(SEM VII) THEORY EXAMINATION 2023-24 CLOUD COMPUTING

SECTION A – Very Short Answers (2 Marks Each)

a) Parallel Computing vs Distributed Computing

Parallel Computing: Multiple processors execute tasks simultaneously on a single system with shared memory.

Distributed Computing: Multiple independent computers work together over a network to achieve a common goal.

b) Characteristics of Cloud Computing                       On-demand self-service

Broad network access                                                  Resource pooling

Rapid elasticity                                                             Measured service (pay-as-you-go)

c) Disaster Recovery

Disaster recovery is the process of restoring IT infrastructure, applications, and data after a natural or man-made disaster to ensure business continuity.

d) Types of Virtualization                                             Hardware virtualization

OS-level virtualization                                                  Server virtualization

Storage virtualization                                                   Network virtualization

e) Community Cloud (with Example)

A cloud infrastructure shared by organizations with common concerns.
Example: Government departments sharing a cloud for data security compliance.

f) Types of Cloud Services                                             IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service)

PaaS (Platform as a Service)                                          SaaS (Software as a Service)

g) VM Security

VM security refers to protecting virtual machines from unauthorized access, malware, data breaches, and hypervisor attacks.

h) Security Threats in Cloud Computing                     Data breaches

Account hijacking                                                        Insecure APIs

Malicious insiders                                                        DDoS attacks

i) Four Levels of Federation                                          Infrastructure federation

Platform federation                                                      Application federation

Identity federation

j) VirtualBox

VirtualBox is an open-source virtualization software that allows multiple operating systems to run on a single machine.

 SECTION B – Long Answers (10 Marks Each)

Q2(a) Need & Evolution of Cloud Computing

Need:                                                                         Cost reduction

Scalability                                                                    High availability

Reduced maintenance

Evolution:
Mainframe → Client-Server → Grid Computing → Virtualization → Cloud Computing
(Draw a neat evolution diagram in exam)

Q2(b) Hardware Virtualization Techniques

Full Virtualization – Complete hardware simulation

Para-Virtualization – Guest OS modified for efficiency

Hardware-Assisted Virtualization – Uses CPU extensions (Intel VT-x, AMD-V)

Q2(c) NIST Goal & Cloud Layers

NIST Goal:
To provide a standard definition, reference architecture, and guidelines for cloud computing.

Layers:                                                                       Hardware layer

Virtualization layer                                                      Cloud service layer (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS)

Application layer

Q2(d) Resource Provisioning

Resource provisioning is the allocation of cloud resources based on demand.

Methods:                                                                 Static provisioning

Dynamic provisioning                                               Elastic provisioning

Q2(e) Hadoop & Architecture

Hadoop:
An open-source framework for distributed storage and processing of big data.

Components:                                                          HDFS (storage)

MapReduce (processing)                                         YARN (resource management)

SECTION C – Medium / Long Answers (10 Marks)

Q3(a) Cloud Delivery Models                                  Public Cloud: Low cost, scalable, less secure

Private Cloud: Secure, costly                                 Hybrid Cloud: Flexible, complex

Community Cloud: Shared cost, limited users

Q3(b) Cloud Reference Model

Includes:                                                                  Consumer

Provider                                                                   Broker

Auditor                                                                     Carrier
(Draw reference model diagram)

Q4(a) SOA & SOAP Building Blocks

SOA: Architecture where services are loosely coupled and reusable.

SOAP Blocks:                                                          Envelope

Header                                                                     Body

Fault

Q4(b) Architectural Constraints of Web Services

Statelessness                                                            Standardized interface

Loose coupling                                                         Interoperability

Q5(a) Cloud Provider Components & Responsibilities

Components:                                                          Data centers

Virtualization layer                                                    Management software

Responsibilities:                                                     IaaS: Hardware & virtualization

PaaS: OS, runtime                                                   SaaS: Application & data

Q5(b) Amazon S3 & Advantages

Amazon S3:                                                             Scalable object storage service.

Advantages:                                                            High durability

Scalability                                                                  Cost-effective

Easy access

Q6(a) Inter-Cloud Resource Management

Managing resources across multiple cloud providers to ensure load balancing, fault tolerance, and cost optimization.

Q6(b) Security Challenges & Governance

Challenges:                                                              Data privacy

Compliance                                                               Identity management

Governance:                                                            Policies

Risk management                                                     Compliance auditing

Q7(a) Cloud Federation Stack

A framework enabling interoperability among multiple clouds.

Layers:                                                                      Infrastructure

Platform                                                                     Application

Access & identity

Q7(b) Web Services vs APIs