Cloud Computing and Networking Architecture

Flashcards covering cloud computing concepts, service delivery models (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS), network protocols, web servers, and cloud security based on lecture notes.

What is the definition of the cloud?

The elastic leasing of pooled computer resources over the Internet.

What are the three distinct computing eras identified in the lecture, and when did each occur?

The MainFrame Era ($1960\text{s} - 1980\text{s}$), The Client-Server Era ($1990\text{s} - 2000\text{s}$), and The Cloud Computing Era ($2008 - \text{Current}$).

What does the term "elastic" mean in cloud computing?

Leased computing resources can be increased or decreased dynamically, programmatically, in a short span of time, and organisations pay only for the resources they use.

Why are cloud computing resources described as "pooled"?

Many different organisations use the same physical hardware, sharing it through virtualisation.

What market share of the cloud computing market does Amazon hold, and how many active corporate customers does it have?

Amazon holds a $34\%$ market share with over a million active corporate customers.

Under what specific condition does moving to the cloud not make sense for an organisation?

When law or standard industry practice requires physical control or possession of data (e.g., financial institutions that are legally required to maintain physical control over their data).

In the "Transportation as a Service" analogy shown, which car option corresponds to each cloud service delivery model?

Build a Car corresponds to Traditional On-Premises, Buy a Car corresponds to Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Rent a Car corresponds to Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Take a Taxi corresponds to Software as a Service (SaaS).

What is Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)?

The most basic cloud offering, which consists of cloud hosting of a bare server computer, data storage, network, and virtualisation.

What components does the vendor provide in Platform as a Service (PaaS)?

Hosted computers with an operating system, a runtime environment, and middleware like a Web server or a DBMS.

What is Software as a Service (SaaS)?

A cloud service model that provides hardware infrastructure, an operating system, application programs, and databases.

According to the cloud service stack diagram, which layers are managed by the user versus the vendor in Platform as a Service (PaaS)?

The user manages Applications and Data, while the vendor manages Runtime, Middleware, OS, Virtualization, Servers, Storage, and Network.

What is a Content Delivery Network (CDN), and what type of content does it typically handle?

A specialized system that stores user data across many geographic locations and makes data available on demand to minimize latency; it is typically used for content that is seldom changed.

What are the six listed benefits of Content Delivery Networks (CDNs)?

Decreased, even guaranteed, load time; reduced load on origin server; increased reliability; protection from DoS attacks; reduced delivery costs for mobile users; and pay as you go.

How do communications equipment speed units differ from computer memory size units?

Communications speeds are expressed in bits using base-$10$ metric units ($K = 1{,}000$, $M = 1{,}000{,}000$, $G = 1{,}000{,}000{,}000$), whereas memory sizes are expressed in bytes using base-$2$ binary units ($1{,}024$).

What are the key characteristics of the IEEE 802.3 protocol?

It is the wired LAN protocol known as Ethernet, supporting speeds such as $10/100/1000\,\text{Mbps}$, with speeds up to $2.5$, $5$, or $10\,\text{Gbps}$ possible on wired LANs.

What is the IEEE 802.11 standard, and what speed can 802.11 ax achieve?

It is the wireless LAN (Wi-Fi) standard, and 802.11 ax can achieve speeds of up to $9.6\,\text{Gbps}$.

What is the designed purpose of Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)?

It is designed for reduced power consumption and the periodic exchange of small amounts of data.

What are the three important functions of an Internet Service Provider (ISP)?

1. Provides a legitimate Internet address; 2. Provides a gateway to the Internet; 3. Pays access fees and other charges to telecoms.

In the comparison between the Postal System and the Internet, what are the Internet equivalents for: Package, Person's name, Phone book, Mailing address, Registered Mail, and Airlines/Airports?

Package = Packet; Person's name = Domain name (e.g., www.BigBank.com); Phone book = DNS; Mailing address = IP address (e.g., 10.84.8.154); Registered Mail = TCP; Airlines/Airports = Carriers (e.g., Sprint Corp.) / Routers.

How do IPv4 and IPv6 differ in notation and address space?

IPv4 uses dotted decimal notation (e.g., $137.190.8.10$) and provides about $4\,\text{billion}$ addresses; IPv6 uses hexadecimal notation (e.g., $0:0:0:0:0:\text{ffff}89\text{be}80\text{a}$) and provides $340\,\text{undecillion}$ addresses.

What is the difference between a public IP address and a private IP address?

A public IP address identifies a unique device on the Internet (assigned by ICANN, one per LAN), while a private IP address identifies a device on a private network and its assignment is LAN controlled.

What is a "hop" in network routing?

The movement of a packet from one network to another network.

What is a peering agreement between telecommunication carriers?

An agreement where carriers freely exchange traffic among themselves without paying access fees at Internet Exchange Points (IXP).

What is net neutrality, and what traffic statistic for Netflix was cited to illustrate the bandwidth debate?

Net neutrality requires all data to be treated equally without carriers discriminating against sites, apps, or content; Netflix accounts for more than $40\%$ of all Internet traffic in North America between $9\,\text{pm}$ and $12\,\text{am}$.

What are the three tiers in the three-tier Web architecture?

1. User tier (devices running browsers that request/process web pages); 2. Server tier (computers running web servers and application programs); 3. Database tier (computers running a DBMS that retrieves and stores data).

What is the role of a commerce server in the server tier?

An application program that receives requests via a Web server, obtains product data from a database, manages shopping cart items, and coordinates checkout.

What is Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA), and what role does encapsulation play?

A philosophy defining all interactions as standardized services; encapsulation ensures departments do not need to know internal workings of other departments, allowing internal processes to change without disrupting interactions.

What are the primary differences between XML and JSON for document transmission?

XML includes heavy metadata to validate format and completeness but has high overhead; JSON has minimal metadata, uses JavaScript object formatting, and is preferred for transmitting large volumes of data between servers and browsers.

What type of database service is Amazon Redshift?

A petabyte-scale data warehouse.

What type of database service is Amazon DynamoDB?

A fast and scalable NoSQL database service.

How does a Virtual Private Network (VPN) establish a secure connection over the Internet?

The VPN client encrypts messages, appends the VPN server's IP address, and sends them through a tunnel over the Internet; the VPN server removes the wrapper, decrypts the message, and forwards plain text to the local LAN address.

What is the difference between a public cloud and a private cloud?

A public cloud is an Internet-based service available to anyone, whereas a private cloud is owned and operated by an organisation for its own benefit and located within its private computing infrastructure.

What is a hybrid cloud?

A computing environment that combines both public and private cloud environments, allowing data and applications to be shared across them.

What are remote action systems, and what future examples are predicted for 2034?

Computer-based activity or action performed at a distance; predicted examples include telemedicine, telesurgery, and telelaw enforcement.