Managing The Cloud, Part II

Everything you ever wanted to know about the cloud, and more. Author Charles Babcock explains what defines cloud computing, including 'elasticity' in availability of computing power and the use of low-cost PC components to build cloud computing centers.

"Much of what we've covered so far about cloud computing could theoretically apply to older, specialized forms of computing as well. The IBM mainframe frequently had a capacity surplus for the workloads that it processed, and it could juggle workloads with ease. For example, IBM Sysplex, a cluster of mainframes, generated enormous capacities.

Many universities, including Cornell, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and the University of Texas at Austin, have built out a supercomputer from a cluster of small machines. The Department of Energy is a major supercomputer builder. NASA, NOAA, and the National Laboratories have also linked arms with industry leaders to build high performance computing clusters for use by researchers and scientists. Are these supercomputers automatically considered part of the cloud as well?"