Cloud Standards: Agreements That Hold Together Clouds

Cloud computing is often described as providing computing resources the way electric utilities provide energy. In theory, anyone with an adequate connection to the Internet should be able to tap into a cloud provider and get exactly the computing resources they want when they want it, just like plugging into the electricity grid and getting exactly the energy you want when you want it. But to get that electricity, there are many standards: voltage, frequency, phase, motors constructed in standard ways—there is a long list; there is an equally long list for cloud computing. Many of the standards are already in place. Others are being developed; some in contention.

Cloud Standards is a broad discussion of important existing and future standards. For existing standards, the discussion focuses on how they are used, providing practical advice to engineers constructing clouds and services to be deployed on clouds. For future standards, the discussion is on why a standard is needed, what the benefits will be, and what is being done now to fill the gap. No current book provides this information in the depth and detail necessary for an engineer in his work, an architect in designing cloud systems, a product manager collecting and evaluating products, or an executive evaluating the feasibility of a project. A second benefit from this book is that it provides insight into cloud implementations. Cloud implementations can be seen as the culmination of many trends in software and hardware engineering. Much of the foundation for these developments have been crystallized in the form of standards like TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) and HTTP (Hypertext Transmission Protocol). The book leads readers to understand how these contribute to and affect cloud implementations.

Unfortunately, emerging standards are often messy. Cloud implementers may need to choose between competing proposed standards. Sometimes it is better to reject the standard entirely and "roll your own." This book provides background for intelligent decisions.

Keeping a cloud, or an application implemented on a cloud, running well requires careful tuning of the implementation. Tuning often involves adjusting controls that are in the standard or applying the standard in less well-known ways. This book is an aid in tuning cloud systems for maximum benefits.

What you’ll learn

• A reader should take away the ability to identify the appropriate standards to apply in all aspects of cloud implementations and the design and construction of software to be deployed on the cloud.
• Users will learn how to apply the standards once they are identified, and the strengths of specific standards.
• Since standards are at the foundation of many aspects of cloud computing, readers will also gain a greater understanding of how the cloud works, as well as its strengths and vulnerabilities.

About the Author

Marvin Waschke is a senior principal software architect at CA Technologies. His career has spanned the mainframe to the cloud. He began his study of computer science as a mathematics major at the University of Chicago. His interest shifted to Chinese history and philosophy, but eventually he returned to computers at the beginning of the distributed era in computing. Since then he has coded, designed, and managed the development of many systems, ranging through accounting, cell tower management, enterprise service desks, configuration management, and network management.

For his entire career, he has maintained an interest in the role of standards in the development of computing and has served on numerous standards groups. He represents CA Technologies on the the DMTF Cloud Management Working Group, DMTF Open Virtualization Format Working Group, DMTF Common Information Model REST Interface Working Group, OASIS Topology and Orchestration Specification for Cloud Applications (TOSCA) Technical Committee, DMTF Cloud Auditing Data Federation Working Group (observer), DMTF Configuration Database Federation Working Group, W3C Service Modeling Language Working Group, and OASIS OData Technical Committee (observer).

He is the editor-in-chief of the CA Technology Exchange (an online technical journal), and he designed, coded, and managed the development of the CA Service Desk Manager product.