Developing and Hosting Applications on the Cloud

Book excerpt: A Complete, Practical Guide to Building and Hosting Cloud Services That Deliver Exceptional Business Value In this unique title, key developers of the IBM SmartCloud Enterprise share indispensable insights for developing and operating cloud-based solutions on any cloud platform. Drawing on their unsurpassed in-the-trenches experience, the authors help you develop the new mindset and skills needed to succeed in cloud environments, where development, business, and system operations are linked more tightly than ever. Using examples based on IBM SmartCloud Enterprise, the authors cover a wide variety of cloud "use cases," while also introducing general principles for automating and optimizing IT infrastructure in any cloud environment. They begin by presenting an authoritative, accessible review of cloud computing and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) cloud concepts. Next, they demonstrate how to use cloud tools, develop basic cloud applications, and utilize standards to establish interoperability between clouds. Finally, drawing on deep personal experience, they offer best-practice solutions for all facets of cloud hosting, including security, monitoring, performance, availability, and business support. Throughout, they emphasize real-world problem solving, offering numerous code examples and practical demonstrations of real-world tools and utilities. Coverage includes Understanding each cloud deployment model: private, community, public, and hybrid Reviewing key cloud computing use cases, including those based on virtualization and collaboration Developing for the cloud with the LAMP stack, Windows, J2EE, WebSphere, and other technologies Building apps for the IBM SmartCloud Enterprise public infrastructure Using the command line toolkit, Java, and REST APIs to manage IBM SmartCloud Enterprise resources Exploring cloud computing standards and open source projects that promote interoperability among clouds Building cloud applications to customize images, deliver network services, install/manage software, and provide remote desktops Using IBM's powerful self-service and delegated administration models and best-of-breed VM images Leveraging open source projects for cloud service management and virtualization Understanding cloud service security: trusted certificates, identity/access management, SSH, HTTPS, IPSec, application hardening, and much more Monitoring and optimizing performance and availability through the entire system lifecycle Mana...