1.1 Introduction
Cloud Computing, also known as “The Cloud”, is a highly scalable platform promising quick access to hardware and software over the internet, in adding up to easy management and access by non-expert users. Cloud computing is a new mock-up of computing that could bring extensive benefits to patrons, businesses and administrations, whereas also creating new threat and defy (Hartig 2009). Internets is a main element of Cloud computing. It helps the users to use the applications at any computer with the help of internet connection. Cloud computing is the delivery of computing resources over the Internet. In its place of keeping data on your own hard drive or updating applications for our needs, we utilize a service over the Internet, at a different location, to store our information or make use of its relevance.
As a prelude to other parts of this study, this chapter will discuss the background upon which this study was initiated, the statement of problems that led to this study, the Aim and Objectives of the study. Others are Significance of the study, Scope of work, Limitations of the Study and Definition of technical terms.
1.2 Background of Study
Cloud Computing is a broad and inexact term, but in essence it amounts to virtualized third-party hosting. That is, rather than leasing part or all of an actual physical server from a hosting company, we rent a certain amount of server resources our server runs inside a virtual container which can be moved from one physical server to another without stoppage of service. Such a container is also capable of spanning multiple physical machines, providing it potentially limitless resources.
In present day’s highly competitive business surroundings, businesses are finding conduct and means to operate proficiently so as to cut cost and maximize profit. A new model of computing, cloud computing has appeared to change the old ways of computing. Cloud computing has appeared as one of the enabling technologies that allows the Information Technology world to use computer resource effectively and more efficiently (Mell & Grance, 2011).
The cloud computing is developing quickly for it offers on-demand computing power and capacity. The power of cloud computing empowers dynamic adaptability of utilizations confronting different methods of file transfer in our advanced technology age. However, challenges emerge while considering the enormous amount of files to be shared. In this research, we propose moving of flies, from the traditional FTP service to the cloud. We execute FTP file transfer on Windows Azure Platform alongside the auto-scaling cloud feature. Furthermore, we implement a benchmark to study the performance of our Cloud sharing system. This research focuses on designing and implementing a cloud file sharing system, the potential benefits and technical issues associated with sharing of files easily for easy retrieval.
Cloud computing is a technique that provides services on virtual machines that are billed on the top of large physical machine pool. In Cloud Computing the information is lastingly stored on the internet servers and it can be cached by the users provisionally. The name cloud computing has probably evolved from the cloud’s image which has been used to represent the Internet or any large network environment. No one actually think much about what is in the cloud? And what occurs there? The merely thing of concern is that the data sending and receiving from it can be done consistently. Cloud computing can be related to higher level perception of the cloud. Services have now taken over from the usual data pipes, routers and servers. The essential hardware and software are still the integral part, but the high level service means are available to build the application. In the background of these services are the data and the resources. The clientele major concern is not how the technology is implemented or what things are being used to manage this technology but the only concern is that how he can access it and what level of security is necessary to meet his requirements.
Cloud computing is the use of distribute hosted services over the internet. Information is offered to the computers implicated on required. With cloud computing we are accessing services and dissimilar resources to implement jobs through changing and dynamic requirements. An application can access the cloud for a service instead of standing and non-dynamic resource usually provided. The cloud can manage multiple infrastructures and strap all resources needed together and will give access to services when needed which prevent services from running when they are not needed which can save valued resources. Many cloud computing infrastructures are data centres that deliver the different on demand services. The cloud preserves itself many hardware, software and resources for community to maintain the authentic hardware and operating systems in complete working order for the cloud to run effectively. Many companies are offering cloud services to industries and research groups in a new ways to put it to good use.
Therefore, in Nigeria where the research was carried out, the activities that was conducted is to know the Cloud Architecture and Its Technologies.
1.3 Statement of Problems
Investigation revealed that the cloud computing is a kind of grid computing; it has evolved by addressing the QoS (quality of service) and reliability problems. Cloud computing provides the tools and technologies to build data/compute intensive parallel applications with much more affordable prices compared to traditional parallel computing techniques (Mohammad Hamdaqa, 2012).
1.4 Aim and Objectives of Study
The aim of the study is to assess the Cloud Architecture and Its Technologies. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows:
- To examine the architecture and technologist of cloud computing
- To enable users to easily host, store and backup data, with high-performance computing easy to retrieve.
- To ensure files accessibility without any limiting factor, example device compatibilities.
- To make file available to the end-user at any point in time. Cloud computing offers availability difficulties experienced in the conventional way of file sharing.
1.5 Research Questions
The study came up with research questions so as to be able to ascertain the above stated objectives. The specific research questions for the study are stated below as follows:
- Are files accessible without any limiting factor, example device compatibilities?
- Does cloud computing technology make file available to the end-user at any point in time?
- What is the architecture and technologist of cloud computing?
1.6 Significance of Study
This research work is designed to provide a means to transmit files (data / video) from one system to another system or a group of systems connected to a hub or connected via an Ethernet straight-through cable. It also provides a cost-effective, secured, safe, faster means to transfer files from one device to another device.
This study will be of immense benefit to other researchers who intend to know more on this study and can also be used by non-researchers to build more on their research work. This study contributes to knowledge and could serve as a guide for other study.
1.7 Scope of Study
The scope of the research is focused on the Cloud Architecture and Its Technologies.
1.8 Limitations of the Study
During the course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which are:
- Time Constraint: The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
- Research material: availability of research material is a major setback to the scope of the study.
- Frequent power failure: This made the researcher append more money on fuel to ensure sustainable power.
- Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection.
1.9 Definition of Terms
Cloud computing: The practice of using a network of remote servers hosted on the Internet to store, manage, and process data, rather than a local server or a personal computer
Internet: an electronic communications network that connects computer networks and organizational computer facilities around the world.
FTP: The File Transfer Protocol is a standard network protocol used for the transfer of computer files between a client and server on a computer network.
Cloud server: A cloud server is a virtual server (rather than a physical server) running in a cloud computing environment. It is built, hosted and delivered via a cloud computing platform via the internet, and can be accessed remotely.
