China Unicom to set first International cloud computing framework Standard

Recently, ITU-T, a standardization organization in the field of telecommunications, officially unveiled the standard "Y.3501-cloud computing framework and high-level requirements" (cloud computing framework and high-level requirements), led by China Unicom, on its official homepage. Aroused the strong reaction of the industry. This is not only the first standard in the ITU-T Cloud computing y.3500 series standard, but also the international first cloud computing framework standard, and it is an important milestone in the cloud computing standardization process. In order to further understand the standard content as well as the implementation of the landing, this reporter exclusive interview with China Unicom Research Institute platform and Cloud Computing Center Director Zhang Yunyong postdoctoral.


strategically

The
y.3501 Standard first accurately describes the cloud computing framework and high-level requirements. Before this standard, the world does not have a global framework for cloud computing standards. Zhang Yunyong said the y.3501 standard defines the cloud computing framework by clarifying the high-level requirements of cloud computing and, in strict accordance with the application case, pulls out the standardized sequence of requirements to identify the network as a service (NaaS), infrastructure as a service (IaaS), desktop as a service (DaaS), and interconnected cloud ( Inter-cloud), End-to-end Cloud Resource management, cloud infrastructure, and several major cloud computing services and resource applications and high-level requirements.


Zhang Yunyong summed up the three major characteristics of this standard: first of all, this is a framework of standards, the existing mainstream cloud business model, cloud deployment and development of the form of a clear definition, for the future of cloud computing in various areas of technical standards for the development of a solid foundation; second, it's cloud resource management, cloud infrastructure, The important components of cloud computing, such as interconnected cloud, are comprehensively systematic carding and definition; Finally, this standard has a strong landing, although this standard does not exhaust all aspects of cloud computing, but it is very enlightening to the deployment and implementation of cloud computing systems, in practice, China Unicom's own cloud computing, The Intelligent City project has played a very good guiding role. Zhang Yunyong said that China Unicom will do its utmost to promote the implementation of this standard as the goal of establishing an industrial ecosystem as soon as possible.


Master the right of discourse


whether in the field of it or CT, who has mastered the standard, who can have more power of speech. China Unicom led the development of y.3501 can become international standards, not only for China Unicom in the cloud computing accumulation and full affirmation of the strength, but also the development of China's cloud computing industry a major breakthrough.


Zhang Yunyong recalled that Chinese enterprises to participate in the formulation of international standards has a development process: the first stage is mainly to learn foreign advanced experience, contribute some technical documents; the second phase, Huawei, ZTE and other a group of powerful Chinese enterprises began to join the International Organization for Standardization and held important positions, More participation in the development of international standards; in the third stage, the operators, represented by China Unicom, realized the importance of relying on technology to realize differentiated competition, focused on the research and development of standards, made great efforts in cultivating and reserving technical talents, and issued their own voice in the process of setting GB standard.


from 2009 onwards, China Unicom company leaders, technology departments, research institutes and other relevant departments attach great importance to the new technology of international standards of discourse, in the formulation of cloud computing related standards began exerting force, formed a Cheng, such as more than 10 cloud standard research team, not only joined the main cloud computing standardization Organization, Fully participate in the establishment of standards, but also to achieve the enterprise standards, industry standards and international standards of linkage. According to statistics, China Communications Standardization Association (CCSA) of the standards established by China Unicom alone to lead or joint project standards have more than 50, accounting for CCSA cloud computing 50% of the number of projects. At the international level, China Unicom has ranked first among all Chinese operators and manufacturers in the number of ITU-T cloud computing contributions for several years.


abandoned "cloud chimney"


Cloud computing was just emerging, there was debate in the industry about whether the cloud needed standards. With the gradual deepening of cloud computing application, blind construction of cloud data center, heavy hardware application and poor interconnection of cloud are becoming more and more important. Without standard, cloud computing industry will be difficult to achieve standardization, health and large-scale development.


more and more domestic cloud computing projects gradually landing. For example, China Unicom, its own public cloud, private cloud, intelligent city and other projects have landed. "The standard is very important for our landed cloud computing project. "Cloud computing must be built on an open, open source architecture," Zhang Yunyong said. Now, many companies still use the traditional bidding and delivery model, which will only make a large number of "it chimney" into the "cloud chimney", rather than the requirements of the cloud as the implementation of the system and application of the level of expansion. "China Unicom is fully aware of this and has taken a step forward in setting corporate standards, and has developed 79 business specifications for cloud computing in the last 3 years." These norms are developed on the basis of extensive and in-depth research on the needs of industry as well as enterprise users, and incorporate some of the ideas of China Unicom Wayun, whose core idea is open source.


Cloud computing standards are required, but the standard should also be weighed, not only in line with the needs of the top design, to ensure interoperability and openness, but also to achieve research and production linkage, to absorb the reasonable needs of all aspects. "Closure and openness are a pair of contradictions," Zhang Yunyong said. Closed-closed enterprises, may produce high efficiency, but not easy to build industrial chain, not conducive to the development of the entire industry. Therefore, in the formulation of cloud computing standards, the industry needs to better control high-level demand, the enterprise norms and then abstract, the essence into international standards. ”


China Unicom Wayun is based on OpenStack, MySQL database, open source cloud storage and other construction. "We just selectively cut and customize these open-source technologies and feed the results back to the open source community." "Zhang Yunyong said.


Cloud as Rain

The
y.3501 standard is not at the academic level, it can serve as a practical guide to cloud Computing's landing. "One of the major features of y.3501 is the clear definition of business needs. "Zhang Yunyong said," This standard absorbs the Wayun design essence, but it is also a common standard, to enterprise, government, telecommunication operator's private cloud, public cloud construction all has the guiding function. ”


Cloud computing standards can not rely on the promotion of a particular enterprise, but must rely on the entire industry chain of collaboration. The China Cloud Industry Alliance, launched by China Unicom in conjunction with 13 other companies, released the white Paper on cloud computing technology and industry in December 2012. In addition to China Unicom, companies involved in writing this white paper include Baidu, Alibaba and Beihang University, which are the first companies to apply for cloud computing. Their incorporation of practical experience makes the white paper more useful.


"The promotion of cloud computing standards should play the power of the entire industry, the realization of research and production linkage." "Zhang Yunyong again," The practice of cloud computing must follow the principles of open source and openness, otherwise the effect of cloud application will be greatly reduced. ”


　　Talking about the main difficulties of the current cloud landing in China, Zhang Yunyong summed up the following two points. First, people are not fully aware of cloud computing, although the industry layout, importance and significance of cloud computing have a certain understanding, but also to go through a step-by-step and unified understanding of the process, in some of the core issues more to unity and understanding, such as cloud computing and large data intrinsic relationship. Second, how cloud computing lands. Zhang Yunyong that cloud computing is a big challenge for operators, both in terms of technology and talent. In the research and practice of cloud computing, operators compared to internet companies started late, and operators existing projects still have to go through the traditional feasibility study, project, review, approval and other stages, a project deployment cycle of a short period of six months, a long year, this and cloud computing the essential requirements do not match. In addition, the ability to master Sdn, PaaS, data analysis and mining and other aspects of knowledge of professional talent gap is very large, which to a certain extent also limits the cloud computing, large data and other projects landing.