Introduction
In this module, we'll discuss the various components (equipment and facilities) of a datacenter. We will start with a discussion on IT equipment, and will clarify many server-specific terminologies that you may have encountered. Most hardware vendors provide servers that are configurable in terms of compute, storage, and networking. We will present in detail these server components. While these topics can be information-dense, the choices made during server configuration have a major impact on the cost and performance of applications that are run on them. Therefore, an exposure to the spectrum of servers and related technologies will be useful, especially if you pursue a career that utilizes or manages cloud infrastructure.
In this module, we'll also discuss datacenter facilities. Specifically, we will present some of the recent advances in power and cooling techniques that provide additional efficiency to today's datacenters. We'll also cover some facility-specific information about fire and safety in datacenters.
Learning objectives
In this module, you will:
- Describe various information technology components that you find in a datacenter.
- Recall facilities' components to a datacenter.
- Recall the various features provided by cloud middleware.
- Describe the resource provisioning process from the context of a cloud service provider.
- Recall the issues related to resource metering for cloud service providers.
- Describe the metering architecture in OpenStack's Ceilometer.
- Recall the service components of OpenStack and identify their individual functions.
Prerequisites
- Understand what cloud computing is, including cloud service models, and common cloud providers.
- Know the technologies that enable cloud computing.
- Understand how cloud service providers pay for and bill for the cloud.
- Know what datacenters are and why they exist.