Cloud computing has taken a new turn with the widespread launch of various cloud platforms such as Amazon EC2, GoGrid, and others. Cloud computing involves storing all of a computer’s memory systems and processors remotely. The user logs on to the Internet and recovers a full operating system running on a remote system. The advantages are comfort and safety. Users can store their information and projects far from their physical location and access them when they need it. Cloud servers differ significantly from traditional virtual private server environments.
A virtual private server, or VPS, is a special type of server created through a process called virtualization. Typically, a server is assigned one task at a time. Servers are the nodes that connect the Internet to each other. Web browsers retrieve the pages they display from the servers. Virtualization efficiently creates multiple virtual servers that use the same physical machine. A program called a hypervisor is used to interact with each virtual server and keep the others unaware of each other’s existence. Virtualization increases server productivity at the risk of overloading memory and processing power. Each server has limits that can be reached through virtualization.
Cloud computing can use virtual private server platforms, but this creates several problems. First, the hypervisor can keep each server separate, but the unfortunate result is that VPS platforms tend to be oversold. This leads to misallocation of resources that can cause server crashes and memory failures. The worst case is total data loss from such situation. Cloud servers that don’t use virtualization perform much better because their resources are dedicated to one user at a time. That said, some forms of virtualization can mimic traditional servers in terms of performance.
Cloud servers provide a dedicated central processing unit (CPU) allocation along with dedicated memory. Cloud servers are almost never oversold. A hidden benefit is that many servers allow users to get additional unused CPU cycles. Combining virtualization with servers in the cloud can offer some interesting benefits. Virtualization allows a user to launch a new server instance from any server that is already on their account. Storing sensitive data is also easier as the storage is on the host server. The data is preserved in the event of an unexpected malfunction, such as a server failure, so the data can be recovered once the server is back online.
Some hosting companies can achieve this through their unique implementations of a hypervisor program. Open source applications are becoming much more popular as users and businesses look to reduce borrowing costs. Open source hypervisors often lend themselves to unique interpretations. Virtualization combined with cloud server technology is opening the door to a new era. The way servers are used will change as cloud computing begins to take hold, despite lingering security concerns. Cloud servers free a business or consumer from staying in a physical location.
