Own Cloud and Open Stack Cloud Computing: Strength and Weaknesses Report (Assessment)

Introduction

A cloud platform is a hardware which has an operating system of a server within an internet-based data infrastructure. It allows hardware and software products to exist dependently at a scale. There are several cloud computing models, each working perfectly for different users. Generally, the models allow organizations to develop cloud-native, build and test applications to store, back up, and recover data (Aery, 2018). Examples of cloud platforms are Open Stack and Own Cloud; each have different applications and limitations in the Cloud computing realm. Open Stack is an exemplary cloud computing system controlling massive storage and networking infrastructure at the data centers (Lima, Rocha, & Roque, 2017). Cloud operating system is managed via dashboards which give administrators full control of the system while empowering multiple users by availing resources via the web interface. Own Cloud is a personal, unique open-source file server allowing secure collaboration, sharing, and storage of files (Naranjo, Prieto, Moltó, & Calatrava, 2019). Cloud platforms play significant roles in an organization using different configuration procedures and guidelines.

Strengths of Open Stack Platform

The advantages of the open stack platform include:

• Allowing orchestration – Platforms without access to orchestration remain stagnated in a confined environment. Orchestration is a comprehensive program providing the required infrastructure depending on certain application necessities, such as multi-tier support.
• Enabling faster innovation – The platform’s structure allows self-service operations offering individuals better opportunities to access and enhance IT through development and experiments of new ideas.
• Promoting resource utilization and scalability – Users can spin down and spin up servers easily, thus, offering a wider degree of scalability. If a department experiences a reduction in the demand for IT resources, certain computing resources can be redirected to other departments which are in need.
• Open source – Openness allows users to create a sophisticated software data center by modifying cloud Application Programming Interface (API). This aids in enhancing subsystem usage and integration of computing resources.

Weaknesses of Open Stack Platform

• The platform takes longer to be implemented because it requires a sharp learning curve. When training new staff on using the platform, the learning process might take time before the staff fully implement knowledge and skills learned.
• Open Stack platform lacks the mechanism to support and accommodate out-of-box incorporation. For instance, if an IT department decides to integrate hybrid cloud technology into their infrastructure, the department will experience challenges since the APIs of Open Stack do not allow out-of-box amalgamation with a number of public clouds (Ahmed et al., 2017). Also, the integration process requires heavy investments to accommodate solutions for certain tasks.
• Open Stack lacks real leadership and talents; this is a significant demerit since chief information officers need to have a prior arrangement to reduce and eliminate future perils by selecting appropriate vendors and solutions.

Strengths of Own Cloud Platform

The advantages of Own Cloud Platform include:

• Cost-effectiveness – Personal clouds are cheap when the user is applying relevant software. However, moving the Cloud to individual hardware might be costly, but the operational expense is effective once the initial charge has been settled.
• Data Security – One of the strengths of operating a personal cloud platform comes from its being fully managed by the owner. The owner of the platform is solely responsible for its confidentiality and data security.
• Full and better control – When relying on a third party to control and manage a cloud platform, there is no full control of the platform by a particular individual. However, Own Cloud allows the particular user to exercise full control of the platform hence enhancing management of other groups and fostering security.
• High synchronization speed – There have been challenges in the speed of syncing when using third-party platforms due to massive usage and heavy files. In business, low syncing speed is unacceptable since workflow should enjoy immediacy. When using Own Cloud, the sync speed is guaranteed since the data pipe feeding the internal network is managed and controlled by the owner.

Weaknesses of Own Cloud

• The more files an individual possesses, the slower the platforms get due to massive data. Controlling and accessing files within Own Cloud sometimes is cumbersome due to the kind of information the owner manages.
• Accessing photography assets in Own Cloud is sometimes slower compared to Google Drive and Dropbox. The platform has limited access when viewing online photography assets and videos by default.
• The conflicts of sync are automatically displayed in the client/owner application, but the user has to resolve them manually.
• The platform requires the owner to manage the entire infrastructure, back-ups, software updates, security issues since it’s self-hosted.

Migration Management Guidelines

Own Cloud Migration Procedures

• Launch the own cloud client and allow syncing to occur in the non-cloud server. Syncing helps to ensure all data in a non-cloud server is transferred to the local storage system.
• After the synchronization process, deploy the “Account Remove” option and click the removal button to clear the connection with the non-cloud server.
• Close the non-cloud desktop client
• Log into the own cloud server using a web browser.
• On the left navigation taskbar, pick the “All files” icon, then choose all the files folder, and then delete it.
• Launch the recipient own cloud client again
• Build a connection to the launched own cloud server. When an option to configure a local storage server pops, sync all files from the local server and maintain/ keep local information.
• Click the connect icon and then finish by saving the settings.

After saving the settings, the own cloud client will connect to the non-cloud platform then synchronize the data in the local storage with the own cloud server. After the synchronization process, the Own Cloud platform will contain the same data as the initial local non-cloud storage platform (Wang, Zhou, Liu, & Bhuiyan, 2019). Therefore, the user can decommission the original local storage platform and use the Own Cloud platform.

Management of Migration Procedures to Open Stack

• Develop the migration architect’s role – The migration architect is a system responsible for arranging and completing all the essential aspects needed for the migration steps. Before the migration process begins, there are several management decisions and technical planning to be made.
• Select the level of cloud integration, and it involves either shallow or deep level cloud integration. For the shallow integration, migration entails moving the applications and data from non-cloud to Open Stack with little or no magnificent changes. Deep cloud migration ensures modifications are made to the applications using auto-scaling or dynamic load balancing techniques.
• Select a single provider then migrate the applications to run optimally in the single environment or using a multi-cloud system.
• The management team should then establish the Open Stack key performance indicators (KPIs). The KPIs help the management to assess the successfulness of the non-cloud to Open Stack migration process.
• Prioritize the components of migration – The management has to decide if they will move the entire application instantly or if they will move to the Open Stack component by component. For larger applications, the use of the application performance monitoring approach is recommendable.
• Conduct a refractory setting to enable the applications to work efficiently and effectively in the Open Stack platform for better output.
• Develop a data-moving plan by either using a bi-direction syncing approach or one-way-data synchronization to the Open Stack cloud.

Performing the actual open stack migration requires configuration of the operating system. The migration tools use Cinder, Glance, Nova, Neutron, and Keystone during Open Stack configuration (Sagala & Marlina Hutabarat, 2016). Verification of tenants’ credentials of workloads to be migrated into the Open Stack and the recipient tenant is done to examine their authenticity. Applying the steps and strategies ensures successful migration procedure to open stack cloud computing.

Configuring Own Cloud Platform

A web host supporting PHP5 and MySQL is needed if the user lacks a user domain. Since the configuration process entails tapping into the Own Cloud from the non-Cloud platform, there is a need for a URL. Following are the Own Cloud configuration procedures:

• Download the web installer and save it to the computer.
• Upload the owncloud.php file to the web using the host’s web platform or rather an FTP app.
• Enter URL code of the setup PHP (hypertext preprocessor) file directly into the web browser.
• Installation occurs, and the browser redirects the user to the login page.
• After the installation, open the Own Cloud software and select “configure”.
• Add the login credentials and the URL of Own Cloud.
• Select folders and files requiring syncing, and the files will automatically be uploaded and sync to Own Cloud.

Configuring Open Stack Platform

The following are the procedures when configuring the Open Stack platform:

• Installation of Open Stack clients to manage the Cloud from the line of command.
• Creating the user admin environment – The process allows gaining control of Cloud via the keystone admin password and the root CA credentials.
• Conduct actions as the administrator user and then confirm the user environment – For instance, confirming the admin environment’s correctness is done by querying cloud endpoints.
• Develop an image together with flavor- Images are created by importing a boot picture into Glance to develop server instances, while flavor helps in defining hardware profile specifically for new instances.
• Create public networking, and it is named “Pub-Net,” the setup subnet for the network basing on the local environment.
• Develop the non-admin user platform by using “Domain 1”, “User 1”, and “Project 1” for a domain, user, and project, respectively.
• Perform actions using relevant command lines as the non-admin user, and then set the user environment.
• Conduct a cloud query to verify if the user environment is working accordingly.
• Create private networking called “Network 1” and the corresponding subnet called “Subnet 1”.
• Configure secure shell (SSH) together with security groups, then develop and access an instance.

Conclusion

Cloud computing is the current technology facilitating sophisticated storage systems and computing platforms without the user’s direct management. Actually, various data centers are available to multiple users through the internet. Learned lessons entail the understanding of various cloud computing models and their applications. Precisely, Open Stack and Own Cloud platforms are among the significant platforms with various computing world applications. Amongst the merits of Open Stack learned, the platform allows innovation and proper resource utilization in an organization. Own Cloud facilitates data security, and it is cost-effective regardless of challenges such as low speed in syncing due to massive data being managed by the owner. The two platforms have unique configuration procedures operating in different environments. Cloud computing is a continuous discipline of research to help IT developers and users minimize the perils of internal outages.

References

Aery, M. (2018). Cloud computing introduction [PDF document].

Ahmed, H. A. S., Ali, M. H., Kadhum, L. M., Zolkipli, M. F., & Alsariera, Y. A. (2017). A review of challenges and security risks of cloud computing. Journal of Telecommunication, Electronic and Computer Engineering (JTEC), 9(1-2), 87-91.

Lima, S., Rocha, Á., & Roque, L. (2017). An overview of OpenStack architecture: A message queuing services node. Cluster Computing, 22(3), 7087-7098.

Naranjo, D., Prieto, J., Moltó, G., & Calatrava, A. (2019). A visual dashboard to track learning analytics for educational cloud computing. Sensors, 19(13), 1-15.

Sagala, A., & Marlina Hutabarat, R. (2016). Private cloud storage using openstack with simple network architecture. Indonesian Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 4(1), 155. Web.

Wang, T., Zhou, J., Liu, A., & Bhuiyan, Z. (2019). Fog-based computing and storage offloading for data synchronization in IoT. IEEE Internet of Things Journal 6(3), 4272-4282.