FAQ: Cloud

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Your tech questions answered by peers and other trusted voices. Have a question about cloud computing? Send to submissions@itworld.com.

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What kind of access controls to cloud servers are important?

Posted Mar 25, 2011 - 08:00 am

One place that the cloud vendors are still playing catch up to the mainframe computing world has to do with security policies and access controls. In many cases, access is an all-or-nothing proposition.
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How fast must an Internet pipeline be to support cloud-based applications?

Posted Mar 24, 2011 - 07:45 pm

Any cloud-based installation is going to be adding traffic across your Internet connection, so it is important to ensure that you have purchased enough bandwidth and it can handle the peak loads when your cloud applications will be sending data to your own network.
How does a cloud provider keep track of failed server instances?

Posted Feb 07, 2011 - 04:16 pm

When shopping for a cloud provider, find out how it keeps track of failed server instances, and ask how long it takes for them to respond, fix, and notify you of outages.
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Is it important to be able to automatically provision new servers with your cloud provider?

Posted Feb 02, 2011 - 08:06 pm

The CTO of Town and Country, Mo.-based cloud hosting provider Savvis Bryan Doerr talks about how automation can play a critical role in how secure a cloud can be. "We can automatically provision stuff quickly, but what we can't do is make decisions quickly. How long it will take me to add capacity to this app?
How do I know how much of my cloud infrastructure is redundant?

Posted Jan 19, 2011 - 04:34 pm

Most cloud providers offer to automatically protect your data by running independent and geographically distinct data centers, so that your infrastructure will remain running even if one of their data centers fails. Read more for the complete answer to this question ...
How do you add additional storage to your server in a cloud environment, and are there any limitations?

Posted Jan 11, 2011 - 10:00 am

Generally, this is a relatively simple operation: you power down the virtual server and click on a few buttons to increase its disk storage or to attach a new disk drive to the machine. Some providers place limits on overall disk storage but allow you to add multiple disks to your server. If you are dealing with very large data sets it is worth checking what the specifics are here.
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How do you add additional storage space to your server in a cloud environment?

Posted Jan 10, 2011 - 11:51 am

Generally, this is a relatively simple operation. You should also be mindful of any limitations on the size of the disk space added. Read more for the complete answer to this question ...
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- Networking, cloud faq
How easy it is to clone a new server in a cloud environment and what steps are involved to do so?

Posted Jan 04, 2011 - 04:34 pm

With most providers, it is relatively easy to clone a virtual server to use as the starting point for other servers, after all, that is what cloud computing is all about. It generally takes a few minutes and just a few clicks of the mouse to get a duplicate machine powered up. Read more for the complete answer to this question ...
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- Networking, cloud faq
Do you have to pay for a virtual PC instance and the resources it consumes whether it is running or not?

Posted Jan 04, 2011 - 04:27 pm

All cloud computing providers charge by the drink, by the glass, and by the bar stool if you want to continue the analogy. What this means is that just about anything and everything has an associated cost to it -- the number of CPUs per server, the amount of RAM and disk storage, external IP addresses, software and OS licenses, network bandwidth, and so forth. Read more for the complete answer to this question ...
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What ready-to-use OS templates are available for installing a cloud provider's servers?

Posted Jan 04, 2011 - 04:18 pm

With some providers, you must set up a new server from scratch and use the ISO or installation DVD and upload it across the Internet. With others, they come with pre-made barebones OS templates to get you started. Read more for the complete answer to this question ...
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