Tomi DolencJernej PorentaArnesinfo@arnes.siTF-MSP, Heraklion19-20. 9. 2011

User‘s Needs in the Cloud

Outline

• Before: virtual server hosting• After: „clouds“• How & why• User‘s needs• Is our judgement clouded?• Relation towards commercial clouds

Virtual server hosting @ Arnes

• “Guest virtual servers” - GVS• Typical VPS • Linux/Apache/MySQL stack • 1 CPU / 512Mb / 30GB• Packages: full (root access), partial (user access), closed (web based

access)• (Virtuozzo, ~100 VPS/server)

• Covers typical needs of user organizations:• Website (CMS)• LMS (mostly for schools)• Any other web based apps

• Support:• Helpdesk 10/5• Full VPS backup

Extended needs

• More disk space• More memory• Different platform (MS Windows)• Example:

• Specific software• Digital archives

Arnes clouds 2011

• Goal: enable tailored hosting for VIU + beyond

• Project started late 2010• Planned features

• VM Hosting• Storage

Arnes clouds 2011: VM hosting

• Solutions tested• OpenNebula• Eucalyptus• Ganeti

• Planned: • 10 physical servers• small/medium/large VM• total user control

Arnes clouds 2011: VM hosting

• Implemented – pilot phase:• 3 physical servers (will extend to 10)• Ganeti• Web managed VMs

• Production: late 2011

Arnes clouds 2011: Storage

• Started Q2 2011• Planned: iSCSI access to >1TB space• Pilot phase:

• Started in May • Tests were OK

• Production: October 2011

Future

• Translate to “true cloud”• Implementation: OpenStack• Dynamic provisioning• Advanced user needs:

• Temporary computing power• API interface

Future

• Extend resources• Additional physical servers• Additional storage

• Additional features• Predefined templates• Extended support (?)

• Use private cloud for our needs

Is our judgement clouded?

• Going “cloud” looks appealing• First step not difficult• Marketing the buzz• Keeping with the IT development trends

• Who needs it?• ROI?• Legal aspect?

Assesment of user‘s needs

• Only through selected interviews/personal contact• Users interested in anything that’s free• Very important: know & trust your provider

• Feedback from the pilot:• Happy with the support• Want more (sky’s the limit)

Resource allocation

• No charges Policy very important!• Internal user segmentation• Save enough for VIU needs• Maintain the helpful face

• Will they use flexible CPU/storage (“true cloud”)?

Planning the resources

• Make sure the € is well spent• Flexible resource allocation• Add more as you go and let users ask

for your € • Plan B: share/relocate to grid/HPC

• (can consume pretty much everything)

Legal aspect

• Hosting personal data Signing MxN contracts?

• Our Information Officer is currently looking into European practices, we are trying to find how it works in reality

• What’s your model?

MITM to public clouds

• Universities outsource email to the cloud (only students)

• Google & MS not very interested in us• Universities slow in adopting AAI• VDI for schools?

• Tempting but expensive• Companies reluctant to partner with

NREN

Your experience or good/bad practice?

(CC) Blackandecker/Flickr.