When cloud computing meets IDC: Cloud host comparison and evaluation

When cloud computing arrives, IDC industry service providers and users also ferment some changes, some like to embrace the emerging things users have begun to use IaaS services, such as cloud host. This article introduced the cloud host and the traditional IDC service, and has made the comparison to several main manufacturers in the cloud host industry, including Sheng, Aliyun, Linkcloud.

1, when the cloud computing met IDC

IDC is the acronym for Internetdatacenter, the Internet Data Center. IDC as an industry, but also refers to the Internet infrastructure related to value-added services, usually include: domain name, virtual host, VPS, host hosting, host rental, Devis, Enterprise mailbox, construction station and other business.

Cloud computing is the Chinese literal translation of cloudcomputing, which is a service that is available on demand via the Internet, rapid deployment, resource pooling, on-demand and on-demand billing.

IDC Business is the network behind the development of plumbers and cultivators, not for ordinary consumers are familiar with, but is the basis of Internet services. Big to the largest Internet companies, small to individual start-up blog and entrepreneurial website, all need domain names, hosting and other IDC services.

Cloud computing is the hottest trend in the IT industry today. Cloud computing, which began in the 2008 as a new wave of IT industry, has also blown a whirlwind in China in 2010 and 2011, representing the forefront of technology and business models.

When cloud computing meets IDC, it creates an iaas industry. IaaS is the use of cloud computing technology and the concept of the IDC business. IaaS is the evolution of the traditional IDC business and the lowest service in the cloud computing service. The current IaaS and PAAs boundaries are increasingly blurred, resulting in a variety of services, including cloud hosts, cloud storage, and the most popular is the computing services, China is called Cloud host or flexible computing.

2, IaaS Service cloud host and the traditional IDC service comparison

In the traditional IDC business, host space input threshold is the lowest service, can not be compared with the cloud host. VPS and host leases are the most commonly used to compare services with cloud hosts.

Here is the comparison between the cloud host and the VPS:

The following is a comparison between cloud host and host lease:

3. How to choose Cloud Host service Provider

Cloud host business in China has begun more than a year, the service provider in China, in addition to the cloud has ceased to carry out the business line, there are Linkcloud, Sheng, Aliyun, as well as some IDC company. But there are choices in fact and no choice, for many people, the same pain. How to choose Cloud host? The author advocates that you can look at the following points:

3.1 Performance Guarantee

The performance of cloud hosts, although not agreed upon, can be understood in other ways:

First of all, the service provider's cloud host can not be a traditional VPS fake, this by viewing the operating system at the same time landing on the user and access to the hardware can be known.

Second, the memory of the cloud host cannot be shared or dynamically changed. Memory dynamic changes, either VPS, or the memory of different cloud hosts sharing. Memory sharing means that different cloud hosts can occupy other cloud host's memory, at any time dynamically adjust the cloud host's memory size, will cause in some cases some cloud host not to have enough memory, as well as because of the frequent adjustment memory, consumes the host and the cloud host CPU ability.

Finally, but also very important, the cloud host disk IO to be guaranteed. Some of the cloud host disk read and write only a few MB/s performance, will result in increased traffic after the rapid decline in response speed.

In addition, if the service provider can make a clear description and qualification of CPU capacity, the CPU capacity is more secure.

3.2 Broadband Quality

The bandwidth quality of cloud hosts is undoubtedly an important factor affecting the Web site or application response time. Server performance, program architecture, bandwidth quality, basically determines the site's response speed. There are many types of bandwidth, there are two lines, single line, multi-line, BGP, customers should be based on their own user coverage reasonable choice of room location. Generally speaking, two-wire, multi-line, BGP apply to cover the national application. Bandwidth quality is mainly determined by packet loss rate and average response time, and the resistance to attack is also a reference standard.

3.3 Price/performance

A major reason for customers to consider Cloud host is that its cost performance is usually higher than the traditional IDC service, of course, other factors such as convenience are valued by customers. It should be noted that the study here should be cost-effective, rather than simple price. Not the lower the price the better, but look at the same configuration and performance assurance, in different providers there will be a lot of money to spend. In addition, it is necessary to look at the overall price, can not make the start price and part of the price. For example, some service providers to the minimum configuration is promotional, may be very low, but the normal configuration may be expensive, but also for example, some service providers to the bandwidth, IP, hardware are placed in the quote, and some service providers are divided into several separate quotes.

3.4 IDC Operating Experience

The cloud host service provider should have certain IDC operation experience. Because the cloud host is the expansion of the IDC business or upgrade, so there is no IDC operating experience of the team, there may be some low-level errors, or can not deal with some unexpected situation. IDC operating experience is usually not acquired overnight, generally requires years of accumulation.

3.5 Research and development capabilities

Cloud Host service is the application of new technology in the IDC industry services, behind the need for a suitable size of the research and development team. The team needs to be able to address basic functional issues, as well as the ability to develop automated management systems that manage large scale infrastructure and a large number of users. In order to ensure the user's experience, can continue to transform the operation and management capabilities to customers can enjoy the services.

3.6 Qualification and filing service

Cloud host services belong to the basic telecom value-added services, so its service providers need to obtain national qualification approval. If there is no telecom value-added service qualification, will be stopped by the relevant departments, will naturally affect all customers. and the service provider to the national policy understanding, the record process support, is also guarantees the customer to be able the legal Compliance Foundation.

4. Disk Performance test

The author chooses in Aliyun, Sheng, Linkcloud three platform test, considering these three platforms on IaaS relative focus and professional, also has certain research and development team to support its sustainable development. I choose 2G Memory Windows Server for disk IO performance test, if there is no 2G configuration, then select the nearest 2G server. The test tool selects Hdtunepro and IOzone. But given the complexity of the real-world operating environment, especially the unknown nature of concurrent IO (such as 10 cloud hosts on the physical server where a cloud host is operating simultaneously, there is only one cloud host on the physical server on which the other cloud host is doing disk operations, and different time periods may have different results. However, in terms of probability, the probability of an extreme situation is very small, we can only choose to believe one or two times test results.

The following figure is the Hdtunepro test disk read rate, the bigger the better.

The following is the IOzone test disk block way to write, rewrite, read, reread the rate, the greater the better.

It is worth noting that the other results were roughly the same in another test, except that the Sheng rewrite rate was higher than Aliyun and Linkcloud. It can be guessed that the Sheng io is choppy or io unstable. But Shanda recently upgraded its Windows system, and the author has not yet been tested again.

5. Network Quality

The same is to Linkcloud, Aliyun, Sheng, test its network quality, the author selected a number of representative places in the country to test. The first two tests were from the terminal Access user to test, the last four Tests from the IDC engine room. Lost packet rate can not see, that is 0. Packet loss rate and average response time are smaller and better.

6. Summary and conclusion

We will be from the above five aspects: Performance assurance, broadband quality, cost-effective, IDC operating experience, research and development capabilities, qualifications and record services, to investigate cloud host service provider's final score.

Performance assurance and broadband quality based on the above test, the price ratio through the site quotation calculation, qualification and filing services and other aspects through the company's judgment, The main reference to its official website (respectively, www.aliyun.com,www.grandcloud.cn,www.linkcloud.cn). The first three items per 20, the highest 20 points, IDC operating experience and research and development capabilities by 15 points, qualification and record service by 10 points, a total of 100 points. In the IDC operating capacity, all take into account the situation of its parent company. Aliyun is Alibaba Group, Sheng is Shanda network, Linkcloud is net silver interconnection.

The following figure is the final score:

From the table can be seen, Sheng all aspects of comparative average, good performance, and Aliyun in the bandwidth quality and research and development capabilities on the lead, Linkcloud in Performance Assurance and IDC experience, cost-effective lead.