Cloud Computing Flashcards
What does “high availability” mean in the context of cloud services?
It means cloud services are highly reliable, with minimal downtime, often measured in uptime percentage (e.g., 99.999% equals just over 5 minutes of downtime annually).
What is the difference between vertical and horizontal scalability?
Vertical scaling adds more power to existing servers, while horizontal scaling adds more servers to distribute the load.
What is “elasticity” in cloud computing?
Elasticity refers to the ability of cloud resources to automatically scale up or down based on demand, allowing for cost-effectiveness during fluctuating workloads.
How does metered utilization work in cloud computing?
It is a pay-per-use model where customers are billed based on actual resource usage, like storage, data transfer, or connections.
What is meant by “shared resources” in the cloud?
Cloud infrastructure uses pooled resources shared across multiple customers, optimizing costs.
What is file synchronization in cloud computing?
File synchronization automatically updates files across all connected devices, ensuring consistency and accessibility.
What is a public cloud?
A public cloud is a cloud environment provided over the internet by third-party providers like AWS and Microsoft Azure, offering scalable and cost-effective solutions but with less control over security.
What are the benefits and challenges of a private cloud?
A private cloud offers greater security and control but is more expensive and harder to manage.
What is a hybrid cloud?
A hybrid cloud combines private and public clouds, offering flexibility but requiring strict governance over data access and location.
What is a community cloud?
A community cloud is shared by multiple organizations with similar needs, offering cost-sharing but potentially facing security challenges due to varying standards.
What is the difference between on-premise and hosted solutions?
On-premise solutions are hosted within an organization’s facility with more control but higher costs, while hosted solutions are outsourced to third-party providers like AWS or Azure, offering cost-effective and scalable options.
What does SaaS (Software as a Service) provide?
SaaS delivers fully managed applications hosted by the provider, such as Google Workspace and Microsoft 365, with minimal user management.
What is PaaS (Platform as a Service)?
PaaS provides managed hardware and software infrastructure, allowing users to develop and run applications without managing the underlying infrastructure.
What is IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service)?
IaaS provides basic IT resources like servers, storage, and networking, where users manage operating systems and applications.
What is VDI (Virtual Desktop Infrastructure)?
VDI is a cloud-based solution where desktop environments are hosted on centralized servers, providing device independence and centralized management.
What is DaaS (Desktop as a Service)?
DaaS is a cloud-based service that hosts virtual desktops for users, reducing the need for internal IT management.
What are the challenges and benefits of VDI?
VDI offers device independence and reduces hardware needs but relies heavily on network connectivity and is vulnerable to server outages.
What is the difference between centralized VDI and remote virtual desktops?
Centralized VDI hosts virtual desktops internally for tighter security, while remote virtual desktops store the desktop image locally, allowing offline work.
What is cloud storage?
Cloud storage provides online file storage that can be accessed from multiple devices, offering scalability and ease of sharing.
How does file synchronization work in cloud storage?
Changes made to a file on one device are automatically updated across all devices connected to the cloud storage service.
What is a Content Delivery Network (CDN)?
A CDN uses a network of distributed servers to quickly deliver frequently accessed content, reducing latency and improving access speeds.
What are the components of SDN?
The components include:
1. Application Layer: Interfaces with network services.
2. Control Layer: Manages routing, prioritization, and security.
3. Infrastructure Layer: Physical/virtual devices that implement data flow.
4. Management Plane: Monitors and configures network conditions.
What are the advantages of SDN?
SDN provides flexibility, scalability, and automation, especially in cloud environments, making it easier to manage large, dynamic networks.
What are the challenges of SDN?
SDN can be complex and heavily dependent on the central control layer, which may cause network stability issues if the control layer fails.
