to this channel plus
   9 [16:02] <kim0> #ubuntu-classroom-chat : For Questions
  10 [16:03] <kim0> In case you would like to ask a question
  11 [16:03] <kim0> please start it with "QUESTION: <question goes here>
  12 [16:04] <kim0> and write it down in the #ubuntu-classroom-chat channels
  13 [16:04] <kim0> This session is mostly about taking questions and making sure everyone is well seated :)
  14 [16:04] <kim0> Seems like I have a question already
  15 [16:05] <ClassBot> EvilPhoenix asked: I think this could be the start of it.  Could you give a brief explanation of what "Cloud Computing" is defined as?
  16 [16:05] <kim0> Hi EvilPhoenix .. Good question indeed
  17 [16:06] <kim0> Trying to answer your question .. I will begin by saying
  18 [16:06] <kim0> Cloud has so many different definitions already :)
  19 [16:06] <kim0> Almost all companies by bent it to mean whatever product they're selling
  20 [16:06] <kim0> the term has really been abused
  21 [16:07] <kim0> The are also various definitions by institutions like NIST and others
  22 [16:07] <kim0> since there is no one single true definition .. I'll lay down some properties
  23 [16:07] <kim0> that almost everyone agrees should be present in a "cloud"
  24 [16:08] <kim0> 1- Pay per use .. Cloud are online resources that can be characterized by "pay per use"
  25 [16:08] <kim0> you only pay for the resources that you need .. the storage you consume
  26 [16:08] <kim0> the CPU/Memory compute capacity that you are using ..etc
  27 [16:09] <kim0> You never really (or should never) pay in advance .. (just in case you need that resource)
  28 [16:09] <kim0> 2- Instant scalability: Cloud solutions should be instantly scalable
  29 [16:09] <kim0> that is .. with one api call (that's one command, or a click of a button for non programmers)
  30 [16:09] <kim0> you should be able to allocate more resources
  31 [16:10] <kim0> Clouds convey the feeling of inifinite scale .. of course in reality it's not truly infinite .. but it's large enough
  32 [16:11] <kim0> 3- API programmability .. Most cloud solutions are going to have an API .. an API is a programmatic way to control your resources
  33 [16:11] <kim0> Taking a prime example .. The largest commercial compute and storage cloud today is Amazon's AWS cloud
  34 [16:11] <kim0> With Amazon's cloud, with an api call (or running a command)
  35 [16:12] <kim0> you can instantly allocate "servers"
  36 [16:12] <kim0> so it's got an API interface
  37 [16:12] <kim0> it's scalable .. since you can always add more servers (or S3 storage) should you want to
  38 [16:12] <kim0> and you only pay for the consumed CPU hours .. or gigabytes of storage
  39 [16:13] <kim0> Clouds are usually split up by their type as well
  40 [16:13] <kim0> IaaS , PaaS and SaaS
  41 [16:13] <kim0> let me quickly comment on those types
  42 [16:13] <kim0> IaaS : Infrastructure as a Service
  43 [16:14] <kim0> This basically means you get "infrastructure" components (that is servers, storage space, networking ...etc" as as service ..
  44 [16:14] <kim0> You use those to build your own cloud or application
  45 [16:14] <kim0> PaaS : Moves a little up the value stack
  46 [16:14] <kim0> It provides a complete development environment as a service
  47 [16:15] <kim0> so you basically upload some code .. and without needing to worry about servers or networks/switches or storage ..etc
  48 [16:15] <kim0> your application just runs on the "cloud" .. is scalable, is redundant
  49 [16:15] <kim0> someone else (the PaaS provider) did that work for you
  50 [16:16] <kim0> Examples of PaaS would be Google's AppEngine .. salesforce.com or others
  51 [16:16] <kim0> The last type is SaaS : Software as a Service
  52 [16:16] <kim0> This basically means providing a full complete application, that you are directly using in the cloud
  53 [16:16] <kim0> examples of that would be facebook, gmail, twitter ..etc
  54 [16:17] <kim0> Those are "applications" if you come to think of it .. more so than the notion of webpages
  55 [16:17]  * kim0 checks if he has more questions 
  56 [16:17] <ClassBot> BluesKaj asked: ok then what Ubuntu Cloud about ?
  57 [16:18] <kim0> Hi BluesKaj
  58 [16:18] <kim0> Very good question as well
  59 [16:19] <kim0> So Amazon's cloud is a very popular IaaS cloud. However, some people are not totally happy with the fact that they'd upload their data to amazon's datacenters
  60 [16:20] <kim0> some enterprises or ISPs .. would like to utilize the improved economics of the cloud model
  61 [16:20] <kim0> however still keeping their data and servers in-house (whatever that means to them)
  62 [16:20] <kim0> In order to build a cloud that competes with Amazon's cloud
  63 [16:20] <kim0> you need various software components
  64 [16:21] <kim0> Ubuntu packages, integrates and makes available the best of breed open-source software
  65 [16:21] <kim0> that enables you to build and operate your own cloud should you want to
  66 [16:21] <kim0> In the upcoming 11.04 natty release
  67 [16:21] <kim0> Ubuntu packages two open-source complete cloud stacks
  68 [16:21] <kim0> those would be
  69 [16:22] <kim0> - Ubuntu Enterprise Cloud : An Ubuntu integrated and polished cloud stack based on the popular Eucalyptus stack
  70 [16:22] <kim0> - OpenStack : A new opensource cloud stack that's gaining a lot of popularity
  71 [16:22] <kim0> Actually we have dedicated sessions for each of those cloud stacks!
  72 [16:23] <kim0> An interesting fact .. is that UEC and OpenStack both allow you to expose an API that is the equivalent of Amazon's API
  73 [16:23] <kim0> that means you can use the same management tools to control both the public (Amazon's ) cloud and your own private one!
  74 [16:24] <kim0> This is also great for providers wanting to run their own clouds
  75 [16:24] <kim0> so that was an overview of the cloud stacks available to enable
  76 [16:24] <kim0> you to build your own cloud envrionment
  77 [16:25] <kim0> Other than that .. and to fully answer the question of "What is ubuntu cloud" .. I need to add a few more points
  78 [16:25] <kim0> Ubuntu makes available official Ubuntu images that run on the Amazon cloud as well
  79 [16:25] <kim0> You can check them out (as they're regularly updated) on http://cloud.ubuntu.com/ami/
  80 [16:26] <kim0> you basically search for what you want, like (maverick 64 us-east) pick the ami-id
  81 [16:26] <kim0> and launch that
  82 [16:27] <kim0> Also Canonical makes available Landscape a cloud management tool .. you can check it out at https://landscape.canonical.com/
  83 [16:27] <kim0> Also, Ubuntu is soon unleashing cloud management and orchestration tool called "ensemble"
  84 [16:28] <kim0> that is going to revolutionize cloud deployments and management .. it's still in early tech-preview stage
  85 [16:28] <kim0> however we're having an ensemble session and demo today
  86 [16:28] <kim0> I think that mostly covers a broad definitions of ubuntu and cloud
  87 [16:28] <ClassBot> Kruptein asked: so dropbox isn't cloud related? as you don't have to pay for it (basic)
  88 [16:29] <kim0> Hi Kruptein
  89 [16:29] <kim0> Well .. dropbox is cloud storage indeed
  90 [16:29] <kim0> I meant that with cloud .. when you want to grow you pay for what you used/need
  91 [16:30] <kim0> as opposed to buying a 1TB disk that lays on your desk so that when you need the capacity it'll be available for you
  92 === cmagina is now known as cmagina-lunch
  93 [16:30] <kim0> with dropbox you pay for what you use .. although I believe they only allow payment in coarse packages
  94 [16:30] <kim0> as opposed to Amazon's S3 which charges you per GB of storage per month
  95 [16:31] <kim0> which is a more fine grained model
  96 [16:31] <ClassBot> BluesKaj asked: ok then what is Ubuntu Cloud about ?
  97 [16:31] <kim0> So I believe we covered that
  98 [16:31] <kim0> To quickly recap
  99 [16:31] <kim0> - Building your own private cloud : UEC/Eucalyptus or OpenStack
 100 [16:32] <kim0> - Running over the Public Amazon Cloud : Official Ubuntu Server images http://cloud.ubuntu.com/ami/
 101 [16:32] <kim0> - Systems Management tools : https://landscape.canonical.com/
 102 [16:32] <kim0> - Infrastructure automation : Ensemble (tech-preview)
 103 [16:33] <kim0> Again all of those tools and technologies (except for landscape) are having their own sessions that you'll enjoy :)
 104 [16:34] <kim0> Let me not forget as well about "Ubuntu ONE"
 105 [16:34] <kim0> a personal storage cloud (very similar to dropbox)
 106 [16:34] <kim0> Check it out at https://one.ubuntu.com/
 107 [16:34] <ClassBot> popey asked: Should your average end-user care about Ubuntu cloud? If so, why? If not, what do we say to end users when they see all this promotion of Ubuntu cloud stuff?
 108 [16:34] <kim0> Hi popey
 109 [16:35] <kim0> Great question
 110 [16:35] <kim0> It really depends on your point of view
 111 [16:36] <kim0> The usual-suspects to care about "cloud" stuff are going to be sys-admins, devops, IT professionals .. people who care about server environments and such .. However!
 112 [16:36] <kim0> If you ask me, yes non IT pros should care as well
 113 [16:37] <kim0> because the computing model is quickly shifting to a cloud model
 114 [16:37] <kim0> that is .. instead of you buying a pc, loading it with your personal applications and settings
 115 [16:37] <kim0> and being a sysadmin for yourself .. handling backups .. troubleshooting, software upgrades ..etc
 116 [16:38] <kim0> the world is shifting into an ipad/iphone/thin-client/mobile devices world
 117 [16:38] <kim0> where your data lives on a cloud
 118 [16:38] <kim0> is accessible by a wide varierty of tools
 119 [16:38] <kim0> and all tools sync up together
 120 [16:39] <kim0> obviously the point of interest is going to be different, however it remains that the cloud touches all of us
 121 [16:39] <ClassBot> cdbs asked: The Clous world is buzzing about OpenStack. Natty will include support for OpenStack along with Eucalyptus. Once OpenStack Nova becomes stable enough (should happen soon, by May) then will Ubuntu begin recommending OpenStack for its cloud offerings?
 122 [16:40] <kim0> Hi cdbs
 123 [16:40] <kim0> Seems you're on top of things hehe I can't really claim to foresee the future. Ubuntu is and has always aimed at providing the best of class open-source cloud technologies and software
 124 [16:41] <kim0> As it stands, UEC product is based on Eucalyptus bec it is a mature product
 125 [16:41] <kim0> however since openstack is rapidly maturing, it has been packaged and made available as well
 126 [16:42] <kim0> I am confident Ubuntu will continue to make available all mature choices of best of breed software
 127 [16:42] <ClassBot> Yuvi_ asked: you can differentiate between public cloud and private cloud?
 128 [16:42] <kim0> Hi Yuvi_
 129 [16:42] <kim0> Well, yeah I guess
 130 [16:43] <kim0> Public clouds are cloud operated by an entity you don't control
 131 [16:43] <kim0> and that provide services to multiple other tenants
 132 [16:43] <kim0> examples would be Amazon cloud, rackspace, go-grid, terremark ...etc
 133 [16:43] <kim0> A private cloud, is a cloud that probably runs behind your firewall on your own servers
 134 [16:44] <kim0> and that you can control, i.e. is operated by IT people you have direct influence upon
 135 [16:44] <ClassBot> at141am asked: Is the demo open to all for ensemble, if so when and where?
 136 [16:44] <kim0> Hi at141am
 137 [16:44] <kim0> Yes absolutely!
 138 [16:45] <kim0> The Ensemble session is today in less than a couple of hours
 139 [16:45] <kim0> right here in this same channel
 140 [16:46] <kim0> The session leader is probably going to be copy/past'ing text so that you can follow up the demo
 141 [16:46] <kim0> I'm not really sure how it would go .. but I'm sure it's gonna be loads of fun
 142 [16:46] <ClassBot> marenostrum asked: What does "Ubuntu One" have to do something with "cloud" concept?
 143 [16:46] <kim0> Hi marenostrum
 144 [16:47] <kim0> Ubuntu ONE is a personal cloud service
 145 [16:47] <kim0> It is designed for end-users .. that is non IT pros
 146 [16:47] <kim0> It provides services to sync your files and folders to the cloud
 147 [16:47] <kim0> sharing them to other people
 148 [16:47] <kim0> not only that .. but also
 149 [16:47] <kim0> sync's your "notes" across multiple machines
 150 [16:47] <kim0> your music
 151 [16:47] <kim0> Bookmarks
 152 [16:48] <kim0> I think soon it might sync application settings and the apps installed
 153 [16:48] <kim0> so that when you get a new Ubuntu machines .. it installs all your applications, applies all settings, syncs your data/notes/bookmarks ..etc
 154 [16:48] <kim0> that would be lovely indeed .. I'm not sure if it can do all that just yet thought
 155 [16:48] <kim0> though*
 156 [16:49] <ClassBot> sveiss asked: do the official Ubuntu EC2 images receive updates? Specifically kernel updates, which are a bit of a pain to deal with via apt-get on boot.
 157 [16:49]  * kim0 trying to answer questions quickly :)
 158 [16:49] <kim0> Hi sveiss
 159 [16:49] <kim0> The answer is absolutely YES
 160 [16:49] <kim0> they do receive regular updates
 161 [16:49] <kim0> of course you can always apt-get upgrade them any way
 162 [16:50] <kim0> the one potential pain point .. is the one you have mentioned "kernel upgrades"
 163 [16:50] <kim0> for that .. I've some good news
 164 [16:50] <kim0> Newer AMIs are designed to use pv-grub
 165 [16:50] <kim0> which is a method exposed by Amazon to load the kernel from inside the image
 166 [16:51] <kim0> which means .. you can now apt-get upgrade your kernel .. and very simply reboot into it
 167 [16:51] <ClassBot> There are 10 minutes remaining in the current session.
 168 [16:51] <kim0> if you need to know which exact version switched to pvgrub .. check in at #ubuntu-cloud
 169 [16:51] <ClassBot> IdleOne asked: Repost for AndrewMC :What would be the benifits of using the "cloud" instead of, say  a dedicated server?
 170 [16:52] <kim0> Hi IdleOne
 171 [16:52] <kim0> the main benefits is really
 172 [16:52] <kim0> - Pay per use .. I might need ten servers today .. but only one tomorrow .. cloud allows that .. dedicated servers don't (you'd have to buy 10 servers all the time)
 173 [16:53] <kim0> - flexibility .. If we web application gets slashdotted .. and the load is too high .. within a few seconds .. I can spin up 20 extra cloud servers to handle the load
 174 [16:53] <kim0> - Also .. since almost all clouds provide an extensive API
 175 [16:54] <kim0> it really helps with IT automation .. spin up servers, assign them IPs, attach storage to them, mount a load balancer on top
 176 [16:54] <kim0> all by running a script .. not by running around connection cables :)
 177 [16:54] <ClassBot> Yuvi_ asked: What is hybrid cloud? Under which scenario we can use that
 178 [16:54] <kim0> A hybrid cloud is a mix of public + private
 179 [16:55] <kim0> a typical use case would be
 180 [16:55] <kim0> you prefer running everything on a private cloud that you own and operate
 181 [16:55] <kim0> *however* should the incoming load by too high
 182 [16:55] <kim0> like your application was slashdotted
 183 [16:56] <kim0> you would dynamically "expand" to using a public cloud like amazon/rackspace
 184 [16:56] <kim0> to take some heat for you .. to lessen the load on your servers
 185 [16:56] <ClassBot> There are 5 minutes remaining in the current session.
 186 [16:56] <kim0> You can pull off something like that today with UEC and some smart scripts
 187 [16:56] <ClassBot> chadadavis asked: what advantage does a private cloud provide, vs a traditional server cluster, assuming that then the sysadmin work is not outsourced?
 188 [16:56] <kim0> running out of time ..
 189 [16:57] <kim0> trying to quickly answer
 190 [16:57] <kim0> well basically it's the same concept of public cloud
 191 [16:57] <kim0> Benefits would be
 192 [16:57] <kim0> - Complete infrastructure automation
 193 [16:57] <kim0> - Enabling "teams" to handle their own needs .. a team would spin up/down servers according to their needs
 194 [16:57] <kim0> lessening the load on IT staff
 195 [16:58] <kim0> also .. "pooling" of IT servers into one private cloud
 196 [16:58] <kim0> means providing a better service to everyone
 197 [16:58] <kim0> since everyone can use some of the resources when they need it
 198 [16:58] <kim0> so in short .. pooling, self service, low overhead, spin up/down
 199 [16:59] <kim0> Great
 200 [16:59] <kim0> Seems like I did manage to bust all questions :)
 201 [16:59] <kim0> If anyone would like to get a hold of me afterwards
 202 [16:59] <kim0> I am always hanging out in #ubuntu-cloud
 203 [17:00] <kim0> you can ping me any time and I will get back to you once I can

UbuntuCloudDays/23032011/CloudComputing101 (last edited 2011-03-26 17:00:24 by ABTS-KK-dynamic-125)