Database Reference
In-Depth Information
HDInsight
When HDInsight was announced as being generally available (GA), the
team also announced an HDInsight emulator. This is designed for developer
scenarios in an on-premise environment. Because it is targeted for
development, it can be deployed in a single node configuration only.
However, you could also opt for a custom one-data-node configuration of
an HDInsight cluster using the Azure benefits accompanying an MSDN
subscription or Azure trial.
For some simple instructions on getting started with the emulator, head
over to the following article:
http://www.windowsazure.com/en-us/
Ifyoudon'tlikeeitheroftheseoptions,Hortonworks offerseitherasandbox
virtual machine or you can build a one-node development environment on
Windows. The advantage of this is that as HDInsight uses HDP under the
hood you can be confident of developing portable code. Either way, you
certainly aren't short of choices!
Hadoop in the Cloud
The single biggest transformation to occur to IT in recent times has been the
advent of the cloud. By leveraging cloud computing, we can take advantage
of a more dynamic, elastic service that can expand and contract as we
need. However, what has also become apparent is that the drive to the
cloud has forced providers to openly embrace heterogeneity. For example,
in September 2013 Microsoft announced its new partnership with Oracle to
run its software on Windows Azure. Who would have thought that Oracle
would be offered on a service run by Microsoft? The same could also be said
for Linux virtual machines.
This has all been great news for users of Hadoop. It means that customer
choice is as broad as it has ever been. Do you want to run on premise using
Windows or Linux? You can. Would you rather use a cloud offering and use
either Linux or Microsoft? You can do that as well. Would you prefer to use
a managed service? Go for it. All these options are not only available but are
also actively supported and driving new meaning into what Microsoft calls
its data platform.
