Cloud Computing Standardization and Research

Standardization Architecture

Standardization is necessary before cloud computing can be applied and promoted.  It is also the final target in the development of cloud computing. Standardization of cloud computing involves standard service calling, standard service interfaces, and standard resource and network management. Cloud computing architecture consists of service interface layer, application platform layer, distributed operating system layer, virtualization layer, hardware architecture layer, and data centre infrastructure layer, as shown in Fig. 1. The six layers need to be standardized.

The basic goal of cloud computing standardization is to make applications more scalable, interoperable, and secure in the cloud. This involves:

■  a cloud computing interoperability and integration standard. This refers to interoperability between different clouds and an integrated interface standard.

■  a cloud computing service interface and application development standard. This involves an exchange standard between cloud computing and service layers.

■  an interface standard for different layers of cloud computing. This refers to an interface standard for architecture layer, platform layer, and application software layer.

■  a cloud computing business index standard. This includes improved user asset utilization, resource and performance optimization, and performance price ratio.

■  a cloud computing architecture management standard. This involves design, planning, architecture, modelling, deployment, management, supervision, operation support, quality control, and service level agreement.

■  a cloud computing security and privacy standard. This refers to the physical and logistic standard relevant to data integrity, availability and confidentiality.

Standards Organizations and Their Research Interests

Work on cloud computing standardization has been initiated by standards organizations worldwide. More than 30 standards organizations are currently drafting cloud computing standards. These organizations generally fall into three categories:

■  traditional IT standards organizations or industrial alliances represented by DMTF, OGF, and SNIA that used to focus on grid standardization but now are committed to cloud computing standardization 

■  traditional telecommunications or Internet standards organizations represented by ITU, ISO, IEEE and IETF

■  emerging standards organizations represented by CSA, OCC and CCIF.

Cloud computing standards organizations and their research interests are listed below:

■  ITU-T Focus Group on Cloud Computing (ITU-T FG Cloud) is the world’s first authoritative cloud computing standards organization devoted to the  environmental friendliness, functionality, and reference architecture of cloud computing.

■ National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) provides technical guidance for secure applications in government and industry. NIST promotes relevant technical standards, and its definition of cloud computing is also considered an industry standard.

■  Distributed Management Task Force (DMTF) is an industry organization that develops, maintains and promotes standards for systems management in enterprise IT environments.

■ Storage Networking Industry Association (SNIA) is a non-profit trade association founded in 1997 with headquarters in San Francisco. SNIA promotes standards, technologies and educational services for the storage industry. 

■  Open Cloud Consortium (OCC) is a group of American universities that  seeks to improve cloud performance, promotes open frameworks for interoperation between clouds, and develops reference implementations, benchmarks and standards for cloud computing. OCC also manages the open cloud test bed and open science data cloud.

■ Open Grid Forum (OGF) is a community of users, developers, and vendors leading efforts to standardize grid computing. The OGF community consists of thousands of individuals from over 400 industry and research organizations in more than 50 countries.

■  Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) is an industry group founded in 2009 to promote security standards for cloud computing. CSA released Security Guidance for Critical Areas of Focus in Cloud Computing, which has become an important guide to cloud computing security issues.   

ZTE's Activities in Cloud Computing Standardization

ZTE spearheaded a Bar BOF session on cloud computing at the 79th IETF meeting. The relevant proposals were approved by both the Internet Architecture Board (IAB) and the Internet Engineering Steering Group (IESG). With permission to establish the cloud operations working group (Cloud OPS WG) and cloud applications BOF (Cloud APS BOF), ZTE has become the first vendor to establish a cloud computing working group in the IETF.

ZTE also took an active part in the ITU-T Focus Group on Cloud Computing (FG Cloud) and acted as the editor/co-editor for three drafts. For cloud computing security issues, ZTE won three editor/co-edition positions in the ITU-T Study Group 17 (SG17).