About this previous year paper
SECTION A – Very Short Answers (2 Marks Each)
a) Parallel Computing vs Distributed Computing
Parallel Computing: Multiple processors execute tasks simultaneously on a single system with shared memory.
Distributed Computing: Multiple independent computers work together over a network to achieve a common goal.
b) Characteristics of Cloud Computing On-demand self-service
Broad network access Resource pooling
Rapid elasticity Measured service (pay-as-you-go)
c) Disaster Recovery
Disaster recovery is the process of restoring IT infrastructure, applications, and data after a natural or man-made disaster to ensure business continuity.
d) Types of Virtualization Hardware virtualization
OS-level virtualization Server virtualization
Storage virtualization Network virtualization
e) Community Cloud (with Example)
A cloud infrastructure shared by organizations with common concerns.
Example: Government departments sharing a cloud for data security compliance.
f) Types of Cloud Services IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service)
PaaS (Platform as a Service) SaaS (Software as a Service)
g) VM Security
VM security refers to protecting virtual machines from unauthorized access, malware, data breaches, and hypervisor attacks.
h) Security Threats in Cloud Computing Data breaches
Account hijacking Insecure APIs
Malicious insiders DDoS attacks
i) Four Levels of Federation Infrastructure federation
Platform federation Application federation
Identity federation
j) VirtualBox
VirtualBox is an open-source virtualization software that allows multiple operating systems to run on a single machine.
SECTION B – Long Answers (10 Marks Each)
Q2(a) Need & Evolution of Cloud Computing
Need: Cost reduction
Scalability High availability
Reduced maintenance
Evolution:
Mainframe → Client-Server → Grid Computing → Virtualization → Cloud Computing
(Draw a neat evolution diagram in exam)
Q2(b) Hardware Virtualization Techniques
Full Virtualization – Complete hardware simulation
Para-Virtualization – Guest OS modified for efficiency
Hardware-Assisted Virtualization – Uses CPU extensions (Intel VT-x, AMD-V)
Q2(c) NIST Goal & Cloud Layers
NIST Goal:
To provide a standard definition, reference architecture, and guidelines for cloud computing.
Layers: Hardware layer
Virtualization layer Cloud service layer (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS)
Application layer
Q2(d) Resource Provisioning
Resource provisioning is the allocation of cloud resources based on demand.
Methods: Static provisioning
Dynamic provisioning Elastic provisioning
Q2(e) Hadoop & Architecture
Hadoop:
An open-source framework for distributed storage and processing of big data.
Components: HDFS (storage)
MapReduce (processing) YARN (resource management)
SECTION C – Medium / Long Answers (10 Marks)
Q3(a) Cloud Delivery Models Public Cloud: Low cost, scalable, less secure
Private Cloud: Secure, costly Hybrid Cloud: Flexible, complex
Community Cloud: Shared cost, limited users
Q3(b) Cloud Reference Model
Includes: Consumer
Provider Broker
Auditor Carrier
(Draw reference model diagram)
Q4(a) SOA & SOAP Building Blocks
SOA: Architecture where services are loosely coupled and reusable.
SOAP Blocks: Envelope
Header Body
Fault
Q4(b) Architectural Constraints of Web Services
Statelessness Standardized interface
Loose coupling Interoperability
Q5(a) Cloud Provider Components & Responsibilities
Components: Data centers
Virtualization layer Management software
Responsibilities: IaaS: Hardware & virtualization
PaaS: OS, runtime SaaS: Application & data
Q5(b) Amazon S3 & Advantages
Amazon S3: Scalable object storage service.
Advantages: High durability
Scalability Cost-effective
Easy access
Q6(a) Inter-Cloud Resource Management
Managing resources across multiple cloud providers to ensure load balancing, fault tolerance, and cost optimization.
Q6(b) Security Challenges & Governance
Challenges: Data privacy
Compliance Identity management
Governance: Policies
Risk management Compliance auditing
Q7(a) Cloud Federation Stack
A framework enabling interoperability among multiple clouds.
Layers: Infrastructure
Platform Application
Access & identity
Q7(b) Web Services vs APIs
| Web Services | APIs |
|---|---|
| Uses SOAP/REST | Any protocol |
| XML based | JSON/XML |
| Heavier | Lightweight |