Database Reference
In-Depth Information
more simply as infrastructure as a service (IaaS). This definition is succinct,
but a simple example can provide elaboration.
Consider a scenario such as setting up a Hadoop cluster. In the on-premise
world, you have many things to consider. From hardware and software to
configuration,numerousareasrequireavarietyofskillsandvaryingdegrees
of expertise.
Now, consider Hadoop in the cloud. Your cluster will still function the same
as if it were running on real, physical hardware in your data center, with the
difference being that now everything from the hardware and the operating
system to the Hadoop installation and configuration is being provided as a
service. This virtualization service abstracts away hardware from the puzzle
and means that your cluster, whether 4 nodes or 32, will be seamlessly
available and may be distributed over multiple machines (and potentially
even across multiple data centers).
This certainly isn't a new concept, but it is an important one, and if it is not
immediately evident, consider some of the other benefits of the cloud:
• Getting the hardware/infrastructure right the first time can be almost
completely deemphasized. By virtualizing the hardware and abstracting
it away as described previously, scaling either up or down after the fact
becomes a trivial exercise that can usually be accomplished by little
more than the adjustment of a slider bar in an administrative window.
• Clusters can be stood up (created) and shut down in minutes, meaning
that they are available when you need them.
• Common infrastructure concerns such as maintenance and redundancy
are managed by the cloud provider, freeing you from the concerns such
as hard drive failures, failover for fault-tolerance, and even operating
system patches.
Now that you understand the basic value proposition of cloud-based
solutions, let's dig deeper into two of the features and offerings of big data
cloud providers.
Exploring Big Data Cloud Providers
With the number of cloud service providers offering big data solutions
growing at a seemingly endless pace, the environment is dynamic and
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