Shanghai Unicom's approach to cloud computing

August 16, 2010, Shanghai Unicom's Pengpu village, Changning Road, oblique dirt road, such as three business terminals officially switched to "virtual terminal", commonly known as "thin terminal." In spite of the constant stream of visitors to the business, this day is nothing special, the operating counter of the computer monitor or the previous LCD display, replaced by the thin Terminal PC host, as in the past still hidden under the counter, can not see; for the busy still in the business Hall Unicom staff, in the "cloud" On the office and operation is not the same as in the past, the striking can and changes, just the counter PC host is a small box instead.

But in the next six months, Shanghai Unicom's users and staff have gradually realized that the cloud brought unprecedented convenience, business processing efficiency significantly improved, and cloud computing will be released from the huge force, but only drop. For Shanghai Unicom, the entire business, office and management system to the cloud, is their first chapter of the Cloud Blueprint. In the near future, cloud computing will bring more to Shanghai Unicom.

Unveiling cloud computing
　　
October 18, 2010, the Ministry of National Development and Reform Commission issued a dispatch, to determine Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, Wuxi and other five cities as a cloud computing pilot city, triggered the Shenzhen stock market All "cloud" concept stocks round the "trading board."

Since the advent of SaaS in 2000, Amazon's EC2 elastic cloud, IBM's Blue Cloud, Salesforce.com's force.com cloud platform, Google's public cloud ... The new player relay in cloud computing has gradually landed cloud computing from the concept. But the real landing should be counted from 2010, especially in China. This is also true in the eyes of Gartner, a renowned consultancy.

The January 22 of this year, China's cloud computing technology and Industry Alliance was formally established in Beijing, May 21, the launch of the "Big Cloud 1.0" system, October 18, Ministry of National Development and Reform Commission issued a dispatch, to determine Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, Wuxi and other five cities as a cloud computing pilot city; November 29 Huawei launches cloud computing strategy and solutions in Beijing ... After every hot news, the words "cloud" and "cloud" are flooded with the internet and even people's gossip.

Surging, telecom operators are active. For operators, cloud computing is not a new thing, it can be said that the communication network to provide users with voice service mode is a cloud structure of the embryonic--vaas (Voice as a service), with on-demand services to provide the basic characteristics of cloud computing. Therefore, once the cloud computing strategy, operators often understand the essence of the market to take a detour will be less, efficiency will be higher.

The world's leading operators are familiar with the nature of cloud computing services, fully integrate their traditional advantages, especially the strong network base, rich bandwidth capabilities, sophisticated service model and a large user resources, rapid deployment of cloud computing, the introduction of cloud services. In the competition with the IT giants in the cloud computing, the operator's cloud is not behind, on the contrary, the excess momentum has begun to emerge.

China Unicom is no exception. Unicom Group recognized that the cloud computing era is not far away from concept to the speed of proliferation, it is likely to be much faster than the speed of Internet popularization, therefore, we must seize the historical opportunities brought about by cloud computing, the advantages of its own CT services into the full advantage of ICT services. So what is the value of cloud computing for China Unicom?

First of all, with 150 million users, ranked seventh in the world of China Unicom, the large scale of the network means a huge amount of energy consumption, its IT equipment a year power consumption of more than 1.7 billion-kilowatt, electricity to reach 1.5 billion yuan. Using cloud-IaaS technology to cloud the internal IT systems can theoretically increase the utilization of IT equipment from 15% to over 40%, and increase the utilization of it storage from 20% to 60%, resulting in significant energy cuts.

Secondly, China Unicom's original IT support system, the equipment types of complex, isolated systems, IT resources dispersed, restricting the role of information platform. If the introduction of cloud computing technology, the integration of IT systems in the PAAs level, the original system of x86 and minicomputer resources into large-scale pool cluster, can be a powerful support for the implementation of unified data Services.

The most important thing for China Unicom is the value of cloud computing for its future innovative business and business models. Its traditional network advantages, as well as the long-standing experience of providing value-added services for third parties, combined with cloud computing technology, can support the rapid response to emerging new business development, the ability to realize ICT information services open, and the incubation platform to create innovative business.

Accelerate the pace of the cloud
　　
October 2010, Beijing International Communication Exhibition, China Unicom "Cloud supermarket" opened. Here, users can like to go to the ordinary supermarket to buy things, simple and quick to get the cloud products they want. And to achieve such a desire, simply fill in the amount of CPU, memory, loan, lease and other information, you can intuitively see prices, and can directly submit access to services.

Unicom Group in 2008 to achieve the basis of the virtual pilot, carefully selected locations to explore the cloud computing technology introduction and business expansion of the road: in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hubei and other branches of the VDC (Virtual Data Center) of the pilot, the Hangzhou Unicom call Center for cloud transformation, Carry on the pilot transformation to the Hebei Unicom VPs, to the Guangzhou unicom value-added service support platform to carry on the IaaS cloud transformation ... In the layout of China Unicom's cloud computing development, Shanghai Unicom should not only solve the cloud transformation of internal IT system, but also explore the external cloud capability outsourcing business model, which has important strategic significance.

Shanghai Unicom's VDC pilot, the overall implementation of the "first internal and external" general principles. First of all, Shanghai Unicom internal it to provide virtual desktop, cloud storage, cloud computing capabilities, the use of cloud computing + thin terminals to replace the current business Hall terminal, customer service terminals, maintenance operations terminals and personal Office terminals, to access BSS applications and various types of business, supporting a variety of peripherals, these devices and the use of the original PC is not different, To ensure seamless management of the transition.

The second step, optimize the Shanghai Unicom Host rental business, the use of cloud computing dynamic distribution of the advantages of resources, so that the host rental on-demand, on-demand, to reduce the operating risk of host rental business.

The ultimate goal of Shanghai Unicom is to make the cloud computing platform available to the vast majority of users as a public service, enabling users to use cloud computing resources like water, electricity and gas. Shanghai Unicom will be the existing long-term cooperation of the ISP/ICP resources as much as possible, the use of cloud platform to gradually enrich its cloud-based business, especially in Shanghai in China has a clear advantage in the online game market, and public-oriented flexible computing, So that users can easily and quickly access to affordable cloud computing services.

Feel the Cloud desktop
　　
Song Yi is a staff member of Shanghai Unicom Pengpu New Village Business Hall, just beginning to use thin terminal she didn't feel any obvious difference. Time passes by, Song Yi began to feel the real "cloud" on the job: casually sitting in front of a monitor, the boot, input their own ID and password, you can and the same office, the operation of an unprecedented degree of convenience; for users to transact business, data upload download speed becomes fast, And no more than the embarrassment of computer crashes, business management efficiency significantly increased, the user's satisfaction to make Song Yi feel comfortable.

Zhang Ming, the manager of the business Hall, was particularly pleased: "Since the service Hall uses the cloud computing system, the operating system is convenient, the processing time is shortened, the user experience is better." ”

The Virtual desktop transformation of the Business Hall Terminal is the first migration of Shanghai Unicom to the cloud Computing data center. Starting from May 2010, the first batch of thin terminals deployed to the business hall, only 3 months. In the trial run stage, the same business Hall 50 units of thin terminals accepted the operation of the pressure test successfully passed. After that, all of Shanghai Unicom business began a large-scale deployment of thin terminals, by the end of 2010, the Shanghai Unicom all the terminal switch to the cloud based data center of the thin terminal.

Not only that, Shanghai Unicom most IT applications, including Office system OA, production system OSS, BSS, and so on, will migrate to the desktop cloud, will eventually completely realize the human machine separation, each Shanghai Unicom employees with their own ID and password, in any network environment can quickly enter the cloud platform of the virtual operating system.

Shanghai Unicom, deputy general manager of product innovation, Dr. Shenzhou is very satisfied with this: "Network management operation is much simpler, in the same thin terminal as long as the ID can enter any network management." And, patching, upgrades do not need to pipe, it in the background are all done. In the past, it was unimaginable convenience. "When this day comes, Shanghai Unicom's management capacity will be a leap--the business system's IT technical complexity will be extremely simplified, the regionalization of On-call mode (in a certain area to achieve with the incoming service model) is possible, to help the hall in the rapid expansion of the same time the maintenance of it costs. On this basis, Shanghai Unicom has the confidence to carry out a 3-minute response plan in the whole city and push its service ability to a new height.

In fact, Shanghai Unicom's understanding and prediction of cloud computing is more than that. They see the incredible power of cloud computing that could completely subvert the traditional carrier IT operations and business models:

The IT environment is more productive: After the introduction of cloud computing, resource scheduling will be implemented on demand, environmental deployment automation, reduce manual maintenance costs, reduce potential errors, improve production efficiency; by leveraging automation and virtualization technology, it will gradually build a pool of IT infrastructure resources, enabling the overall architecture to quickly and Flexible response to business development needs, to achieve energy-saving emission reduction, to create green it.

Management is more convenient: through cloud computing to establish a new system construction model, system Maintenance Management mode, to achieve hardware, platform, development, maintenance of multi-party cooperative management, the establishment of visual, controllable resource allocation, scheduling management platform, bringing new IT management model.

TCO Savings: The use of thin terminal virtual desktops to replace the traditional desktop, all aspects of the economic benefits have been significant. According to the average maintenance cost of 2010 years per terminal, the total investment maintenance cost of the desktop virtualization technology was saved by nearly 66%, and the carbon emission was reduced by 69.2%.

Services more efficient: the use of open, flexible cloud platform, the vast number of ISP/ICP providers in the cloud platform to develop cloud-based services, and gradually enrich the cloud based business, such as online games, public-oriented flexible computing, etc., so that users can easily and quickly access to affordable cloud computing services.

Stretch Cloud Tentacles
　　
The annual CCTV "star of Hope" English style competition in 2011 will come as usual, in the contest from the preparation to the holding of the three or four-month period, the program theme site will be with the program to provide online registration, live video online watch, polling and many other functions, to deal with millions of high clicks.

Unlike in previous years, the program site no longer needs to invest in its own server and storage equipment, build IT systems, configure IT staff to maintain and manage the site, but to connect with Shanghai Unicom, in the lifetime of the site, server, storage, maintenance management and other resources from the Shanghai Unicom Cloud Data Center Leasing, The program group only needs to concentrate on doing the program.

Encouraged by the success of the first stage, Shanghai Unicom, on the one hand, began customer service terminals, maintenance terminals, personal office terminals, such as the switch to thin terminals, on the other hand to their own business hall of Thin terminal as a model, quickly launched to the market desktop cloud rental services. In addition, based on the cloud Computing data center of other application models, Shanghai Unicom is also actively trying.

Based on the Shanghai market, Shanghai Unicom is ready to reach out to Shanghai in the national or global advantages, such as a large number of foreign-invested enterprises in Shanghai, leading digital design industry, large-scale development of the call center and so on, from the desktop cloud, Web Hosting, Computing Cloud (rendering farm), Mobile office, such as the typical cloud applications, to play the Shanghai Unicom business operators Strong network capabilities, the launch of a large customer demand for cloud computing business Solutions, to seize the opportunity to compete in Shanghai beach.

The Synaptic Hosting service, launched by the Web Hosting:at&t in 2008, provides cloud computing services for businesses with flexible it needs, such as the online shopping site, which is a short-term operation during the Christmas period. Shanghai Unicom also launched a similar model, more targeted at China's national conditions, to provide users with a short period of time, flexible web site space services. Web Hosting market space is very considerable, in the media programs, seasonal e-commerce and other fields exist a large number of needs, CCTV 2011 "star of Hope" English style competition program website, the mid-Autumn Festival is the advent of the online mooncake sales is its typical application.

Rendering Farm (Render Farm): This is a group of computer clusters connected together through the network, through the collaboration of multiple machines, to quickly render 3D animation works.

In recent years, 3D animation design is very popular, the Olympic Games, the World Expo, the Asian Games, a beautiful image of the 3D images, the world stunning. However, the digital design of 3D animation requires a high computational power, a "Avatar" special effects, the use of the Weta Digital supercomputer cluster 5,936 CPU core and 104TB memory. Not every design company can afford to invest in such a large computational capacity.

To this end, a large number of small and medium-sized online games design enterprises, digital design enterprises, began to use their own office network of multiple servers, computers to form a cluster, self-built "rendering Farm" to develop 3D images. However, the computer resources of a single enterprise are always limited, and the computational power is far behind the increase in rendering workload. Shanghai Unicom saw the opportunity to move "Render Farm" to the cloud Computing data center of Shanghai Unicom, offering a business model for rendering service outsourcing. The model cleverly the enterprise built "rendering farm" small cloud, into the Shanghai Unicom IDC's Big cloud, can give the enterprise to provide much more computing power, the original rendering efficiency of the enterprise from a few days shortened to a few hours, or even a few minutes.

Perhaps not long, in Shanghai Unicom's IDC to render the farm, will be born a magnificent scene, do not lose "Avatar" of the Chinese 3D masterpiece.

Remote spore capture Monitoring system: it is also a direction of "cloud" application of Shanghai Unicom to combine the network capability of operators with advantages. Shanghai Unicom is currently developing a system for monitoring early warning and comprehensive management of agricultural germs, this is a typical wireless, fixed network access capabilities and based on cloud computing statistics, analysis capabilities of the solution to the Shanghai wide coverage of the Unicom 3G wireless access and fixed broadband access as a network base, to undertake the mobile, A large density deployment of the spore capture device, the sampling data real-time reporting to the cloud Computing data center. In the cloud computing platform, a large number of monitoring data centralized management and rapid analysis, will achieve far higher than the traditional data center efficiency. For Shanghai Unicom, cloud computing is no longer a concept test, but there are a number of real market opportunities that can quickly generate revenue. Shanghai Unicom has moved on and will go further on the road to success.

Paint a picture of a cloud
　　
During the 2010 Shanghai World Expo, Huawei's million-person cloud computing platform amazed the global government, operators and business people who visited the World Expo, and made Shanghai Unicom, close at hand, confident of its cloud-computing partnership with Huawei. After both sides of the sincere efforts, a new, vibrant cloud computing business picture, has slowly begun.

As the Shanghai Unicom Cloud computing platform to adopt the solution, the computing resources in Huawei's Singlecloud are abstracted from the physical resources of the server, so that a server becomes several to dozens of isolated virtual computing resources, no longer restricted to the physical boundaries, let CPU, memory, disk, i/ o Hardware into a dynamic management of the "resource pool", thereby increasing the utilization of resources, simplifying system management, to achieve server integration, so that it changes in the business more adaptable.

Prior to the pilot with Shanghai Unicom, Huawei had deployed its own singlecloud to deploy the world's largest corporate office cloud platform, with more than 10,000 of its users Singlecloud office, software development and testing, the Shanghai Institute of Huawei. During the 2010 Shanghai World Expo, Huawei's million-person cloud computing platform amazed the global government, operators and business people who visited the World Expo, and made Shanghai Unicom, close at hand, confident of its cloud-computing partnership with Huawei.

The first phase of cooperation between Shanghai Unicom and Huawei is progressing very quickly. In just 3 months, the first cloud based virtual machine applications have been online in the business hall, all kinds of external applications based on cloud platform have been completed development, migration and testing.

However, the traditional business of "cloud" of water is very deep. such as the Office of Thin Terminal transformation, is not a simple PC host to the process of the cloud. To truly achieve full computing power, storage ability to seamlessly migrate to the cloud data center while operating an interactive experience, it is necessary to make different manufacturers of the keyboard, mouse, needle printer, optical drive, such as a variety of original peripherals drivers, are smoothly migrated to the cloud data center of the virtual machine. In this process, it is unavoidable to encounter multiple versions of the operating system normalization, drive conflicts and other complex problems.

Therefore, to solve the external peripheral migration, it is necessary for the existing business IT and office IT environment of the PC operating system, applications, peripherals, such as a comprehensive and meticulous investigation, unified planning and migration implementation strategy.

Not only that, but also a variety of new difficulties in different cloud application attempts. Some are technical bottlenecks, such as rendering farm migration, need to face the original Enterprise small cluster resource dynamic allocation and adjustment mechanism, how to migrate to China Unicom data Center Large cluster, continue to maintain effective operation of the problem. Other hurdles come from new business models, such as self-service ordering, maintenance and management of web hosting, and the lack of mature models and precedents in the industry, forcing a team of experts from both China Unicom and Huawei to explore the edges of optimization. After both sides of the sincere efforts, a new, vibrant cloud computing business picture, has slowly begun.

In the near future, with the Shanghai Unicom and Huawei as the core of the cooperative ecological chain, will seize the cloud computing fast into the daily life of the society's historical fate, in Shanghai Beach to create a new business success of the classic.