As the business applications and data storage are rapidly being relocated to the cloud, don’t you think the cloud operating system (cloud OS) is the next logical step? A cloud operating system is affordable than the traditional operating system and offers users greater functionality and enhanced reliability. There are multiple benefits when we consider switching to a cloud OS. However, before discussing that, let’s overview what a cloud operating system or cloud OS is?
A cloud operating system operates within cloud computing and provides a virtualized environment. This operating system manages the execution, operation, and processes of virtual servers, machines, and infrastructure. Besides, it manages the software resources as well as back-end hardware. We can also call it a virtual operating system. However, the cloud operating system’s functionality varies based on the virtual environment and cloud services in use. We can technically describe it as a lightweight operating system that stores data and accesses web-based applications from a remote server. Google Chrome OS and Microsoft Windows Azure are two examples of cloud operating systems.
Hence, as a cloud, the users can manage the tasks from their mobile internet devices, netbooks, and tablets exactly the similar way they can manage it from their desktops as internet-based users can work on the go with a cloud OS. From a productivity point of view, a cloud OS allows better usage of resources like storage, computing, and network of data centers. At the same time, it enhances employee productivity with faster and better delivery of applications applicable across all clouds like public, private, and hybrid. Furthermore, it provides improved security and compliance.
You can install a cloud operating system as a stand-alone operating system or with other operating systems. As the hardware use is very less for stand-alone cloud OS, hence it is a cost-saving venture. Not to mention, accessibility from anywhere is another biggest advantage.
Related post – Is Serverless computing the future of Cloud computing?
How does an OS work on the cloud?
While the traditional operating systems on most computers work off the computer’s hard drive, a Cloud OS (which we call also call a Web OS), on the other hand, runs off a remote server. Then what actually runs on the computer? Well, it is merely an interface which we can consider similar as basic as a web browser. Moreover, all data reside on a remote server too. As a result, your computer requires less RAM and a smaller hard disk and still run all the possible applications.
So, all your cloud OS needs are something that can serve as an interface, and your work is done through a browser. Definitely, it gives a new meaning to working on the go.
Advantages of Cloud Operating Systems
Easy Software Upgrades
Cloud operating is hassle-free for software updates. For example, whenever a new version of the cloud OS hits the web, you will get an option to install it. Furthermore, unlike the traditional operating system, it is not a lengthy ordeal. Instead, it eliminates those assortments of programs, firmware, and drivers whenever a new version is installed. Thus, it is essentially not a start from scratch again and again! Consider the tiring process of upgrading an outdated OS, which takes hours. On the contrary, a cloud operating system can be updated within minutes. Not to mention, you will get all your pre-existing applications and programs left intact.
Reduced Risk of Viruses
Do you want to bid a long-awaited farewell to computer viruses? Then it is the right choice to move into a cloud operating system. One of the prime reasons behind this is this type of OS doesn’t interact directly with computer hardware. A cloud operating system is, no doubt is a reliable choice that discards the pain of constantly formatting hard drives while purchasing costly antivirus software. In other terms, it saves a great deal of time, money, and effort.
Cost-Effectiveness
Purchasing an operating system is not a cheap affair. It costs several hundred dollars. Additionally, it is prone to virus attacks and a viable chance of becoming obsolete as soon as the next version comes into the market. Cloud OS is the best answer to this. Also, there is a wide availability of these operating systems these days.
Name-brand cloud OS costs less than the traditional OS, but some are also available free of charge. Hence, cloud OS is affordable alternatives available on the web against the latest over-counter operating system. This is an excellent choice for small businesses.
Impressive Speed
Not just the cost and preventing virus attacks are the only reasons for considering a traditional OS’s cloud operating system. Since cloud OS is not tied to computer hardware, it is extremely fast. We find many reasons that lag the performance of OS like open programs, insufficient memory, computer virus, etc. There is no chance of compromise for speed in the case of cloud OS. So, now no matter if you are using minimal RAM and running multiple programs at a time with cloud OS.
Cloud Operating system Architecture
Now come to little more technical aspects of cloud OS. The cloud operating system consists of multiple layers –
- Physical resources
- system services
- OS kernel
- eco-system support
- applications
Let’s see what exactly the above-mentioned layers do.
Physical resources layer – It consists of various kinds of resources, including CPU, storage, memory, network, and so on.
OS kernel – It sits between the physical resources layer and the system services layer and provides resources abstraction along with services provisioning.
The system services layer – It provides system-level services and the corresponding APIs as large-scale in-memory computing, networking services, data storage, elastic computing, and so on based on the APIs provided by the OS kernel.
Eco-system support – There are other facilities on the top of system services, e.g., account management, billing, user authorization, container services, VM/container repository, and resources orchestration, which necessarily build an eco-system. Besides, these facilities provide APIs of their own.
Applications– This is the topmost upper layer that provides capabilities such as big data processing, graph computing, scientific computing, deep learning, etc.
Cloud Operating System requirements
– The Cloud OS must permit autonomous management
of resources so that users and applications can utilize it.
– Cloud OS operation must be sustainable. Hence, the cloud operating system must continue despite node failure, or failure in entire clusters, and network partitioning.
– The Cloud OS must be operating system and architecture agnostic.
– The Cloud OS must support multiple types of applications, including legacy.
– The Cloud OS management system must be decentralized, have little overhead over user and machine, scalable, and be cost effective
– For billing and debugging purposes the resources used in the Cloud architecture must be accountable.
Key Technologies used in Cloud Operating system
To achieve the purpose of high efficiency and ease of use, cloud OS implementation emphasizes on the following technologies.
Container Technology. A container is a light-weight way for users that helps to develop and run distributed applications. This is considered as a future direction. There are many containers available in the market, like Docker and LXC; however, they are far from perfect. Also, since container services are consumed by many in cloud environments, so cloud computing has expanded its scope from the central data center to the edge.
Huge VM Technology. In traditional VM, the idea of resource partition is embodied, which allows users to manipulate resources in a more fine-grained way. However, it is necessary to consider huge VM scenarios, which are basically large amounts of resources combined to present a powerful virtual machine.
Tasks Scheduling Technology. Tasks scheduling runs on top of multi-granularity resources pooling and management. It is the duty of the task scheduler to guarantee both service quality and resource utilization. As the large-scale resources are involved in this case where tasks that are running are of different characteristics, no doubt, it is not an easy task to do task scheduling. Here, generally, hybrid workloads are considered for scheduling, along with the scheduler’s scalability and fault tolerance.
Distributed File System Technology. Distributed file systems play a key role in cloud computing, just like filesystem to a traditional OS, simplifying storage ac-cess. Many distributed file systems are considered here like GFS/HDFS, Gluster, Ceph, etc. Parallel computing is used for data encoding and decoding, which guarantees read/write performance.
Top Cloud OS in use in the industries
cloudMe (previously known as iCloud)
G.ho.st cloud operating system
Joli os cloud operating system
Cloudo
Zimdesk
Mygoya
Kohive
Startforce
Lucid desktop
Corneli OS
ZeroPC
ispaces
Google chrome os
Conclusion
Cloud operating systems effectively manage multiple virtual machines at a time. Besides, they help manage a cloud environment and set up the dashboard for meeting purposes. Along with that, as you can get all the necessary applications for both work or personal use in the same place, it saves a lot of time and increases efficiency. Interestingly, some cloud OS comes with a business solution that helps to choose the data-centric approach and incorporate result-driven solutions. As every operating system offers many features, before start using a cloud OS, explore and check the insights.