what is the difference between virtualization and cloud computing?

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Aug 11, 2010
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I just dont understand why Cloud computing is made out to be something new when virtualization did the same thing? And why are companies opting for a "private cloud", doesnt that defeat the purpose? and how is a private cloud any different from the data centers they already have on their base? This stuff is confusing.
 
The Cloud: You only pay for what you use and you can expand and reduce your available run time on the fly
Virtualisation: Less hardware more servers.
 
The goal of virtualizing servers is not the same goal as cloud computing.
When you virtualize your servers..instead of having a 1:1 ration of server operating sytems to physical servers, you have fewer physical servers (bare metal)..with each one running at least two or more guest virtual instances. The goal of virtualizing is to have less physical servers..regardless of where those servers are located. Commonly those physical servers that are virtualized are still in your office...on your LAN. Less costs for physical hardware, less space, less noise, less heat put out, less electricity consumed. Take a project I'm doing this week....client has 7 physical servers....we're bringing that down to 3 physical servers via VMWare vCenter...2x physical boxes are actually each hosting and running 3x of the Windows servers, with the 3rd physical server running bare metal just to run vCenter.

The goal of cloud computing is to remove physical servers from your office...from your LAN...and host them out on the internet, in some data center. Gone is the need for a server or a bunch of servers at your office..no need to worry about the hardware, battery backups, tape backups, taking backup tapes offsite, hefty maintenance costs of those servers, lower electrical bills, etc. Now we can assume that servers running cloud services are virtualized...yes...but, the goal of cloud computing is still a different goal.
 
The goal of virtualizing servers is not the same goal as cloud computing.
When you virtualize your servers..instead of having a 1:1 ration of server operating sytems to physical servers, you have fewer physical servers (bare metal)..with each one running at least two or more guest virtual instances. The goal of virtualizing is to have less physical servers..regardless of where those servers are located. Commonly those physical servers that are virtualized are still in your office...on your LAN. Less costs for physical hardware, less space, less noise, less heat put out, less electricity consumed. Take a project I'm doing this week....client has 7 physical servers....we're bringing that down to 3 physical servers via VMWare vCenter...2x physical boxes are actually each hosting and running 3x of the Windows servers, with the 3rd physical server running bare metal just to run vCenter.

The goal of cloud computing is to remove physical servers from your office...from your LAN...and host them out on the internet, in some data center. Gone is the need for a server or a bunch of servers at your office..no need to worry about the hardware, battery backups, tape backups, taking backup tapes offsite, hefty maintenance costs of those servers, lower electrical bills, etc. Now we can assume that servers running cloud services are virtualized...yes...but, the goal of cloud computing is still a different goal.

I understood everything until that last line. Isnt the goal the same? less hardware for the client. And cloud couldnt be possible without virtualization tech I think.
 
The cloud will use virtualisation as a component but the cloud is intended to be an almost unlimited amount of runtime and storage that can scale to your needs within a short time frame. You don't have access to the bare metal servers or their config, you just have to worry about the content and service you want to deliver the rest is upto the cloud provider.

You are getting mixed up between a service and solution.

The cloud is a service
VMware is a solution
 
I understood everything until that last line. Isnt the goal the same? less hardware for the client. And cloud couldnt be possible without virtualization tech I think.

Cloud = no need for locally hosted servers at your office....zero server hardware out of your pocket.
Virtualization allows consolidation of servers into less hardware at your office...lowering costs, but not removing..you still have a few steel boxes.

I don't think cloud servers wouldn't be possible without virtualization....they can still do cloud services with 1x server OS per physical box. It just helps the data center a lot...to have virtualization. We had things called "clustering" before virtualizing came along,...where several (or more) physical servers..each running an OS...would share services.
 
I know it's already been explained, but here's super-easy explanation.

Virtualization : Running Multiple Virtual (Non-Physical) server instances on a single Physical Server.

Cloud Computing : Using the resources of One or Many servers (it doesn't matter, and you can't tell, that's what makes it the "cloud") to complete your tasks.


Personally I see virtualization as going against a main point I've always been told about secure hosting with good uptime - minimize the single points of failure. In my network, we won't even have 2 non-critical services hosted on the same hardware, let alone multiple servers. We've gone the opposite direction, and have our core services running on 8 identical system that can all act as all services if required, but load-balance to minimize the potential impact of hardware failure.
 
Cloud Computing: Marketing speak targeted at managers that means...well, pretty much whatever the purchaser thinks it means. Kind of like a good horror flick, it leaves the definition of the scary stuff in the head of everyone who heard it.

My own view of cloud computing is as a SEP ( Somebody else's problem ); someone else worries about the infrastructure, you only worry about the services on top of the infrastructure.
 
I know it's already been explained, but here's super-easy explanation.

Virtualization : Running Multiple Virtual (Non-Physical) server instances on a single Physical Server.

Cloud Computing : Using the resources of One or Many servers (it doesn't matter, and you can't tell, that's what makes it the "cloud") to complete your tasks.


Personally I see virtualization as going against a main point I've always been told about secure hosting with good uptime - minimize the single points of failure. In my network, we won't even have 2 non-critical services hosted on the same hardware, let alone multiple servers. We've gone the opposite direction, and have our core services running on 8 identical system that can all act as all services if required, but load-balance to minimize the potential impact of hardware failure.

This is why you cluster your servers, with tech like vmotion you can failover.
 
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