FAQ: Cloud
by ITworld Answers
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What kind of access controls to cloud servers are important?

One place that the cloud vendors are still playing catch up to the mainframe computing world has to do with security policies and access …
How fast must an Internet pipeline be to support cloud-based applications?

Any cloud-based installation is going to be adding traffic across your Internet connection, so it is important to ensure that you have …
How does a cloud provider keep track of failed server instances?

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, …
Is it important to be able to automatically provision new servers with your cloud provider?

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 do I know how much of my cloud infrastructure is redundant?

Most cloud providers offer to automatically protect your data by running independent and geographically distinct data centers, so that …
How do you add additional storage to your server in a cloud environment, and are there any limitations?

Generally, this is a relatively simple operation: you power down the virtual server and click on a few buttons to increase its disk …
How do you add additional storage space to your server in a cloud environment?

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

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 …
Do you have to pay for a virtual PC instance and the resources it consumes whether it is running or not?

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 …
What types of remote connections are available to access cloud resources at an offsite provider’s data center?

There are at least three different ways, and chances are you might need all three for doing different tasks, such as populating a database …

What ready-to-use OS templates are available for installing a cloud provider's servers?

By ITworld Answers

January 04, 2011, 3:18 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. If you need a specific 64-bit Windows server, or a different version of Linux than your provider has in mind, it is worth checking and see what is offered. Here are screenshots from some typical offerings.

Cloudshare has this nice rotating display showing its available server configuration templates.

Amazon has five quick start templates that include four different Linux servers and one Windows Server configuration. There are thousands more templates (what Amazon called Machine Images) that are more specific that have been created by the open source users of its service that are available to share.