white paper make your app ready for virtualization cluster and private cloud

8/4/2019 White Paper Make Your App Ready for Virtualization Cluster and Private Cloud

1/7

CeTris GmbH Rigistrasse 158 CH-6340 Baar Schweiz Tel. 041-511 75 10 oder 079-307 33 05 [email protected] www.cetris.ch

Manfred Jehle

CEO

CeTris GmbH

Make your App ready for virtualization, cluster andprivate cloudSummaryIn this article I want to show you the possible steps to go towards virtualization

keeping in mind private cloud computing. A case out of my current and past pro-

jects, where Im involved as system analyzer and architect, will serve as example.

One cornerstone is the building of a virtual environment with your application

and the evolving strategy to implement this same application into a private cloud.

And dont forget: security is the magic word between public and private cloud!

Current thinkingThe process of building applications has not changed over the last 10 years for

many companies. Number of applications I coached in the past were built 5 to 10

years ago. The application thinking at this period was coined by considering PCs

and Servers as standalone machines. The biggest improvement was to connect

several machines to a farm. But each server in the farm has its own function as

host database or web server. Additionally the farm hosts some web services

which are used by several applications installed on servers or PCs. That is the

world of existing applications and all marketing activities to sell applications are

based on arguments combined for this kind of installation.

Therefore many applications are multi tier built and in the past they used com-

munication channels based on named pipes or TCP/IP communications. Not so

many architects used web services or REST services in the past because the appli-

cations were built before the web service hype initiated.

Many arguments for technologies or programming languages are based on appli-

cations built in the last 10 years. So we have the myth of JAVA as an operating

system independent programming language and web service as an universalcommunication channel.

Many applications and systems I have seen are based on this thinking in combi-

nation with the common information technology myths.

The binding of an applicationThere are many custom made applications which are close to the operating sys-

tem or which use hardware near additions. This can be a SIP hardware card, an


2/7


USB hardware client or a simple heterogeneous protocol client. The application is

strictly bound to the environment. It cant be virtualized? In case of such a struc-

ture it is clear that the focus is based on this kind of thinking!ExampleI have an example which explains the binding of applications. This example is

based on solutions and would like to show you that also mixed environments can

be virtualized and added to a cloud.

Example one: Data loggerThis application is a gatherer for data registered by thousands of hardware

boxes. Each box delivers periodically the stored data to the data gatherer. The

collecting process must be fast and the data has to be stored in a database.

The multi tier application is split to various servers. Namely a database server

and a load balanced web server and an application server. The load in the appli-

cation layer is shared. But in case of high database traffic, the load balancing of

the application server is on odds the bottleneck is the traffic rate of the data-

base. This happens in case of data mining processes. The data flow is continuous

and the mass of data in-

creases. The thinking is

blocked on the n-tier architec-

ture. All application parts will

fit into the layers and finally we

get a huge application with a

lot of functionalities bound to

it. Some architects cut through

all layers vertically and get

smaller, handier applications.

But the communication be-

tween the cake pieces is not

defined and mostly not solved.

What can virtualization do for this application?Now virtualization can balance the load on different servers. Additionally we can

change the structure of data logging at the same time. The splitting of logging

and data mining gives us a new possibility to dispose parts to other server loca-

tions. Like a satellite which has a predefined activity and stays in contact with its

ground control. What is forgotten mostly is the communication way. I have seen

in many projects that the communication architecture is limited to a half duplex


3/7


communication. In fact it is

necessary to have a full du-

plex communication with each

satellite. Only in such an en-

vironment it is possible to

split data, steering and con-

figuring data flows. This al-

lows us to remotely configure

a satellite. Additionally we get

small application parts which

we can trim for speed and the

given functionality.

Next steps to the private cloud the step to the dynamic load balancingThe next step is to grow into a private cloud. The preparatory work to move to a

private cloud is done. The important condition part is done to get small handy

applications. In this step we think about virtual layers. What does that mean?

We are able to move all database parts to a virtual layer with the assignment of

persistent store data. We can go further and build a separate database private

cloud layer for the data mining. The bottom of the system is now virtualized and

bound to two private clouds. Data collection and data mining is separated and

can be considered separately

in the pure virtual environ-

ment.

In the private cloud we are

flexible to balance the load

and that makes it unneces-

sary to hold all the data col-

lector databases ready. The

final part is to move all appli-cation parts into a private

cloud environment. At the

end we have lean load bal-

anceable collector parts, a

load balanceable database layer and also a load balanceable data mining part.

The splitting into three private clouds allows the biggest flexibility for this sys-

tem.


4/7


SummaryConfigurations, temporary and persistent data and configuration sharingA mandatory reflection is to be clear, what the difference between configurations

is, for temporary and persistent data. The simplest part is the persistent data.

Mostly it is built with a relational or XML database system and encapsulated in

itself. In the virtual environment it is no problem to move this part to a virtual

layer. To go further to the private cloud it is also simple to place this virtual layer

in a private cloud environment.

The second part is the configuration data section. In the virtual environment it

has to be placed close to the application in the file system of the virtual operat-

ing system. In a private cloud environment we have no file system in the kind of

an operating file system. The file system itself is a private cloud environment andallows different storage types for data. For configuration data you can use a

name key pair private cloud file system. Finally it is possible to share the con-

figuration data very easy in the private cloud.

For temporary data it is quite simple to store it in the file system in the virtual

environment. In the private cloud you have the same problems as you have with

the configuration data. But for temporary data you need maybe another private

cloud file system part. Additionally you can share this data in the private cloud

with other application instances.

Lean hardware bindingWe have seen that all systems which use hardware close parts are not so easy to

move to a virtual environment. In detail it is necessary to ensure the access to

the PCI cards or any such hardware component. In fact it is possible that your

used server hardware BIOS is not able to virtualize the PCI card or your virtual-

ization software does not have this option.

The secure way in any case is to encapsulate the PCI functionality in an applica-

tion with a REST interface. You can run this part on the host operating system as

a service and now you have access from any virtual environment you like.

Changes in mindWe have seen that the thinking for virtual environments has changed fundamen-

tally. It is nice to think in layers and functionalities but you need additional

thinking hats. These two examples show you the base thinking direction. If you

move now your system to a virtual system, keep in mind, the next possible step

is to get a flexible load balanceable system in a private cloud! Do everything to

keep the different application parts as lean as possible and add to all parts a full


5/7


duplex communication. Thats one of the best ways to make changes come true.

Another part is do not mix systems with different requests. That means dont

pack applications with different requirements and for different business solutions

on the same system. If you move to private cloud environments you have to keep

the overview over all application instances and the load balancing of your appli-

cation.

Myth arguments for virtualization?Virtualization is cheap! That is not true dont forget the license for any oper-

ating system or use open source operating systems. But that is another question

and will change a lot in your environment!

You get more power with virtualization no but you are able to handle the re-

sources in another way. You are able to define the minimum and maximum avail-able resources for a virtual environment and thats an enormous advantage.

You get the better overview of your business applications yes and no if in the

past you had a mix of business applications installed on the same server you are

now able to sort out your applications and you can build a structured environ-

ment for your business applications. But not in case you make the same mistake

as before and mix several business applications together. In this case you just

wasted your time!

It is easy to maintain yes but its up to you to keep a healthy system.

Virtualization image instead of installationOne of the biggest efforts in a virtual environment is the fact, that you can build

your base installation and reuse this image as a base for a new virtual instance.

Its easy to backup and to build in short time your new virtual environment.

Security is the magic word between the public and private cloudIn the most cases of virtualized systems the security is no question as long as the

virtual server runs in your server farm. If you outsource the service to a provider,

then it is a question. Mostly the service agreement does not include any para-

graph about the security provisions that the provider will provide. The provider

gives you no compensation if an employee of the provider sells your secure data!

You have to make all your system parts so secure, that in any case stolen data

cant be read or it needs more effort to decrypt your secure data. One of the sim-

plest steps is to encrypt delicate data directly in the database or in the xml file.

Mostly this enforces the cost to decrypt your data and make your data less attrac-

tive to stealing.

Now we make the step into the cloud world. The consideration is the same but


6/7


7/7


tobedefinedforusageinvirtualenvironmentsandforprivateclouds.

PrivatecloudAtthemomentitisnoteasytobuildarealprivatecloud.Someserversoftwarevendors

dont

support

real

private

clouds!

That

makes

it

not

easy

to

build

such

feature

driven

ap

plicationsbutwiththehelpofCeTrisLtd.youcantakethenextstepandbereadyfor

theprivatecloudenvironmentasitisreadytouse.

Manfred Jehle has over 25 years experience in computer science. In different po-

sitions he got deep insight to various aspects of information technology. As CEO

of CeTris Ltd. he has responsibility for the system concepts of all CeTris prod-

ucts and the corresponding customer projects. By collaboration in the realization

and coding he acquires again and again practical experiences, which are incorpo-

rated automatically into future concepts. Manfred Jehle has many years of practi-

cal experience in conceiving, production and application of services from and

within different environments. He developed many practical solutions, which are

often neglected in theoretical views. For all his solutions the user friendliness is a

top priority. The appropriate technical solutions are oriented to the architectures,

which comprehend already in an early stage future possible changes. He is author

of various white papers of CeTris Ltd. and various scientific papers like: Use of

services within Web applications , published at Object Spectrum online-Ausgabe,

SOA 2008 Contact: Manfred Jehle, CeTris Ltd, Switzerland

[email protected], www.cetris.ch

2010 Manfred Jehle, full copyright, no excerpts with or without indication of

source, neither the whole text may be used without permission by Manfred Jehle.

white paper make your app ready for virtualization cluster and private cloud

Documents