Cloud Analytics Final Study Guide

What is Cloud Computing?

The delivery of computing resources to a remote customer over a network.

Give an example of Cloud Computing.

Web-based Email, Building servers in AWS, Running Scripts in Salesforce, Using a LLM.

What is the NIST definition of Cloud Computing?

A model for enabling ubiquitous, convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computer resources.

What is meant by 'pay-per-use' in Cloud Computing?

An approach where services are paid for based on actual usage, similar to electricity consumption.

List one characteristic of Cloud Computing.

On-demand self-service.

What does 'Rapid Elasticity' mean in Cloud Computing?

The ability to dynamically add or remove computing resources based on demand.

What are Cloud Workloads?

Types of computing activities in business processes suitable for the cloud environment.

Name a strategy for cloud adoption.

Cloud First or Cloud Native.

What is a Transactional Database?

A database that supports the operational needs of a business, optimized for reading and writing.

What is a Data Warehouse?

A database optimized for reading that supports the analytic needs of the business.

What is Object Storage?

Storage of files as individual objects managed by the cloud service provider, such as Amazon S3.

What is Block Storage?

Storage that allocates a large chunk of storage for accessing a disk volume managed by the operating system.

What is a Type 1 Hypervisor?

A hypervisor that runs directly on the physical hardware and is more efficient than a Type 2 Hypervisor.

What are the core building blocks of computing systems?

Storage, Memory, Processor, Network.

How does a web server function in the client/server model?

A web server processes requests from clients and serves web pages over the internet.

What role does a Security Group play in cloud computing?

It controls inbound and outbound traffic to resources in the cloud.

What does 'Measured Service' refer to in Cloud Computing?

The ability to monitor and control usage of cloud resources, ensuring billing is based on actual consumption.

What is the function of Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2)?

To provide virtualized servers in the cloud.

What is the significance of the phrase 'everything fails all the time' in cloud computing?

It emphasizes the need for resilience and redundancy in cloud architectures.

How does the client/server model relate to a restaurant analogy?

The client is the customer, the server is the kitchen, and the network is the waiter delivering requests.

What is the role of a Mail Server in cloud services?

To handle and manage email communications.

What is a Data Store in the context of cloud computing?

A storage solution where data is retrieved for processing requests.

What is the difference between a Type 1 and Type 2 Hypervisor?

Type 1 runs directly on hardware, while Type 2 runs on top of an existing operating system.

What does 'Cloud Native' mean?

An approach to building and running applications that exploit the advantages of cloud computing.

What is the purpose of a Firewall in cloud computing?

To block unwanted network traffic based on explicit rules.

What is the role of the CPU in cloud computing?

It processes instructions and performs calculations for applications running on cloud servers.

What does 'Broad Network Access' mean in Cloud Computing?

Resources are accessible over the network through standard mechanisms that promote use across various platforms.

What is a Virtual Private Cloud (VPC)?

A VPC is a cloud equivalent of a Virtual LAN (VLAN) used to separate systems of differing security levels.

What is the primary purpose of virtualization in cloud computing?

To achieve greater efficiency and value from fixed resources by allowing multiple virtual machines to run on a single physical server.

What are the essential characteristics of cloud computing?

On-demand self-service, broad network access, resource pooling, rapid elasticity, and measured service.

What does IaaS stand for and what does it provide?

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) provides access to basic building blocks like compute, storage, and networking.

What is the customer's responsibility in an IaaS model?

The customer manages the data, application, and operating system.

What does PaaS stand for and what does it enable?

Platform as a Service (PaaS) enables customers to deploy applications on the provider's infrastructure.

What is the customer's responsibility in a PaaS model?

The customer manages the data and application, while the vendor manages the OS, hardware, and data center.

What does SaaS stand for and what does it offer?

Software as a Service (SaaS) offers customers access to fully functioning applications operated by the provider.

What is the customer's responsibility in a SaaS model?

The customer retains responsibility for the data, while the vendor manages the application, OS, hardware, and data center.

What is the shared responsibility model in cloud services?

It divides operational responsibility between the customer and vendor, with the customer always responsible for data.

What is one major use case for cloud computing?

Disaster recovery, as it allows organizations to leverage best-of-breed tools for infrastructure management.

Who are the Big Three cloud providers?

Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform (GCP).

What is a key advantage of AWS?

AWS is recognized for its breadth and innovation of services and has a significant market share.

What is a key advantage of Microsoft Azure?

Azure benefits from a large existing customer base and licensing advantages for organizations using Windows.

What is a key feature of Google Cloud Platform?

GCP is known for its strong analytics capabilities.

What is the difference between block storage and object storage?

Block storage allocates storage as disk volumes managed by the OS, while object storage stores files as individual objects and is typically less expensive.

What does rapid elasticity mean in cloud computing?

It refers to the ability of cloud systems to dynamically adjust computing power up or down based on demand.

What are some cloud adoption strategies?

Development and test environments, batch processing, burst capacity, cloud-first, cloud-native, and disaster recovery.

What is the role of virtualization in public cloud capacity?

It enables essentially infinite capacity by allowing multiple logical computers to run on a single physical server.

What are the performance limitations of on-premises systems?

Routine queries can take 3 minutes or longer, and complex investigations may take 6 hours or never complete.

What is a significant disadvantage of on-premises systems?

Hardware procurement requires a 30- to 45-day lead time, complicating capacity forecasting.

What is the cost model of public cloud services?

The cost model is pay-per-use with metered monthly billing, requiring no long-term capital commitment.

What is the primary advantage of cloud computing for organizations?

It allows organizations to focus on indexing and specialized analytics rather than infrastructure maintenance.

What is multitenancy in the context of public cloud?

Multitenancy is a distinguishing characteristic of the public cloud where multiple customers share the same infrastructure.

What is the role of cloud networking?

Cloud networking is highly virtualized and uses VPCs to separate systems with different security levels.

What is the rationale for using cloud computing?

To leverage the scalability, flexibility, and cost-effectiveness of cloud resources compared to traditional on-premises solutions.

What is one primary use case for cloud computing?

Disaster recovery

What skepticism did traditionalists have about cloud computing?

Concerns about reliability and security

What major industry was slow to adopt cloud computing due to security concerns?

The financial industry

What event highlighted the need for change in cloud computing practices?

The Flash Crash investigation

What are common impediments to cloud computing adoption?

Security, privacy, regulatory concerns, skepticism, cultural resistance, and lack of expertise

In what scenario might cloud computing not be ideal?

Extremely low latency requirements

What is a concern regarding the cost of cloud computing?

Running large, costly instances continuously

What is Elastic Block Storage (EBS)?

AWS service that provides the cloud equivalent of physical hard drives.

What does Amazon S3 stand for?

Amazon Simple Storage Service

What is the purpose of S3 Glacier?

Cost-effective long-term storage with longer retrieval times.

What is the durability rating of S3 Object Storage?

Highly durable storage ('Eleven Nines')

What does 'Five Nines' of durability mean?

99.999% availability translates to 5.26 minutes of downtime per year.

What are the roles of servers in cloud computing?

Web server, application server, database server, mail server, file server

What is a burstable instance in cloud computing?

A virtualized server designed to build up CPU credits for peak usage.

What is the significance of IP addresses in cloud computing?

They guide traffic to the correct destination in network connectivity.

What is the billing model for EBS?

Customers pay for what they provision, not what they use.

What is the billing model for S3?

Customers pay only for the storage that they actually use.

What is the maximum size of a Yottabyte?

1,000 Zettabytes

What is the purpose of S3 Versioning?

To maintain prior copies of an object after a new one is uploaded.

What is a common use for AWS Snowmobile?

Large-scale data transfer for quantities up to 100 Petabytes.

What are the storage concerns associated with cloud computing?

Costs, accessibility, durability, geographic diversity, privacy

What is the primary function of a Database Server?

To manage and provide access to databases.

What is a major advantage of cloud storage?

The declining cost of storage enables the use of analytical systems on massive datasets.

What is the unique aspect of S3 buckets?

Each bucket must have a globally unique name.

What is the purpose of EBS snapshots?

To preserve backups of drive contents stored in S3.

What principle do Security Groups in network security operate on?

The Implicit Deny Principle (anything not explicitly allowed is blocked).

What is the purpose of Elastic Block Store (EBS) in AWS?

EBS provides disk volumes for cloud servers to store their state.

How do you connect to Windows servers in AWS?

Using Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) with the Administrator password retrieved from the AWS console.

What protocol is typically used to connect to Linux servers?

Secure Shell (SSH).

What happens when you start a server instance?

It boots the instance up.

What is the difference between stopping and terminating a server instance?

Stopping shuts down the server but saves its state; terminating destroys it irrevocably.

What do EBS snapshots contain?

A copy of all data stored on a disk image.

What is an Amazon Machine Image (AMI)?

An AMI provides a snapshot of a server that specifies the operating system and serves as a starting point for new servers.

What is the function of AWS CloudWatch?

CloudWatch is a set of monitoring tools for reviewing performance metrics for CPU, disk, and networking.

How are EC2 instance costs calculated?

EC2 instances are charged at an hourly rate, assuming continuous operation throughout the month.

What is a data lake?

A repository of data stored in its original form, ranging from structured to unstructured data.

What does PaaS stand for in cloud services?

Platform as a Service.

What is an example of a SaaS application in AWS?

AWS QuickSight.

What is the function of Athena in AWS?

An interactive query service that allows SQL queries on data stored in data lakes (S3).

What is SageMaker used for?

A cloud-based machine learning service for developing and deploying AI models.

What is the cost model for Athena based on?

The data volume queried and S3 storage consumption.

What is the Medallion Model in data lakes?

A model for managing data with Bronze for raw data, Silver for cleaned data, and Gold for aggregated data.

What is the main advantage of using managed services like AWS RDS?

They simplify the creation and management of database servers.

What is the risk of leaving SageMaker instances running?

It can become costly if instances are not properly shut down.

What does the term 'Query as a Service' refer to?

Using Athena to access data in S3 without needing a database engine.

What is the role of Cloud Analytics in cloud computing?

To provide tools and services for analyzing data stored in the cloud.

What is the significance of database normalization in transactional databases?

It reduces consistency issues by organizing data efficiently.