Steve Staso - Computing Solutions Strategist

Approximately 125 Cloud computing enthusiasts gathered Wednesday night for the inaugural meeting known as CloudCamp. CloudCamp was formed to provide a common ground for the introduction and advancement of cloud computing. CloudCamp was instigated by Reuven Cohen. The format was developed by Dave Nielsen. These co-founders started these events in 2008 and have attracted several thousands of attendees to these evening grassroots meetups all around the world. Git URself 2 1.

Local Organizers: LA Organizers
- Jon Cline - C-Level Management, Inc.
- Uri Budnik - RightScale
- Michael Fairchild- ATT Interactive
- Steve Staso - SteveStaso.com
- Daniel Egan - Microsoft
- Alec Asvadi - Xiova, Inc.
- Igor Edelman

Introductions

Lightning Round: 5 minute presentations
The Microsoft Cloud:Microsoft
by: David Chou, Architect
Private = Own your car
Infrastructure = Rent a car
Platform = Public transportation
Azure Overview - cloud fabric among the Microsoft datacenters

“Stories from the Trenches”: RightScale team
by: Uri Budnik, RightScale
Web-based multi-Cloud Management Platform to automate scaling, network bandwidth, etc.
Animoto, Playfish, Sling Media and TC3 are successful implementations of RS for things like constant computing, annual cycle, daily cycle, and stress testing.

UnPanel: (Audience members are chosen to answer 1 question from the audience)
UnPanel
1. I have 20 servers and good employees. Why should I use the cloud?
For some, "Cloud" means "buy my product".
Suggestion; Before you buy your next server, try it out.

2. How to move my ASP.NET app to the cloud?

3. When should I stop using Amazon Simple DB - because of the pricing model, when will it become too expensive?

4. Large infrastructure with consistent utilization. Why should I move to the cloud?

5. How do I avoid lock-in/risk?
You can use Amazon, Eucalyptus, and private cloud.
Open source is good, options are good.

6. How do I keep data secure?
The cloud may not provide any more or less security.
Security is based on policies and practices in addition to the technology.

7. How can I put client server apps in the cloud?
SQL Server is non-trivial. Service discovery. Google App Engine. Amazon Simple DB.
Analyze your app and determine the best approach.
The easiest app to move to the cloud is a web app like PHP, RoR
You can't put a distributed app on AWS - yet.

8. What is operational definition of a cloud computing service?
Access to compute resource with utility pricing, delivered over the internet.

9. What is one positive non-technical motivation for the cloud?
Business reasons: can cost way less, eliminate headache of managing datacenter, dynamic scale, lower financial risk/commitment.

UnConference: (Breakout rooms used for focused discussions - Interest level by initial show of hands)
UnConference
What is a cloud? 15
Security, Privacy, Compliance? 20
What is a trusted cloud? 2
How to build a CAP application? 10
How to build your own cloud; virtual private cloud - efficiently and cheaply? 20
How do you scale out data on the cloud; before you need to? 14
How do I move my .net web service to the cloud and how to get it ready? 17
ROI; business case. 18
Massively distributed burst computing; HPC. 12
Azure in a nutshell. 26
Design considerations for building cloud apps. 10
Amazon EC2 Q&A; practical apps. 18
Why should large infrastructure move to cloud. 10
SQL Azure. 25
Build and run your ASP business on the cloud. 10
Interoperability between clouds. 12
Managing your apps with performance metrics. 12

UnConference Recap: (per breakout; reported by a breakout attendee)
Recap
Build and run your ASP business on the cloud.
This session was all about SLA's. Can you sue the cloud provider? Need stricter penalties

What is a cloud?
The meaning depends on type of user.
infrastructure for sys admins, platform for developers, software as a service

How to build a CAP application?
consistency
availability
provisioning
choose the 2 of the 3 that are most important to you. Can't accomplish all 3.

Security, Privacy, Compliance? What is a trusted cloud?
- It is possible to use the cloud for apps that have compliance requirements such as HIPAA since some of the requirements are process checklists. Cloud technology can satisfy certain requirements of these regulations. But you are still responsible for the compliance.
- Using the cloud is building on the shoulders of others that have shaken out the security vulnerabilities quite well; thus, the cloud can be MORE secure and resistant to data loss. Very few, if any, events occurred/published about security breaches in the cloud. There is some safety in a herd.
- If a physical server is subpeoaned (because of one virtual machine is needed by a court), will the data from ALL the virtual machines running on that physical server be collected?
- Consider using a Trusted Cloud with managed services from a company such as CSC.
- Consider using dedicated servers from provides such as Rackspace.

Moving to Azure.
Not a lot of empirical evidence but it can be done

Managing your apps with performance metrics.
Does the cloud instill additional requirements on your app dev?
Same problems exist. Same tools from enterprise can be used.
Be aware that consistency can vary among instances running in the cloud.

Azure in a nutshell.
2 years behind but if you are on a MS platform, it will be a very good choice when it's ready.

Amazon EC2 Q&A; practical apps.
most technical, questions have been getting very detailed over the last several CloudCamps and similar sessions.

SQL Azure.
Will be released soon

Massively distributed burst computing; HPC (High Performance Computing).
Everybody talks about it, noone does it, not enough Bandwidth
Can't move large amounts of data to the cloud. But can you collect it there?
Finding opportunities for parallelism.

Economics, ROI, Business case.
cheaper, but still costs money
Cost of going to market - you can spin up quickly

How to build your own cloud; virtual private cloud - efficiently and cheaply?
One option is to use VMWare and SANS - not really cheap, but it can work

How do you scale out data on the cloud; before you need to?
databases have a limit of scaling out.
other options exist like an attribute store

Wrap Up
60 people at 1030PM

Moved on to the Standard rooftop bar
Standard Rooftop