Blueprint for the Intercloud - Protocols and Formats for Cloud Computing Interoperability

TLDR

Cloud computing comprises geographically distributed datacenters that provide utility‑based services with automated provisioning and hypervisor virtualization, yet interoperability between clouds remains limited to explicit code references and lacks implicit transparency. This paper explores use cases for cloud interoperability. It presents work‑in‑progress inter‑cloud protocols and formats designed to enable those use cases.

Abstract

Cloud computing is a term applied to large, hosted datacenters, usually geographically distributed, which offer various computational services on a ldquoutilityrdquo basis. Most typically the configuration and provisioning of these datacenters, as far as the services for the subscribers go, is highly automated, to the point of the service being delivered within seconds of the subscriber request. Additionally, the datacenters typically use hypervisor based virtualization as a technique to deliver these services. The concept of a cloud operated by one service provider or enterprise interoperating with a clouds operated by another is a powerful idea. So far that is limited to use cases where code running on one cloud explicitly references a service on another cloud. There is no implicit and transparent interoperability. Use cases for interoperability, as well as work-in-progress around inter-cloud protocols and formats for enabling those use cases, are discussed in this paper.