Cloud computing essentials for managers / software engineers Training Course

Virtualization Infrastructure Overview

1. Core Operating System Components: Processing Units (CPU), Memory Management, Network Interfaces, and Storage Systems.
2. Hypervisor Architecture
   1. Role as the primary resource manager.
   2. Distinction between the "Host" environment and the "Guest" operating systems.
   3. Differentiation between Type-1 (Bare Metal) and Type-2 (Hosted) Hypervisors.
   4. Primary implementations: Citrix XEN, VMware ESX/ESXi, Microsoft Hyper-V, and IBM LPAR.
3. Network Virtualization Fundamentals
   1. Overview of the 7-Layer OSI Model.
   2. Emphasis on the Network Layer functions.
   3. Structure of the TCP/IP Model and Internet Protocol standards.
4. Vertical Layer Analysis
   1. Application Layer: Secure Sockets Layer (SSL).
   2. Transport Layer: Transmission Control Protocol (TCP).
   3. Internet Layer: IPv4 and IPv6 protocols.
   4. Link Layer: Ethernet standards.
5. Packet Transmission and Addressing
   1. Addressing mechanisms: IP addresses and Domain Name System (DNS).
   2. Network devices: Firewalls, Load Balancers, Routers, and Network Adapters.
   3. Implementation of Virtualized Networks.
   4. Higher-level abstractions: Subnets and Zones.
6. Practical Application:
   1. Navigation of the ESXi cluster and vSphere Client interface.
   2. Configuration of networks within the ESXi cluster, deployment of guest operating systems from Virtual Machine Disk (VMDK) files, and establishment of inter-guest connectivity.
   3. Modification of running Virtual Machine (VM) instances and creation of system snapshots.
   4. Configuration of firewall rules in ESXi via the vSphere Client.

2. Cloud Computing: A Strategic Paradigm Shift

1. Accelerated deployment pathways for delivering products and solutions to end users.
2. Resource Pooling and Sharing
   1. Multi-layer virtualization environments.
3. Key Operational Benefits:
   1. On-demand resource elasticity
      1. Streamlined workflow from ideation and coding to deployment without physical infrastructure constraints.
      2. Implementation of rapid Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) pipelines.
   2. Environment isolation and vertical operational autonomy.
   3. Security reinforcement through layered architecture.
   4. Cost optimization through efficient resource utilization.
4. Distinction between On-premise Cloud infrastructure and Public Cloud Service Providers.
5. Cloud Computing as a conceptual framework for distributed computing.

3. Cloud Solution Architecture Layers

1. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
   1. Major providers: AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud.
   2. Selection of a single provider for subsequent training modules. Amazon Web Services (AWS) is the recommended platform.
      1. Introduction to AWS Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) and Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2).
2. Platform as a Service (PaaS)
   1. Major providers: AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, Cloud Foundry, Heroku.
   2. Introduction to AWS DynamoDB and AWS Kinesis services.
3. Software as a Service (SaaS)
   1. High-level overview of the service model.
   2. Common examples: Microsoft Office, Confluence, Salesforce, Slack.
4. Architectural dependency: SaaS layers over PaaS, which layers over IaaS, ultimately relying on Virtualization.

4. IaaS Cloud Implementation Project

1. Utilization of AWS as the designated IaaS Cloud Provider.
2. Operating System Selection: CentOS or Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) for exercise activities.
   1. Ubuntu is an acceptable alternative, though RHEL/CentOS is preferred for consistency.
3. Provisioning of individual AWS IAM accounts by the cloud administrator.
4. Independent Execution Requirements:
   1. Students must independently architect and deploy their infrastructure to demonstrate cloud computing capabilities.
      1. This structure ensures the material is directly applicable for government IT professionals.
   2. Use of AWS Wizard tools and online consoles for task completion, unless specified otherwise.
5. VPC Configuration in the us-east-1 Region
   1. Establishment of two Subnets (Subnet-1 and Subnet-2) across distinct Availability Zones.
      1. Reference: AWS VPC Scenarios Documentation.
   2. Creation of three distinct Security Groups:
      1. SG-Internet
         1. Permits inbound traffic from the Internet on ports HTTPS (443) and HTTP (80).
         2. Denies all other inbound connections.
      2. SG-Service
         1. Permits inbound traffic only from SG-Internet on ports HTTPS (443) and HTTP (80).
         2. Permits ICMP traffic only from SG-Internet.
         3. Denies all other inbound connections.
      3. SG-SSH
         1. Permits SSH (Port 22) connections exclusively from the public IP address of the student’s lab machine. If the lab machine utilizes a proxy, the public IP of the proxy must be used.
6. Deployment of an AMI corresponding to the selected OS (preferably the latest RHEL/CentOS version) within Subnet-1. Assign the instance to SG-Service and SG-SSH.
7. Remote access to the instance via SSH from the lab machine.
8. Installation of the NGINX web server on the instance.
9. Configuration of static content (HTML pages, images) to be served by NGINX on port 80 via HTTP, with defined URLs.
10. Validation of URL accessibility from the instance itself.
11. Creation of a new AMI image from the running instance.
12. Deployment of the new AMI within Subnet-2. Assign the instance to SG-Service and SG-SSH.
13. Verification that the static content URL configured in the previous step remains accessible.
14. Provisioning of a new "Classic" Elastic Load Balancer (ELB) and association with SG-Internet.
    1. Note the technical distinctions between Classic, Application, and Network Load Balancers.
15. Configuration of routing rules to forward HTTP (80) and HTTPS (443) traffic to the instance group comprising the two deployed instances.
16. Generation of a key-pair and self-signed certificate using a certificate management tool (e.g., Java Keytool) and importation into AWS Certificate Manager (ACM).

5. Cloud Monitoring: Overview and Implementation

1. Utilization of AWS CloudWatch metrics for performance tracking.
2. Analysis of AWS CloudWatch dashboards for EC2 instances
   1. Retrieval of relevant metrics and explanation of temporal variability.
      1. Reference: AWS EC2 CloudWatch Metrics Documentation.
3. Analysis of AWS CloudWatch dashboards for the ELB
   1. Observation of ELB metrics and explanation of temporal variability.
      1. Reference: AWS ELB CloudWatch Metrics Documentation.

6. Advanced Concepts for Continued Education

1. Hybrid Cloud Environments: Integration of on-premise infrastructure with public cloud resources.
2. Migration Strategies: Transition from on-premise to public cloud
   1. Application code migration techniques.
   2. Database migration procedures.
3. DevOps Methodologies
   1. Implementation of Infrastructure as Code (IaC).
   2. Utilization of AWS CloudFormation Templates.
4. Auto-Scaling Implementation
   1. Use of AWS CloudWatch metrics to determine instance health and scaling triggers.