205 Core: CLOUD INFRASTRUCTURE & SERVICES

Q1) Define the following terms (any five):

1. Cloud, why it is called as cloud?

Ans: The term "cloud" in computing refers to a network of servers

that are interconnected and accessed via the internet to provide
various computing services. It is called "cloud" because the complex
infrastructure and details of the network are abstracted, making it
appear as a cloud or a nebulous entity, where users can access and
utilize computing resources and services without having to
understand or manage the underlying infrastructure.
2. Cloud Storage

Ans: Cloud storage refers to a service that allows users to store and
access their data and files on remote servers, which are typically
hosted by a third-party provider. It provides a convenient and
scalable solution for data storage, enabling users to access their
files from any device with an internet connection while ensuring
data security and backup.
3. Concept behind Virtualization

Ans: Virtualization is the process of creating a virtual or simulated

version of a resource, such as a computer system, network, or
operating system. It enables multiple virtual instances to run on a
single physical infrastructure, increasing efficiency, flexibility, and
resource utilization. It abstracts the underlying resources,
providing isolation and portability, and is commonly used in server
and desktop environments.
4. Cloud Computing

Ans: Cloud computing refers to the delivery of computing

resources, including servers, storage, databases, software, and
networking, over the internet. It allows users to access and use
these resources on-demand, without the need for local
infrastructure or technical expertise. Cloud computing offers
scalability, flexibility, cost-efficiency, and easy management of
resources, enabling organizations and individuals to focus on their
core business without the burden of managing physical hardware
or software.
5. Advantages of Cloud Services
Ans: Some advantages of cloud services include:
 Scalability: Cloud services offer the ability to scale resources
up or down based on demand, allowing organizations to easily
accommodate fluctuating needs without over-provisioning or
underutilization.
 Cost Efficiency: Cloud services follow a pay-as-you-go model,
enabling businesses to avoid upfront infrastructure costs.
 Flexibility and Accessibility: Cloud services provide remote
access to resources from any location with an internet
connection.
 Reliability and Availability: Cloud service providers typically
offer high levels of reliability and availability, with robust data
backup and disaster recovery mechanisms.
 Security: Cloud services employ advanced security measures
and protocols to protect data and systems.

6. Load Balancing in Cloud Computing

Ans: Load balancing in cloud computing refers to the distribution of

workloads and network traffic across multiple servers or resources
to optimize performance, maximize resource utilization, and ensure
high availability. It evenly distributes incoming requests and tasks
to prevent overloading on specific resources, reducing response
time and improving the overall efficiency of the system. Load
balancing helps to avoid bottlenecks, handle traffic spikes, and
provide scalability in cloud environments by dynamically allocating
resources based on demand.
7. QoS (Quality of Service)

Ans: Quality of Service (QoS) refers to the ability of a network or

system to prioritize and manage resources effectively to meet
specific performance requirements. It ensures that certain
applications, services, or traffic types receive the necessary
bandwidth, latency, reliability, and other performance
characteristics to deliver an optimal user experience. QoS
mechanisms include traffic prioritization, bandwidth allocation,
congestion control, and service-level agreements (SLAs), enabling
administrators to allocate resources based on the importance,
sensitivity, or criticality of different data flows or applications. QoS
helps maintain consistent and predictable performance levels,
especially in situations where network resources are limited or
congested.
8. Cloud Auto-Scaling?

Ans: Cloud auto-scaling, also known as automatic scaling or elastic

scaling, is a feature provided by cloud computing platforms that
allows the automatic adjustment of resources based on real-time
demand. It dynamically scales up or down the number of virtual
machines, servers, or other cloud resources to match the workload
requirements.
Auto-scaling monitors key performance metrics, such as CPU
utilization, network traffic, or queue length, and triggers scaling
actions when predefined thresholds are reached. When demand
increases, auto-scaling adds additional resources to handle the
load, ensuring optimal performance and responsiveness.
Conversely, when demand decreases, it reduces the number of
resources to avoid unnecessary costs and resource wastage.
Auto-scaling eliminates the need for manual intervention, allows for
efficient resource utilization, and ensures that applications can
handle sudden spikes in traffic or workload without service
disruption. It enables organizations to scale their infrastructure
dynamically, improve cost efficiency, and maintain a high level of
performance and availability.

Q2) Answer any two of the following:

1. What are different services types existing for Cloud
Computing?
Ans: There are three main types of cloud computing services:
1. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): IaaS provides virtualized
computing resources over the internet. It offers virtual machines,
storage, networks, and other fundamental infrastructure
components. Users have control over the operating system,
applications, and configuration settings while the cloud provider
manages the underlying infrastructure. Examples of IaaS providers
include Amazon Web Services (AWS) EC2, Microsoft Azure Virtual
Machines, and Google Cloud Compute Engine.
2. Platform as a Service (PaaS): PaaS provides a platform for
developing, deploying, and managing applications over the internet.
It offers a complete development and runtime environment,
including operating systems, programming languages, databases,
and web servers. Users focus on application development and
 deployment, while the cloud provider handles the underlying
infrastructure and platform management. Examples of PaaS
providers include Heroku, Google App Engine, and Microsoft Azure
App Service.
3. Software as a Service (SaaS): SaaS delivers software applications
over the internet on a subscription basis. Users access and use the
software through a web browser or a thin client without having to
install or manage any infrastructure or application components.
The cloud provider hosts and maintains the software, handles
updates and security patches, and ensures its availability.
Examples of SaaS applications include Salesforce, Microsoft 365,
and Dropbox.

2. Why Data Centers important to Business?

Ans: Data centers are where computing facilities and networking
equipment are located and centralized. They are tasked to collect,
store, process, and distribute large amounts of data. Data centers
have also been around since the dawn of the modern computing
age.
They are also responsible for data backup and recovery, as well as
networking. These centers also host websites, manage e-mails, and
instant messaging services. They support cloud storage
applications and e-commerce transactions. Even online gaming
communities require data centers to manage their online activities.
Almost every modern business and government offices need their
very own data center, or they may opt to lease one. Big corporations
and government institutions may choose to build and manage them
in-house if they have the resources. While others choose to rent
servers at ‘colos’ or colocation facilities. Some business owners also
have the choice to use public cloud-based services.
There are different types of Data Centers. They are as follows:
 Colocation Data Centers
Colocation data centers or most commonly known as “colo” is a
company that rents space within a data center that they do not own
and is housed outside the company’s premises. The colocation data
center provides the infrastructure like the building itself, cooling,
bandwidth, and security, among others.

 Enterprise Data Centers

Enterprise data centers are established, owned, and managed by
companies. These data centers are operated under a single purpose
and that this optimized service for their end-user clients.

 Managed Services Data Centers

These data centers are operated by a third-party entity or a managed
services provider instead of the company. The company rents the
equipment and infrastructure to cut costs.

 Cloud Data Centers

Cloud data centers are an off-premises form of a data center. The most
common cloud hosting services are Amazon Web
Services (AWS), Microsoft (Azure), and IBM Cloud.

3. How does Virtualization work in Cloud Computing?

Ans: Virtualization is the "creation of a virtual (rather than actual)

version of something, such as a server, a desktop, a storage device, an
operating system or network resources".

In other words, Virtualization is a technique, which allows to share a

single physical instance of a resource or an application among
multiple customers and organizations. It does by assigning a logical
name to a physical storage and providing a pointer to that physical
resource when demanded.

Types of Virtualization:

1. Hardware Virtualization.
2. Operating system Virtualization.
3. Server Virtualization.
4. Storage Virtualization.

1) Hardware Virtualization:

When the virtual machine software or virtual machine manager (VMM)

is directly installed on the hardware system is known as hardware
virtualization.

The main job of hypervisor is to control and monitoring the processor,

memory and other hardware resources.

After virtualization of hardware system we can install different

operating system on it and run different applications on those OS.
Usage:

Hardware virtualization is mainly done for the server platforms,

because controlling virtual machines is much easier than controlling a
physical server.

2) Operating System Virtualization:

When the virtual machine software or virtual machine manager (VMM)

is installed on the Host operating system instead of directly on the
hardware system is known as operating system virtualization.

Usage:

Operating System Virtualization is mainly used for testing the

applications on different platforms of OS

3) Server Virtualization:

When the virtual machine software or virtual machine manager (VMM)

is directly installed on the Server system is known as server
virtualization.

Usage:

Server virtualization is done because a single physical server can be

divided into multiple servers on the demand basis and for balancing
the load.

4) Storage Virtualization:

Storage virtualization is the process of grouping the physical storage

from multiple network storage devices so that it looks like a single
storage device.

Storage virtualization is also implemented by using software

applications.

Usage:

Storage virtualization is mainly done for back-up and recovery

purposes.

Q3) Answer any one of the following:

1. Explain the elements of Classic Data Center?
Ans: A classic data center typically consists of several key elements
that work together to support the infrastructure and operations of
an organization. Here are the main elements of a classic data
center:
1. Servers: Servers are the backbone of a data center. They are
powerful computers designed to handle various tasks, such as
processing data, running applications, and storing files. Servers
can be physical machines or virtual machines (VMs) created
through virtualization technologies.
2. Storage Systems: Data centers include storage systems to store
and manage large volumes of data. Storage systems ensure data
availability, reliability, and scalability.
3. Networking Equipment: Networking equipment connects different
components within the data center and enables communication
between servers, storage systems, and other devices. This includes
switches, routers, firewalls, and load balancers.
4. Cooling and Environmental Control: Data centers generate
significant heat due to the continuous operation of servers and
networking equipment. Cooling systems, such as air conditioning or
liquid cooling solutions, are used to maintain optimal temperature
and humidity levels, preventing equipment overheating and
ensuring reliable performance.
5. Power Infrastructure: Data centers require a reliable and
redundant power supply. These components ensure uninterrupted
power supply and protect against power outages or fluctuations.
6. Physical Security: Data centers house critical and sensitive data,
so physical security is essential. Access control systems,
surveillance cameras, biometric authentication, and security
personnel are deployed to protect the facility from unauthorized
access, theft, or damage
7. Backup and Disaster Recovery: Data centers implement backup
and disaster recovery strategies to ensure data protection and
business continuity. This involves regular data backups, off-site
data replication, and recovery solutions to mitigate the impact of
data loss or unexpected events.
8. Monitoring and Management Systems: Data centers rely on
monitoring and management systems to oversee and control the
 infrastructure. They enable proactive monitoring, troubleshooting,
and efficient management of the data center environment.

2. Explain Intelligent Storage System?

Ans: Intelligent storage system consists of four key components:
front end, cache, back end, and physical disks. Figure illustrates
these components and their interconnections. An I/O request
received from the host at the front-end port is processed through
cache and the back end, to enable storage and retrieval of data
from the physical disk. A read request can be serviced directly from
cache if the requested data is found in cache.
1. Front End:
The front end provides the interface between the storage system and
the host. It consists of two components: front-end ports and front-end
controllers. The front-end ports enable hosts to connect to the
intelligent storage system.
Front end includes:
 Front-End Command Queuing.
 First in First Out (FIFO).
 Seek time Optimization
 Access Time Optimization.
2 Cache:
Cache is an important component that enhances the I/O
performance in an intelligent storage system. Cache is
semiconductor memory where data is placed temporarily to reduce
the time required to service I/O requests from the host. Cache
improves storage system performance by isolating hosts from the
mechanical delays associated with physical disks, which are the
slowest components of an intelligent storage system.
Cache is organized into pages or slots, which is the smallest unit of
cache allocation. The size of a cache page is configured according to
the application I/O size. Cache consists of the data store and tag
RAM. The data store holds the data while tag RAM tracks the location
of the data in the data store and in disk. Entries in tag RAM indicate
where data is found in cache and where the data belongs on the disk.
Tag RAM includes a dirty bit flag, which indicates whether the data in
cache has been committed to the disk or not. It also contains time-
based information, such as the time of last access, which is used to
identify cached information that has not been accessed for a long
period and may be freed up.
3 Back End:
The back end provides an interface between cache and the physical
disks. It consists of two components: back-end ports and back-end
controllers. The back end controls data transfers between cache and
the physical disks. From cache, data is sent to the back end and then
routed to the destination disk. Physical disks are connected to ports
on the back end. The back-end controller communicates with the
disks when performing reads and writes and also provides additional,
but limited, temporary data storage. The algorithms implemented on
back-end controllers provide error detection and correction, along with
RAID functionality. For high data protection and availability, storage
systems are configured with dual controllers with multiple ports. Such
configurations provide an alternate path to physical disks in the event
of a controller or port failure. This reliability is further enhanced if the
disks are also dual-ported. In that case, each disk port can connect to
a separate controller. Multiple controllers also facilitate load
balancing.

Q4) Answer any one of the following:

1. Explain Cloud Infrastructure Management and Service
Creation Tools?
Ans: Cloud infrastructure management comprises the processes and
tools needed to effectively allocate and deliver key resources when and
where they are required. The UI, or dashboard, is a good example of
such a tool; it acts as a control panel for provisioning, configuring and
managing cloud infrastructure. Cloud infrastructure management is
useful in delivering cloud services to both:

 Internal users, such as developers or any other roles that

consume cloud resources.
 External users, such as customers and business partners

cloud infrastructure management tools offer some combination of the

following features:

 Provisioning and configuration: Developers, systems engineers

and other IT professionals use these tools to set up and
 configure the hardware and software resources they need. This
would include:

 Spinning up a new server

 Installing an operating system or other software
 Allocating storage resources and other cloud infrastructure
needs

This also includes features for enabling and managing self-service

provisioning, in which end users use a dashboard or other
mechanisms for standing up their own resources as needed, based on
predetermined rules.

 Visibility and monitoring: Cloud infrastructure management

tools allow operators to “see” their environments. More
importantly, they include or integrate with monitoring tools
that:

 Check system health

 Deliver real-time alerts and notifications
 Create reporting and analytics

 Resource allocation: Related to cost optimization, resource

allocation features enable granular control over how users
consume cloud infrastructure, including self-service
provisioning. This is similar to budgeting: dividing up shared
resources appropriately and in some cases creating criteria for
going over budget.
 Cost optimization: Managing costs is a critical capability of
cloud infrastructure management tools. Without this component,
enterprises run an increased risk of “sticker shock” when the
cloud bill arrives. Proactively monitoring costs via strategies
such as turning off unused or unnecessary resources is key to
maximizing the ROI of cloud infrastructure.
 Automation: Cloud infrastructure management tools sometimes
offer automation capabilities for various operational tasks, such
as configuration management, auto-provisioning and auto-
scaling.
 Security: Cloud infrastructure management tools
are another part of a holistic cloud security strategy. They are
one mechanism for properly configuring a cloud provider’s native
security controls based on a particular setup and needs.

2. Describe the Storage Configuration in details?

Ans: Storage configuration refers to the process of setting up and

organizing storage resources within a computer system or network.
It involves determining the type of storage devices, configuring
storage controllers, allocating storage capacity, and implementing
data protection mechanisms. Here's a detailed overview of storage
configuration:

1. Storage Devices:

- Hard Disk Drives (HDDs): HDDs are traditional storage devices

that use spinning disks to store data. They offer high capacity and
are suitable for applications that require large storage volumes.

- Solid-State Drives (SSDs): SSDs use flash memory to store data.

They provide faster access times and higher performance compared
to HDDs. SSDs are commonly used for applications requiring fast
data access, such as databases and virtualization environments.

- Network-Attached Storage (NAS): NAS devices are dedicated

storage appliances connected to the network. They provide
centralized storage accessible by multiple clients or servers.

- Storage Area Networks (SANs): SANs are specialized networks

that connect storage devices to servers over high-speed
connections. They offer block-level storage access and are
commonly used for enterprise-level storage configurations.

2. Storage Controllers:

- RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks): RAID

configurations combine multiple physical drives into a logical unit
for enhanced performance, data protection, or both. Common RAID
levels include RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, and RAID 10, each offering
different levels of performance and fault tolerance.

- Storage Virtualization: Storage virtualization involves

abstracting multiple physical storage devices into a virtualized pool
 of storage. It provides flexibility, scalability, and simplified
management of storage resources.

- Disk Partitioning: Disk partitioning divides a physical storage

device into multiple logical sections or partitions. Each partition
acts as a separate storage volume, allowing for better organization
and management of data.

3. Storage Allocation:

- Volume Management: Volume management tools facilitate the

creation, formatting, and management of storage volumes. They
enable administrators to allocate storage capacity, define file
systems, and configure access controls.

- File Systems: File systems determine how data is organized,

stored, and accessed on storage volumes. Common file systems
include NTFS (Windows), ext4 (Linux), and APFS (Apple). File
systems manage file metadata, directory structures, and access
permissions.

4. Data Protection:

- Backup and Recovery: Implementing a backup strategy involves

creating copies of data and storing them on separate storage media
or locations. It ensures data can be recovered in case of accidental
deletion, hardware failures, or other data loss events.

- Snapshotting: Snapshotting creates point-in-time copies of data,

allowing for quick recovery or reverting to a previous state.
Snapshots are useful for data protection, testing, and recovery
purposes.

- Replication: Data replication involves duplicating data to

multiple storage locations or devices. It provides redundancy and
ensures data availability in case of hardware failures or disasters.

- Data Encryption: Encryption safeguards data by converting it

into an unreadable format. Encrypting stored data protects it from
unauthorized access or data breaches.

Q5) Answer any one of the following:

1. How to assume the phase’s strategy for Migration to

Cloud?
Ans: Cloud migration is the process of moving a company's digital
assets, services, databases, IT resources, and applications, either
partially or wholly, into the cloud. Cloud migration is also about
moving from one cloud to another. There are various types of cloud
migrations an enterprise can perform. One common model is to
transfer data and applications from a local on-premises data center
to the public cloud, for example to service providers such as AWS,
Google Cloud, or Microsoft Azure.

5 Phases of Cloud Transformation

When considered more broadly, the cloud migration process is called

cloud transformation. The cloud transformation process is often
broken down into five phases: prepare, plan, migrate, operate, and
optimize. These phases provide a holistic approach to moving
workloads and data to the cloud, helping to minimize disruption and
maximize benefits.

1. Prepare

In the preparation phase, organizations establish their business

objectives for cloud migration. These objectives might include
increased agility, cost savings, improved performance, or enhanced
scalability. In this phase, organizations should perform an initial
assessment of their IT infrastructure to understand what resources
they have and how these might be migrated. Organizations should
also evaluate their cloud readiness, identifying any gaps in skills or
technologies that might need to be addressed before migration can
occur.
Build a business case for every application you plan to migrate to the
cloud, showing an expected total cost of ownership (TCO) on the
cloud, compared to current TCO. Use cloud cost calculators to
estimate future cloud costs, using realistic assumptions - including
the amount and nature of storage used, computing resources, taking
into account instance types, operating systems, and specific
performance and networking requirements.

2. Plan

Once an organization has established its business objectives and

evaluated its cloud readiness, the next phase is to create a detailed
migration plan. This plan should include a roadmap for the
migration process, detailing which workloads will be migrated and in
what order. Organizations should also decide on their preferred
cloud architecture and identify any necessary modifications to their
existing applications or data. This phase is also the time to address
any compliance or security requirements related to the migration.
In this stage it is important to assess your environment and
determine the factors that will govern the migration, such as critical
application data, legacy data, and application interoperability. It is
also necessary to determine your reliance on data: do you have data
that needs to be resynced regularly, data compliance requirements to
meet, or non-critical data that can possibly be migrated during the
first few passes of the migration?
Determining these requirements will help identify which data needs
to be migrated and when, if the data needs any scrubbing, the kind
of destination volumes to use, and whether you’ll need encryption of
the data both at rest and in transit.

3. Migrate

The migrate phase is where the actual process of moving data,

applications, and other workloads to the cloud occurs. This phase
can involve a variety of techniques, including lift-and-shift (moving
an application to the cloud without modification), refactoring
(modifying an application to take advantage of cloud-native features),
or even completely rebuilding applications. Migrations should be
carefully monitored to ensure they are proceeding as planned and
that any issues are promptly addressed.
Data migration is a critical part of this process. If your data becomes
inaccessible to users during a migration, you risk impacting your
business operations. The same is true as you continue to sync and
update your systems after the initial migration takes place. Every
workload element individually migrated should be proven to work in
the new environment before migrating another element. You’ll also
need to find a way to synchronize changes that are made to the
source data while the migration is ongoing.

4. Operate

Once workloads have been successfully migrated to the cloud,

organizations enter the operate phase. This phase involves the
management of workloads in the cloud environment, including
monitoring performance, managing resources, and maintaining
security and compliance. During this phase, organizations should
continue to refine their operations based on feedback and
performance data, making necessary adjustments to optimize cloud
operations.
Apart from real-time monitoring, you should also assess the security
of data stored in the cloud to ensure that working in your new
environment meets regulatory compliance laws such as HIPAA and
GDPR.
Another consideration to keep in mind is meeting ongoing
performance and availability benchmarks to ensure your RPO and
RTO objectives should they change.

5. Optimize

The final phase of the cloud migration process is optimization. In

this phase, organizations look for ways to improve the performance
and efficiency of their cloud environment. This can involve refining
cloud operations, identifying opportunities for cost savings, and
implementing cloud-native features or services to enhance
performance. The optimization phase is ongoing, as organizations
continually look for ways to improve their cloud operations and drive
greater business value.

2. How do you quote the challenges of cloud security to

protect the business data?

Ans: Cloud security presents several challenges that organizations

must address to protect their business and sensitive data. Here are
some key challenges associated with cloud security:

1. Data Protection and Privacy: Protecting sensitive data and ensuring

privacy is a significant concern in the cloud. Organizations need to
implement robust encryption measures, access controls, and data
classification to safeguard data both in transit and at rest.

2. Identity and Access Management: Managing user identities and

access to cloud resources can be challenging. Ensuring strong
authentication measures, implementing multi-factor authentication,
and managing privileged access rights are crucial to prevent
unauthorized access and data breaches.

3. Cloud Provider Security: Relying on cloud service providers

introduces the challenge of trusting third-party security controls.
Organizations should thoroughly assess the security practices,
certifications, and compliance standards of their cloud providers.

4. Compliance and Regulatory Requirements: Meeting compliance and

regulatory requirements in the cloud can be complex. Organizations
must ensure that their cloud infrastructure and processes adhere to
these standards. They should work closely with cloud providers to
understand their compliance capabilities and obtain necessary
assurances.

5. Data Loss and Leakage Prevention: Cloud environments introduce

the risk of data loss or leakage due to misconfigurations, unauthorized
access, or malicious activities. Robust data loss prevention (DLP)
measures, intrusion detection and prevention systems (IDPS), and
security monitoring tools are essential to detect and mitigate these
risks.

6. Cloud Account Hijacking: Unauthorized access to cloud accounts

can lead to significant security breaches. Organizations need to
implement strong authentication mechanisms, regularly update
passwords, and monitor account activity for suspicious behaviour.

7. Cloud Service Configuration and Security: Misconfigured cloud

services can create vulnerabilities and expose sensitive data. It is
essential to follow cloud provider best practices, conduct regular
security assessments, and continuously monitor and update
configurations to ensure a secure environment.

8. Incident Response and Forensics: Developing an effective incident

response plan specific to cloud environments is critical. Organizations
must establish protocols for detecting, investigating, and responding
to security incidents promptly.