Cloud Computing | TechnologyBuilding a Private Xen Cloud Infrastructure
As the interest on cloud computing is on the rise, a sub-topic that is getting its own share of attention is private cloud computing. In fact, a recent survey conducted by Info-Tech showed that 76 percent of IT managers would want their companies to focus on having a private cloud.
The main difference between a private cloud and a public cloud is the location of the hardware and how this is maintained. A private cloud is usually hosted in company-owned servers, within the company’s own network setup. And, the biggest advantage of a private cloud is that it offers the company direct control over all aspects of the cloud – from security to API usage.
Recently, Xen.org released its Xen Cloud Platform for firms who are interested to build their private cloud infrastructure and go into virtualization.
While the XCP is touted as designed for all businesses regardless of their size, many observers think it is best fitted for small and medium enterprises as well as universities. The Xen Cloud Platform addresses one of the apprehensions toward private cloud computing – cost. The XCP boasts that all is required as an investment is man-hours and hardware.
When building a private Xen Cloud infrastructure, take note of the following important points: XCP is a cloud virtualization platform, it harnesses your hardware servers and consolidates their resources. You may, however, opt to use a separate centralized storage space – either a network-attached storage or storage area network.
The Xen Hypervisor is at the core of the XCP. It replaces the operating system and allows multiple OS to run on the computer hardware.
One important requirement for XCP is that your setup must have the same type of processors. Or else the setup won’t work. Do note that XCP requires no special hardware to run. What you have in your setup will most likely allow the Xen Cloud Platform to run.
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