What Can You Do In Cloud Computing? eBay Gives an Example

Grazed from MidSize Insider. Author: Bert Markgraf.

Many midsize businesses are comfortable putting their email online and using the cloud for storage, but there are barriers to going beyond that. Ready-made cloud computing solutions are expensive, and IT departments are concerned about vendor lock-in. If the purchased system doesn’t meet expectations or if your needs change, do you have to scrap your investment and start over? Open source solutions such as OpenStack, CloudStack and Eucalyptus are available, but there have been few high-profile implementations.

network spheresThe eBay Project

Now eBay has announced that it is using OpenStack open source software as the basis for virtual networks that it will use to develop and test applications for its website marketplaces. An article on InfoWorld describes the project. The company is running Nicira Network Virtualization on the OpenStack cloud computing platform to let it start up separate virtual networks for its projects. Its multi-vendor approach led it to implement the already integrated Nicira/OpenStack solution rather than relying on its existing VMware cloud. Cost was also a factor. Jean-Christophe Martin, who is a cloud architect for eBay, says, "Before, we were mostly looking at vendor-provided solutions. I think that right now we are switching to more of an open source strategy."…

Network Virtualization

Because it sees advantages in the scalability of virtual networks, eBay choose to go the cloud route rather than rely on a physical environment. When an application in development has to be tested, the company can spin a virtual network just for this purpose. Developers can share resources on the new network and can isolate it from other company networks as required. The speed with which the company can deploy such a network and its accessibility, flexibility, and low-cost were all factors for eBay in choosing to go with the open source virtual network model.

Open Source Cloud Platforms

Originally founded by Rackspace and NASA, OpenStack has developed into an open source community project supported by several major software companies. Cisco, IBM, HP, Dell, and Red Hat contribute to and offer compatible software. The idea behind it and similar offerings by other open source groups is that the platform is not linked to a single vendor. When you choose an open source cloud platform, you are still locked in, but you can choose from the offerings of many software suppliers for cloud applications. In the case of eBay, their VMWare and Nicira/OpenStack clouds have similar capabilities, but if they need features not offered by Nicira Network Virtualization, they can find another vendor whose software will run on OpenStack and meet their needs.