Tools and Techniques for Evaluating the Reliability of Cloud Computing Systems
Brett Snyder · OhioLink ETD Center (Ohio Library and Information Network) · 2013
This research introduces a computationally efficient approach taken to evaluate the reliability of a cloud computing system (CCS). The cloud computing paradigm has ushered in the need for the ability to provide computing resources in a highly scalable, flexible, and transparent fashion. The rapid uptake of cloud resource utilization has led to a need for methods that can assess the reliability of a CCS, while aiding the process of expansion and planning. This thesis proposes using reliability assessments likened to those performed on industrial grade power systems to establish methods for evaluating the reliability of a CCS and the corresponding performance metrics. Specifically, non-sequential Monte Carlo Simulation (MCS) is used to evaluate CCS reliability at a system scale. Further contributions are made regarding the design, development, and exploration of standardized test systems, a novel state representation of CCSs, and the use of test systems based on real-world CCSs. Results demonstrate that the method is effective and multiple insights are provided into the nature of CCS reliability and CCS design.A scalable, graphical, web-based piece of cloud simulation software called ReliaCloud-NS is also presented. ReliaCloud-NS is designed with a RESTful API for performing non-sequential MCS to perform reliability evaluations of cloud computing systems. ReliaCloud-NS allows users to design and simulate complex CCSs built from CCS components. Simulation results are stored and presented to the user in the form of interactive charts and graphs from within a Web browser. ReliaCloud-NS contains multiple types of simulations as well as multiple VM allocation schemes. ReliaCloud-NS also contains a novel feature which will evaluate CCS reliability across a range of varying VM allocations and establish and graph a CCS reliability curve. In this thesis the interactive web-based interface, the different types of simulations available, and an overview of the results generated from a simulation are described.The contributions of this thesis lay the foundation for computationally efficient methods that allow for the design and evaluation of highly resilient CCSs. Coupled with the ReliaCloud-NS software, the contributions of this thesis allow for efficient design of complex, yet, reliable CCS systems that can be simulated and analyzed, leading to improved customer experience and cost-savings.