[Cialug] cloud computing

[Matthew Nuzum]

The cloud model is a logical next-step from virtualization. If you
have 4 servers and 10 virtual machines you still have a great
potential for resource underutilization. If you migrate to a cloud
based scheme where your applications can pool the resources of all the
servers combined and use what they need (according to enforced limits)
even if that exceeds the resources of one server, you can get more
value from your hardware.

The problems with this are two fold:

 #1 ISVs and legacy app vendors (even in-house developers) haven't
jumped on board, that's probably because
 #2 Who wants to go back to paying by the hour for your server usage?
In some cases this is a great way to get going fast but if you have to
go through a bunch of hoops to get developer access to machines it
slows adoption.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13846_3-10169249-62.html is an interesting
article explaining how things are about to change.

Ubuntu 9.04 is reported to include a toolkit that allows you to create
your own amazon api compatible cloud in-house. You can use the same
tools you would use to deploy and provision resources in the Amazon
Elastic Compute Cloud but there will be no per hour / per MB fee. For
developer access this means you could take a couple underutilized
servers and for $0 build an environment where you can install and test
your networked applications.

This will make the cloud available to a larger audience and soon #1
will turn around.

So who's going to be the first in the Des Moines area with their own
cloud? I only have one server to play with so it wouldn't make much of
a cloud. :-)

-- 
Matthew Nuzum
newz2000 on freenode, skype, linkedin, identi.ca and twitter