Cloud Computing : Architecture
Hey guys !!! i hope everyone is clear with the overview on cloud computing ,which i had already discussed in my previous blog. Our entire discussion on cloud computing will not end until and unless we discuss about the architectures and the technical side of this system. So, without wasting much time on “bakwasss” lets begin our discussion on the architecture of cloud computing.
Cloud architecture, the systems architecture of the software systems involved in the delivery of cloud computing, typically involves multiple cloud components communicating with each other over a loose coupling mechanism such as a messaging queue. When talking about a cloud computing system, it’s helpful to divide it into two sections:
1. The Front End or the Intercloud:
The front end includes the client’s computer (or computer network) and the application required to access the cloud computing system. Not all cloud computing systems have the same user interface. Services like Web-based e-mail programs leverage existing Web browsers like Internet Explorer or Firefox. Other systems have unique applications that provide network access to clients.
Cloud Computing Architecture
2. The Back End or The Cloud Engineering :
On the back end of the system are the various computers, servers and data storage systems that create the “cloud” of computing services. In theory, a cloud computing system could include practically any computer program you can imagine, from data processing to video games. Usually, each application will have its own dedicated server.
[N.B: Cloud engineering is the application of engineering disciplines to cloud computing. It brings a systematic approach to the high level concerns of commercialisation, standardisation, and governance in conceiving, developing, operating and maintaining cloud computing systems. It is a multidisciplinary method encompassing contributions from diverse areas such as systems, software, web, performance, information, security, platform, risk, and quality engineering.]
If a cloud computing company has a lot of clients, there’s likely to be a high demand for a lot of storage space. Some companies require hundreds of digital storage devices. Cloud computing systems need at least twice the number of storage devices it requires to keep all its clients’ information stored. That’s because these devices, like all computers, occasionally break down. A cloud computing system must make a copy of all its clients’ information and store it on other devices. The copies enable the central server to access backup machines to retrieve data that otherwise would be unreachable. Making copies of data as a backup is called Redundancy.
The architecture of cloud is evolving rapidly. Hopefully in the upcoming future of computing we can say “we build our home in the cloud”. There are also many issues such as privacy, data maintenance, etc, but still there are loads of advantages too. We will discuss it in the later blogs. Stay tuned for more !!!
Cloud Computing : Overview
I guess everyone is now all aware of the cloud computing. Its been on news everywhere in all the IT sectors of the world. Its been in huge demand these days and is also said to change the entire computer industry. So, now the question still stays – What is Cloud computing ?? [only for those who dont know about it]. Lets me state the basic overview about cloud computing !!!
The term “cloud” is used as a metaphor for the Internet, based on the cloud drawing used in the past to represent the telephone network, and later to depict the Internet in computer network diagrams as an abstraction of the underlying infrastructure it represents.Cloud computing is a natural evolution of the widespread adoption of virtualisation, service-oriented architecture, autonomic, and utility computing. Details are abstracted from end-users, who no longer have need for expertise in, or control over, the technology infrastructure “in the cloud” that supports them.
Let’s say you’re an executive at a large corporation. Your particular responsibilities include making sure that all of your employees have the right hardware and software they need to do their jobs. Buying computers for everyone isn’t enough — you also have to purchase software or software licenses to give employees the tools they require. Whenever you have a new hire, you have to buy more software or make sure your current software license allows another user. It’s so stressful that you find it difficult to go to sleep on your huge pile of money every night. And this is where the concept of Cloud computing come into play.
Now all you need to do is just to load only one application instead of installing a suite of software for each computer. That application would allow workers to log into a Web-based service which hosts all the programs the user would need for his or her job. Remote machines owned by another company would run everything from e-mail to word processing to complex data analysis programs. This is what CLOUD COMPUTING is all about.
In a cloud computing system, there’s a significant workload shift. Local computers no longer have to do all the heavy lifting when it comes to running applications. The network of computers that make up the cloud handles them instead. Hardware and software demands on the user’s side decrease. The only thing the user’s computer needs to be able to run is the cloud computing system’s interface software, which can be as simple as a Web browser, and the cloud’s network takes care of the rest.
If you guys are still wondering, just take another simple example of Gmail accounts that is provided by Google. Instead of running an e-mail program on your computer, you log in to a Web e-mail account remotely. The software and storage for your account doesn’t exist on your computer — it’s on the service’s computer cloud.
Cloud computing is all the rage. “It’s become the phrase du jour,” says Gartner senior analyst Ben Pring.
Hence my small overview about cloud computing is over. I guess soon i will be able to provide you with more details about this new phenomenon.
Automation testing contd
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This type of testing tests individual application objects or methods in an isolated environment. It verifies the smallest unit of the application to ensure the correct structure and the defined operations. Unit testing is the most efficient and effective means to detect defects or bugs. The testing tools are capable of creating unit test scripts.
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This testing is to evaluate proper functioning of the integrated modules (objects, methods) that make up a subsystem. The focus of integration testing is on cross-functional tests rather than on unit tests within one module. Available testing tools usually provide gateways to create stubs and mock objects for this test.
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System testing should be executed as soon as an integrated set of modules has been assembled to form the application. System testing verifies the product by testing the application in the integrated system environment.
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Regression testing ensures that code modification, bug correction, and any postproduction activities have not introduced any additional bugs into the previously tested code. This test often reuses the test scripts created for unit and integration testing. Software testing tools offer harnesses to manage these test scripts and schedule the regression testing.
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Usability testing ensures that the presentation, data flow, and general ergonomics of the application meet the requirements of the intended users. This testing phase is critical to attract and keep customers. Usually, manual testing methods are inevitable for this purpose.
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Stress testing makes sure that the features of the software and hardware continue to function correctly under a predesigned set and volume of test scenarios. The purpose of stress testing is to ensure that the system can hold and operate efficiently under different load conditions. Thus, the possible hardware platforms, operating systems, and other applications used by the customers should be considered for this testing phase.
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Performance testing measures the response times of the systems to complete a task and the efficiency of the algorithms under varied conditions. Therefore, performance testing also takes into consideration the possible hardware platforms, operating systems, and other applications used by the customers.
MicroStrategy Architecture
MicroStrategy has the following 3 types of architecture:
- 2-Tier Architecture
In 2-tier architecture, the MicroStrategy Desktop itself queries against the Data warehouse and the Metadata without the Intermediate tier of the Intelligence server.
- 3-Tier Architecture
The 3-Tier architecture comprises an Intelligence server between MicroStrategy Desktop and the data Warehouse and the Metadata.
- 4-Tier Architecture
The 4-tier architecture is same as 3-tier except it has an additional component of MicroStrategy Web.
MicroStrategy Intelligence Server
Before we get into the bits and pieces of MicroStrategy Architecture, we need to know a little bit of Intelligence Server. MicroStrategy Intelligence Server™ is an analytical server that is optimized for enterprise querying and reporting as well as OLAP analysis. It processes report requests from all users of the MicroStrategy Business Intelligence platform through windows, web, and wireless interfaces. These reports range from simple performance indicators such as quarterly sales by product, to sophisticated hypothesis testing using a chi-square test. The results are then returned to the users, who can further interact with the data and run more reports. Folloiwng are the benefits of the Intelligence Server:
Features:
Dynamic SQL Generation: MicroStrategy Intelligence Server stores information about the database tables in metadata. MicroStrategy Intelligence Server uses this metadata to generate optimized SQL for the database. Because the metadata is schema independent, these reports, queries and analyses are generated from your current physical schema without any modifications.
Advanced Caching: MicroStrategy Intelligence Server caches all user requests. Not only are reports cached, but the individual report pages requested by users are also cached. As a result, no redundant processing occurs on the MicroStrategy Intelligence Server or on the database.
Built-in Software-level Clustering and Failover: MicroStrategy Intelligence Server lets you cluster many different individual servers together without any additional software or hardware components. Built-in failover support ensures that if a server experiences a hardware failure, the remaining MicroStrategy Intelligence Servers will pick up failed jobs.
Integrated Aggregations, OLAP, Financial and Statistical Analysis: MicroStrategy Intelligence Server provides simple analysis such as basic performance indicators, as well as more sophisticated analyses such as market basket, churn, retention and deciling analyses. Other analyses include hypothesis testing, regressions, extrapolations and bond calculations.
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