Main Topic 2: Cloud Infrastructure Virtualization and Containers: Concepts and Comparison: • Virtualization: Virtualization is a technology that allows multiple virtual instances,... Main Topic 2: Cloud Infrastructure Virtualization and Containers: Concepts and Comparison: • Virtualization: Virtualization is a technology that allows multiple virtual instances, such as virtual machines (VMs), to run on a single physical server. It abstracts hardware resources, enabling efficient utilization and isolation between VMs. Each VM operates independently, with its own operating system and applications. • Hypervisor: also known as a virtual machine monitor (VMM), is a software or hardware component that enables the creation and management of virtual machines (VMs) on a physical server. It acts as an intermediary layer between the physical hardware and the virtualized operating systems and applications running on the VMs. Hypervisors are commonly used in virtualization technologies to maximize the utilization of hardware resources and provide isolation between multiple virtualized environments. There are two primary types of hypervisors: • Type 1 Hypervisor (Bare-Metal Hypervisor): Type 1 hypervisors run directly on the physical hardware without the need for a host operating system. They are highly efficient and offer better performance because they have direct access to the hardware resources. Examples of Type 1 hypervisors include VMware vSphere/ESXi, Microsoft Hyper-V, and KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine). • Type 2 Hypervisor (Hosted Hypervisor): Type 2 hypervisors run on top of a host operating system. They are often used for development, testing, or scenarios where performance is not the primary concern. Type 2 hypervisors are easier to set up but may have some performance overhead. Examples of Type 2 hypervisors include Oracle VirtualBox and VMware Workstation. Hypervisors provide several key functions and benefits: • Virtualization: Hypervisors allow multiple virtual machines to run on a single physical server, sharing its computing resources like CPU, memory, storage, and networking. • Isolation: Each virtual machine operates independently, providing strong isolation between VMs. This isolation ensures that issues in one VM do not affect others. • Resource Allocation: Hypervisors manage the allocation of physical resources to VMs, ensuring fair distribution and efficient utilization. • Snapshotting: Hypervisors often offer snapshot functionality, allowing you to capture the current state of a virtual machine. Snapshots can be used for backup, testing, or recovery purposes. • Live Migration: Some advanced hypervisors support live migration, allowing VMs to be moved from one physical host to another with minimal downtime. • Containers: Containers are lightweight, portable, and isolated environments for running applications. They package an application along with its dependencies, libraries, and runtime into a single container image. Containers share the host operating system kernel, making them more resource-efficient than VMs. They provide consistency in development and deployment environments. Networking in the Cloud: Virtual Networks, Subnets, Security Groups: • Virtual Networks (VPCs): Virtual Networks are isolated, customizable, and logically segmented network environments within cloud service providers. They provide a private network space where cloud resources can communicate securely. • Subnets: Subnets are subdivisions of virtual networks, enabling further organization and control over IP address ranges. Subnets are used to group resources and apply security and routing rules. • Security Groups: Security Groups are virtual firewalls that control inbound and outbound traffic to cloud resources. They use rule-based access control to define which traffic is allowed and denied, enhancing the security of cloud resources. eW91cg== Storage Options: Object, Block, File Storage: • Object Storage: Object Storage is a data storage architecture that stores data as objects, each with its unique identifier and metadata. It is highly scalable, durable, and ideal for storing unstructured data like images, videos, and documents. Examples include AWS S3 and Azure Blob Storage. • Block Storage: Block Storage provides raw storage volumes that can be attached to virtual machines. It offers high-performance storage suitable for applications, databases, and file systems. Block storage volumes are typically managed as individual blocks. Examples include AWS EBS and Azure Disk Storage. • File Storage: File Storage offers network-attached storage with shared file systems accessible by multiple virtual machines. It's suitable for scenarios where multiple instances need to access the same files and collaborate. Examples include AWS EFS and Azure File Storage. Compute Resources: Virtual Machines, Serverless Computing: • Virtual Machines (VMs): Virtual Machines are virtualized servers that emulate physical computers. They allow running multiple operating systems on a single physical server, providing flexibility, isolation, and compatibility with various software and operating systems. • Serverless Computing: Serverless Computing is a cloud computing model where cloud providers automatically manage infrastructure, allowing developers to focus solely on writing code for their applications. It's event-driven and scales automatically in response to triggers, without the need for manual provisioning or server management. Managing Resources with Infrastructure as Code (IaC): • Infrastructure as Code (IaC): Infrastructure as Code is a practice of defining and managing infrastructure elements, such as servers, networks, and databases, using code and automation. IaC tools and scripts enable the provisioning, configuration, and management of cloud resources through code, enhancing repeatability, consistency, and collaboration in infrastructure management. Read more