Follow on Twitter
Post to Twitter
The recent announcement of the Terremark Cloud offering has raised significant attention especially because of the competitive pricing and EC2 like features of elastic capacity and hourly charges with no commitment. On the surface the Terremark entry price of $0.036 per hour seems very low compared to Amazon EC2 at $0.10 but it's worth picking a few examples to provide a more apples to apples comparison.
..
Not included in the comparison is the difference in storage costs which can be small or very significant depending on the circumstance. Amazon provides up to 160 GB of instance storage for a small image or 850 GB for a large included in the hourly cost. If you have only a small instance say 10GB that adds $ 2.50 to the monthly price at Terremark ( @ .25/GB ) however of you needed the 850 GB included in the Amazon Large image that would add $ 212 to the monthly Terremark costs. Also not included is bandwidth costs, however both charge the same $0.17 GB for data transfer out . ( Although Amazon charges $ 0.10/GB for data in vs Terremark $ 0.17 data in ).
Some the bigger differences will more likely depend on how the VMs are utilized. The numbers stated above assume a full month of 24x31 operation. With Amazon EC2 it's possible to save in S3 ( bundle in Amazon terms ) an instance and then shut down ( terminate ) the VM and the billing stops. With Terremark however although you can shut down the VM, the hourly charges do not stop. Only deleting the VM ends the billing, there does not appear to be an option of saving with the hourly charges turned off and allowing a new instance from the saved image to be started at a later time. This appears to be a big advantage for Amazon although I need to learn more about the Terremark offering to fully appreciate the capabilities.
Certainly economics is not the only factor in selecting a Cloud infrastructure provider. Vendor Lock-in and VM portablity often come up as concerns. Security is also a factor in regard to Cloud computing and this was a motivator for Amazons recent Virtual Private Cloud offering which provides a dedicated VPN connection from a customer premise to an isolated Cloud inside the Amazon infrastructure. I also have to admit I was impressed with a recent tour of the Terremark data center in Miami , this place was like a high tech Fort Knox when it came to security. The entire topic of Cloud security is worthy of specialized consideration not covered in this simple comparison.
Ease of use is another consideration that is worth evaluating. The Amazon Web Console is limited in function but easy to use plus includes access to many partner and community provided ( including Citrix C3 Lab ) templates that are prebuilt and ready to launch. In Amazon EC2 for example its now possible signup and launch your own XenApp server in as little a 15 minutes.
Terremark also provides a web base console that looks straight forward however I have not used it myself yet. Terramark does not provide the same portfolio of 3rd party templates however they do provide more granularity in the size of VMs and RAM plus they offer multiple versions of Windows Server.
As the options for Cloud Computing continue to expand the economic analysis of Cloud vs Premise will extend to Cloud vs Cloud, as Service Providers continue to provide dynamic cloud type offerings.
Cloud Economics 101 Part 1 - Premise vs Cloud vs Colo
Cloud Economics 101 Part 2 - Premise Plus Cloud
Cloud Economics 101 Part 3 - Amazon Reserved Pricing
This is a deck I used recently to explain Cloud Computing, Citrix and to demystify the C3 offering at iForum Sydney and Melbourne (May 2009). I know that this flies somewhat in the face of those who believe that the definition of cloud is completely and globally understood, but the reality is that "Cloud" is stupidly overloaded. This is my attempt to unpack cloud computing, and to illustrate which parts are most relevant to Citrix, C3 and the enterprise IT shop. Let me know what you think.
– Cheers! Michael
Here are some other important links on Citrix C3.
Cloud Networking is secure and robust
You can create a complete end-to-end network from one cloud network, running on XenServer, through a VPN to another network in a different cloud. All servers and hosts communicate securely over SSL VPN. Amazon Machine Images are secured by the Amazon infrastructure using security groups.
The proof of concept speaks for itself. Between the Softlayer cloud and the Amazon EC2 cloud is running a site-to-site SSL VPN using Vyatta. All of the images in this architecture are running on XenServer. This proof of concept gives rise to many networking architectures for cloud computing.
The reason for using Vyatta site-to-site SSL VPN between the Softlayer and Amazon EC2 clouds is there needs to be a secure network between the two for the transfer of data. The Vyatta AMI (Amazon Machine Image) can also function as a complete router, firewall and DNS cache. The Vyatta SSL VPN router provides security with scalability. Suppose I wanted to separate the Vyatta SSL VPN from a Vyatta OSPF router, I would just launch another instance of the Vyatta AMI.
As you can see from the network diagram and video, complete routing from the Softlayer cloud to the Amazon cloud network is seamless, without having to buy any proprietary hardware. In fact, it is very low cost compared to traditional network solutions. Virtualized networking is here, it is fast, secure and cheap.
A CloudBurst happens when Citrix Workflow Studio determines that one of the devices in the Softlayer Cloud has reached a high watermark. WFS then instructs the NetScaler VPX to start sending traffic to the Cloud - CloudBurst.
To get your own cloud, go here
Configurations used
Vyatta SSL VPN (V1) - Datacenter Configuration
Vyatta SSL VPN (V2) - Cloud Configuration
XenApp VPN Client - Cloud Configuration
Links for this solution
Vyatta for XenServer - go here
Amazon EC2 - go here
XenServer is Free! - go here
XenApp - go here
Workflow Studio - go here
XenApp VPN Client - go here
Dell Server - go here
IP Addresses - go here
Watch This
Its powerful AppExpert!
Cloud Networking is fast
You can create a complete end-to-end network from the datacenter to the cloud. All cloud servers communicate securely over SSL VPN.
Between the datacenter and the Amazon EC2 cloud is a site-to-site SSL VPN built with Vyatta. On the XenApp server in the cloud runs the Citrix Accelerator which connects back to the Citrix Branch Repeater/WANScaler at the datacenter, to accelerate data connections. The Citrix Accelerator makes cloud computing fast, Vyatta makes it secure.
The reason for using Vyatta site-to-site SSL VPN between the datacenter and Amazon EC2 cloud is there needs to be a secure network between the two for the transfer of data. The Vyatta AMI (Amazon Machine Image) can also function as a complete router and firewall. The Vyatta SSL VPN router provides security with scalability.
As you can see from the network diagram and video, complete routing from the datacenter to the Amazon cloud network is seamless. Data resides at the datacenter and is accessed, over the SSL VPN, by the Application running in XenApp. The remote user connects to XenApp, runs the application, and the application delivers the data to the remote user, quickly and securely.
To get your own cloud, go here.
Configurations used
Vyatta SSL VPN (V1) - Datacenter Configuration
Vyatta SSL VPN (V2) - Cloud Configuration
Windows VPN Client - Cloud Configuration
Links for this solution
Vyatta - go here
Amazon EC2 - go here
XenServer is Free! - go here
XenApp - go here
XenApp VPN Client - go here
Dell Server - go here
IP Addresses - go here
Watch This
Its powerful AppExpert!
OK, actually it's 12.5 cents and it might take you a few minutes longer, but compared to the traditional methods of building/configuring servers the cost and time savings is dramatic. It is now possible to launch a pre-built XenApp image in the Amazon Web Service offering called EC2. The image includes XenApp 5.0 on Windows 2003 Server ready to run and is accessible as an Admin or user. Also included is the Citrix 2 CCU Developer license bundled into the image so you can be ready for test, dev, and demo's in minutes. In this demo image we have NOT included Secure Gateway or Access Gateway so we do not recommend this image for production environments. The actual minimum cost for EC2 with Windows Server is 12.5 cents per hour with no minimum or commitment, so you can actually run it for an hour, terminate the image and that's all you owe. In reality you will likely want to install apps, customize your image and run it for some length of time. It is also very easy to save your image after you have customized it and terminate the image so the EC2 charges stop. The associated S3 Storage cost is only 15 cents per Gig per month, again very cheap and easy. New VM instances can then be started from saved images at anytime. As you may know the magic that powers this service is based on the Xen Hypervisor and the business model that Amazon has put together makes this a very attractive solution for many scenario's, in this case starting with demos, test, dev, PoC's etc. Many thanks to Vishal Ganeriwala for putting this image together and leading the way for more to come.
Here is a VideoTip to walk you through every step ( also available at our VideoTip site http://citrix.utipu.com/app/tip/id/6236/ )
Step 1.
Go to http://aws.amazon.com and get an account with EC2
Step 2.
Go to http://console.aws.amazon.com to access the AWS management console
Step 3.
Setup Security Groups per the video
Step 4.
Find the publicly listed XenApp Amazon Image, Right click and Launch
( citrix-c3-lab/XenApp5.0_32bit_v1.4.manifest.xml )
Step 5.
Enter the IP address provided into your browser http://xx.yy.zz.tt; and you are ready to go !
( ID: administrator, PW: Citrix123, Domain: CTXSLic1 )
Tip : When saving " Bundling " your AMI image remember to register it so you can relaunch it.
| Do you plan to get your own XenApp Server in the Cloud ? | Choose |
|---|---|
| If it's really this cheap and easy, I am definitely going to try it. |  |
| No, I don't trust the cloud for anything .. | |
Am I the only one who has trouble understanding Cloud Computing? Is Instant Messenger considered cloud computing? Is my company's enterprise deployment of XenApp on XenServer considered Cloud Computing? Is the iTunes store considered Cloud Computing? Why is Cloud Computing so hard to figure out? Well, look at it from a different perspective.
Have you ever laid down on the grass and looked at the sky and tried to figure out what a cloud looked like? You might think one cloud looks like a puppy and another looks like an airplane while someone else thinks your puppy looks like Homer and the airplane looks like a TV. Trying to find shapes in the clouds is all based on your perception, just like if you try to get a definition of cloud computing from 5 different people, you will most likely get 5 different ideas.
Of the many discussions I've had on this topic, I always hear some very similar comments.
- Isn't Cloud Computing just a new name for the ASP model that Citrix was involved with years ago?
- Is Cloud Computing just the new term for SaaS?
- Is the Cloud just a new name for the Internet?
Well, let's take a very brief look back before we get into the cloud...
ASP
I think one of the problems with understanding cloud computing is many people have been involved with Citrix for a long time. If you have been involved, you will remember the ASP model. In the ASP model, a 3rd party would host your applications for you, typically providing remote access with MetaFrame. So instead of you having to hire people to manage your set of MetaFrame servers hosting Office 97, you would pay a 3rd party to do it for you. You would access your applications using a secure connection (Citrix Secure Gateway) over the Internet. You wouldn't have to worry about managing the servers or providing the data center space/power. Instead of paying these large up-front costs, you would get a static, recurring bill based on the number of servers hosted.
SaaS
After the ASP model faded into memory, we got into the SaaS (Software as a Service) model. In this model, a software vendor will host their proprietary applications to their subscribing customers. When you hear SaaS, you always hear about SalesForce.com. Well, Citrix Online is SaaS as well. Citrix Online hosts the GoToMeeting/GoToWebinar/GoToMyPC/GoToAssist services and users access these services across the Internet. Users are charged a recurring bill, and do not have to worry about maintaining and supporting the underlying infrastructure. The SaaS model has been very successful because one would expect the people who know the best way to deliver an application are the ones who developed the application to begin with.
Cloud Computing
Now we get into Cloud Computing. Cloud computing can take on many different shapes, just like the clouds in the sky. But one thing is common, all delivered services occur over the Internet, which is THE CLOUD. Cloud computing is essentially granting the ability to allow any user, on any device, from any location to get access to their applications and data.
As I see it, Cloud Computing is a big white board waiting for organizations to make their requirements known. Do you want a Test/QA environment to do whatever? This is cloud computing. Do you want someone to deliver office productivity applications for you? That is cloud computing. Do you want to have all of your MP3s stored on an Internet storage repository so you can get to it from any device? That is also cloud computing.
I think the big thing with Cloud Computing, which helps differentiate it from the ASP model, is that the environment is dynamic, meaning that a server is not a SAP server or an Exchange server or a SharePoint server. A server is instead anything you want it to be with server virtualization and server provisioning. So instead of a SAP server or a SharePoint server, we now have SAP and SharePoint workloads than can be moved and provisioned to any infrastructure available. It can be scaled up or down based on changing needs and defined rules. With Cloud Computing, making these changes does not require rebuilding systems, it happens automatically and only involves resetting parameters.
If these are core requirements for any cloud provider, Citrix Cloud Center(C3) is able to help deliver the cloud-based solution.
- With Citrix XenServer Cloud Edition, we can help provide the dynamic workload provisioning
- With Citrix NetScaler, we can provide the optimized, compressed and secured connections required for Cloud-based connections
- With Citrix WANScaler, we can provide the efficient link between the cloud and the enterprise infrastructure
- With Workflow Studio, we can create and implement automated workflows that will manage and maintain the environment for us
So, the next time you talk about Cloud Computing, remember it is very similar to the dynamic clouds in the sky, Cloud Computing can be pretty much anything. One thing is common though, you need an underlying infrastructure that is dynamic, optimized, secured and automated.
Daniel