China Mobile IT Support cloud methodology: Technology promotes system change

In the last article, we introduced the background and latest progress of China Mobile's IT support cloud construction in detail, and we will give you a detailed introduction to the methodology and the evolution path of Chinese mobile in this article. (Extended reading: China Mobile IT Support cloud: pooling work has been carried out)

That is, through the standardization and customization of hardware, the standardization and templating of software, to realize the cloud transformation of the existing IT system, and gradually migrate the workload on the traditional platform to the cloud platform; by consolidating across applications and across management domains, a centralized it cloud with admin domains and application domains is created to achieve higher reliability, Resource utilization and scalability, while achieving rapid business deployment and flexible response.

Resource pool construction and cloud process

There is no doubt that through resource pool construction, IT system resources sharing and on demand, this is the front-end work in the overall cloud process.

"The construction of the resource pool system, we are generally divided into four levels: the first level is the physical resource pool, including servers, storage, network equipment, such as infrastructure, how to effectively build; the second level is the resource capacity layer, on the basis of infrastructure, how to manage the resources, Enable it to be more effectively released; The third level is the resource abstraction layer, which is mainly to realize the management configuration, the higher level is the interface layer, through the provision of the low-level capabilities, using the unified interface layer to transform these capabilities into applications. "Zhang Tongji said.

Before we implement the cloud, we first need to make a multifaceted assessment. "Now a lot of applications are running on the X86 system, but we still have to wonder whether this is the best choice, in the replacement of the platform, the necessity and rationality is not there;" In http://www.aliyun.com/zixun/aggregation/12445.html "> Business requirements, to achieve real business application load and IT capability matching, otherwise the effect will be greatly reduced, in terms of security, also need to cost accounting." ”

"From the cloud of the migration process, our principle is simple after the complex, first deal with the heterogeneous platform migration, the other priority to security, and our business to allocate the first independent of the virtual child resource pool, through the test evaluation, and then the corresponding migration." ”

Faced with four challenges, many tenants are the first

In Zhang Tongji's view, the overall cloud of IT support will bring many advantages, but this is not smooth sailing, "in fact, we also face some key technical problems, need to be gradually overcome." ”

The first is a multi-tenant problem, in the guarantee of data isolation with users, the premise of how to share the same system or program formation, the technology itself is very clear, but in the actual application process, there may be a corresponding problem.

Next is the networking problem, after the resource pool virtualization is implemented, how to use the enhanced two-tier or sophomore-level technology to realize the linkage management of virtual machine migration, "This involves the virtualization of the server, the expansion of the application, the expansion of the physical space, as well as network-level VLAN division planning and Networking, Storage networking solutions. ”

The third is how to achieve efficient storage, at present, we have to target different types of data, using different ways to be able to achieve efficient storage. The fourth aspect is security, including security policies, security threats, and security controls, especially under a multi-tenant environment, where security isolation between different users and between groups is a big problem.

The implication: technology is the catalyst for institutional change

As we all know, for operators, cloud computing is not only a new technology, the more important aspect is for the management system, operation and maintenance management, system construction flow and so on, also must carry on the corresponding transformation.

"Therefore, we say that the impact of cloud computing is essentially the need for the organization of IT management systems and processes to change the process, so the impact on the development of enterprise IT systems is very far-reaching, from the current operators of the situation, then to break the chimney-style construction mode, Adjustments need to be made in the settings of the appropriate management department. "Zhang Tongji said.

In addition to changes in architecture and processes, IT support cloud application development model also faces the problem, "we can see the existing IT system, each system from the application to the hardware are fully integrated, each system includes the corresponding hardware platform, operating system, database application, management security, etc. But it has nothing to do with each other. Under the cloud environment, we must use the standardized hardware and the development platform to carry on the corresponding development application, for such system to carry on the unified operation maintenance and the security aspect management, the pattern change is still very big. ”

As for the operation and management of cloud platform, Zhang Tongji suggested that we should set up a centralized and specialized cloud platform management team, realize the unified management operation and maintenance, and provide users with cloud service according to the service level agreement.

"The cloud of carrier IT support systems, should be said to be able to break the island, to achieve resource sharing dynamic adjustment, so as to improve the utilization of resources, reduce construction costs, to improve operational efficiency, reduce operational costs, but also to build new resource planning usage patterns, improve the agility of deployment, improve scalability, In order to enhance the fast and responsive capabilities of the business, the cloud of the support system is also a way for current operators to cope with the technological and managerial changes in the development of competitive innovation. "Tong must conclude.

(Responsible editor: The good of the Legacy)