Constructing a Robust Services-Oriented Inter-cloud Portal Based on an Autonomic Model and FOSS

The aim of the simple heterogeneous inter-cloud manager (SHINCLOM) project is to develop a prototype web-based single sign-on inter-cloud management portal that gives users the ability to easily configure and launch inter-cloud VPCs, HPC clusters, and autonomic applications and services. We employ a model-based approach in which the various requirements of the project are mapped to the layers of a proposed autonomic model and implemented using free open source software (FOSS). In this paper, we outline the requirements of the project, discuss our overall construction methodology, and give an overview of the sections implemented to date.

I. Introduction

The objective of the simple heterogeneous inter-cloud manager (SHINCLOM) project is to realize a large-scale inter-cloud environment over heterogeneous cloud platforms, accessible via a robust services oriented portal. Simple hybridization between private and public clouds is not difficult, and federation among homogeneous cloud platforms is straightforward. However, the deployment and management of robust applications across heterogeneous cloud platforms require a structured inter-cloud manager that abstracts away the differences among the disparate cloud platforms. This type of manager is needed because deploying applications at the infrastructure as a service (IaaS) level across disparate clouds is non-trivial as the distributed applications being deployed often comprise interdependent services that form a complex hierarchy across virtual machines (VMs), which must be configured in a particular order [1]. This results in a significant amount of time and expertise being required to customize and deploy VMs, install and configure applications, and monitor and maintain the overall infrastructure and associated dependencies.