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  1. #1

    So what exactly is cloud hosting?

    The internet is awash with talk of cloud-this and cloud-that, but I don't really understand the difference between cloud-hosting and VPS.

    I did a bit of a look on Google, but can anyone recommend a good article on this?

    Thanks!

  2. #2
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    VPS is a virtual environment where you have dedicated resources allocated to your server slice. Cloud is used very loosely but in a nutshell for the most part it can mean that the service offering is hosted on multiple servers for close to 100% up-time and redundancy. Where VPS is hosted in most case's on one server.

    Cheers,

    Dave

  3. #3
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    Cloud is a reversed VPS, its still a VPS.
    Vinsar.Net - Quality Web Hosting at Economical Price on USA & European Servers
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  4. #4
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    Fundamentally you get shared storage so if a physical server fails there should be some sort of failover. A lot of cloud providers offer fancy control panels with easy scaling etc. as well.

  5. #5
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    I personally believe that the lines are fairly skewed in terms of hosting.

    In hosting, a VPS is typically a server that has no redundancy and the virtual server and its data resides solely on that host node. However some providers offer features that are more cloud like than VPS like. For example some VPS providers do have centralized storage and redundant host nodes.

    Cloud hosting uses centralized storage and has their host nodes configured in such a way that they are redundant in case of a failure. The other quality of cloud that is appealing to most, is that fact that you can upgrade or downgrade the virtual machine easily and on demand.

    Cloud as an idea is basically the notion that anything and everything that is needed is in the "cloud" or accessible via the internet, and that the end user doesn't really know where the server is that they are accessing.

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by xtempore View Post
    The internet is awash with talk of cloud-this and cloud-that, but I don't really understand the difference between cloud-hosting and VPS.

    I did a bit of a look on Google, but can anyone recommend a good article on this?

    Thanks!
    Cloud Hosting, Cloud Server, Cloud Whatever, Anything Cloud...etc...

    One answer...Hype!

    Nothing amazing trust me...they are also computer in another jargon.
    It's like bling-bling instead of jewelry.
    Ask for Server IP & Nameservers IP to check if your reseller provider truly provides 100% white-label.

  7. #7
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    Hey,

    Cloud hosting is finally becoming defined, the devil is in the details as the distinctions between VPS and Cloud are small but very important. Let me start with the definition, you can find the article here:

    csrc.nist.gov/publications/nistpubs/800-145/SP800-145.pdf

    On-demand self-service: A consumer can computing capabilities, such as
    server time and network storage, as needed automatically without requiring human
    interaction with each service provider.

    Broad network access: Capabilities are available over the network and accessed through standard
    mechanisms. Essentially means TCP/IP is supported

    Resource pooling: The provider’s computing resources are pooled to serve multiple consumers
    using a multi-tenant model, with different physical and virtual resources dynamically
    assigned and reassigned according to consumer demand.

    Rapid elasticity: Capabilities can be elastically provisioned and released, in some cases
    automatically, to scale rapidly outward and inward commensurate with demand. To the
    consumer, the capabilities available for provisioning often appear to be unlimited and can
    be appropriated in any quantity at any time.

    Measured service: Cloud systems automatically control and optimize resource use by leveraging
    a metering capability at some level of abstraction appropriate to the type of service (e.g.,
    storage, processing, bandwidth, and active user accounts). Resource usage can be
    monitored, controlled, and reported, providing transparency for both the provider and
    consumer of the utilized service.

    So what is the difference between VPS and Cloud? Well some VPS providers charge by the month not the second, others manually setup the servers instead of via an automated orchestration system. At the end of the day both Cloud and VPS servers are virtualized machines available for your use. Cloud just gives you the bells and whistles that traditional VPS does not.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by digitalOcean View Post
    Hey,

    Cloud hosting is finally becoming defined, the devil is in the details as the distinctions between VPS and Cloud are small but very important. Let me start with the definition, you can find the article here:

    csrc.nist.gov/publications/nistpubs/800-145/SP800-145.pdf

    On-demand self-service: A consumer can computing capabilities, such as
    server time and network storage, as needed automatically without requiring human
    interaction with each service provider.

    Broad network access: Capabilities are available over the network and accessed through standard
    mechanisms. Essentially means TCP/IP is supported

    Resource pooling: The provider’s computing resources are pooled to serve multiple consumers
    using a multi-tenant model, with different physical and virtual resources dynamically
    assigned and reassigned according to consumer demand.

    Rapid elasticity: Capabilities can be elastically provisioned and released, in some cases
    automatically, to scale rapidly outward and inward commensurate with demand. To the
    consumer, the capabilities available for provisioning often appear to be unlimited and can
    be appropriated in any quantity at any time.

    Measured service: Cloud systems automatically control and optimize resource use by leveraging
    a metering capability at some level of abstraction appropriate to the type of service (e.g.,
    storage, processing, bandwidth, and active user accounts). Resource usage can be
    monitored, controlled, and reported, providing transparency for both the provider and
    consumer of the utilized service.

    So what is the difference between VPS and Cloud? Well some VPS providers charge by the month not the second, others manually setup the servers instead of via an automated orchestration system. At the end of the day both Cloud and VPS servers are virtualized machines available for your use. Cloud just gives you the bells and whistles that traditional VPS does not.
    It's about time.


  9. #9
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    Anyone that believes cloud hosting is any different than vps hosting is a sucker. The comment above about running on multiple machines is ridiculous. You're always going to be on a single server as your dom0. It all comes down to how much of the marketing you yourself believe. The technologies used in "cloud" environments are identical to the technologies used in VPS environments. You can have a VPS environment that has shared resources among a cluster of backend dom0's giving you the ability to have near zero downtime, same as you could have a "cloud" environment with local resources. It all comes down to what you call it and how you market it.

  10. #10
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    As I mentioned in my post, the technology is the same between VPS/Cloud both use virtualization to provide Dom0/DomU - the interesting part is in the details. For instance billing methods, resize options, unlimited capacity, and instantaneous self service. As more of these features wind up in a VPS service the closer it moves toward a Cloud provider.

    In either case its the experience of the network and systems engineers, and the architecture of the backend system that dictates performance and stability. I would not say that Cloud by its nature is worse or better than a VPS. It depends highly on what your application needs are.

  11. #11
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    When you extract the 'cloud' marketing bs Cloud Servers can be defined as being:

    1 Flexible
    2 Scalable (Horizontal and Vertical)
    3 And there should be a better uptime because your environment is not limited to one server node. By using SAN storage or another method of replicating and sharing data (Applogic) it can be restarted our migrated to other hardware in minutes.
    4 VPS'es sometimes do not virtualise on hardware layer (OpenVZ and Virtuozzo) and you are in fact still sharing some ressources. Other VPS'es can slow down your VPS. But there also are technologies that are better in guaranteeing your resources.

    For the record, this is a simplification of a cloud server platform like we and most outhe cloud providers use: http://www.shifttothecloud.com/en/cl...loud-explained .

    It should* give you greater availablity and scalability than a VPS or Dedicated solution.

    * If used with a robust and high performance SAN solution.

    Of course, the fexibility and scalabity can be achieved with regular VPS offerings. But if you cant the best uptime, a reliable cloud partner can help you with this.
    Shift To The Cloud
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  12. #12
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    One of the key components I usually look for in order to call something a "cloud" is SAN storage (which would allow for rapid recovery if your host fails since the machine can be started up on a different host).

    But I agree with some of the previous posts that hosting providers use the term WAY too much and they abuse the crud out of it as a marketing ploy.
    For example, Rackspace's "Cloud Servers" is really nothing more than a glorified VPS with a bunch of add-on services you can buy for extra cost.

  13. #13
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    hmmmmm .....

    The running battle between cloud servers and crowd servers.
    Lol. Just kidding.

    Love the knowledge you guys have and articulated with great passion. Appreciate it very much.

    You guys seem to be defending none other than us, the clients.

    Jargons aside, I'll go for whatever works better, delivers and economical.

  14. #14
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    add to your list:

    - instant snapshot capability
    - restore instantly from that snapshot at any time
    - live migrate from hypervisor to hypervisor (0 downtime)
    - ability to spin up or down 100s of VMs at once
    - pay for only when they are online, by the hour

    You don't get these with the traditional VPS hosting. Trust me, we provide both cloud and VPS and there is a significant difference.

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by azmanar View Post
    hmmmmm .....

    The running battle between cloud servers and crowd servers.
    Lol. Just kidding.

    Love the knowledge you guys have and articulated with great passion. Appreciate it very much.

    You guys seem to be defending none other than us, the clients.

    Jargons aside, I'll go for whatever works better, delivers and economical.

    Boom! you hit it.

    Some of people are fond of creating new jargon to uplift their intellectual emotion. But if you analyze..."whatever works better, delivers and economical are the bottomline".

    No matter how we design (architecture) our house there's always a place to poop and that's how our websites touching the earth and connecting to the world
    Ask for Server IP & Nameservers IP to check if your reseller provider truly provides 100% white-label.

  16. #16
    Public cloud is a service similar to VPS. The only differences are:
    + you have very slow remote storage instead of fast local disk
    + it costs much more
    + you can start new cloud nodes faster

    Generally it's overpriced VPS with slow I/O + marketing BS.

  17. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by Vinayak_Sharma View Post
    Cloud is a reversed VPS, its still a VPS.
    No it isn't. That's one of the ways of describing a cloud but it isn't the only way. Also, reversed?

    Doesn't have to be slow remote storage either, there are smarter ways to get failover.

  18. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by slawek22 View Post
    Public cloud is a service similar to VPS. The only differences are:
    + you have very slow remote storage instead of fast local disk
    + it costs much more
    + you can start new cloud nodes faster

    Generally it's overpriced VPS with slow I/O + marketing BS.
    Not if the cloud VPS has instant scalability, auto failover, etc. There are a number of features which separate a cloud VPS from a traditional VPS, none of which you have mentioned.
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  19. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by slawek22 View Post
    Public cloud is a service similar to VPS. The only differences are:
    + you have very slow remote storage instead of fast local disk
    + it costs much more
    + you can start new cloud nodes faster

    Generally it's overpriced VPS with slow I/O + marketing BS.
    You have no clue what you are talking about.


  20. #20
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    If it's not "distributed computing" then it's not really "cloud" in my opinion. I guess some of the old names would be stuff like SaaS [software as a service] where you pay for such a container that is distributed and scales cpu/storage/memory on the fly and isn't limited to one physical server.

    VPS as just that is usually just seen as a virtualized version of a single private server (though there's no reason why a VPS in theory could not be run over a distributed network of physical servers).

    But now days seems like the term is hype, look at CloudLinux... it's not even cloud computing.

  21. #21
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    Quote Originally Posted by slawek22 View Post
    Public cloud is a service similar to VPS. The only differences are:
    + you have very slow remote storage instead of fast local disk
    + it costs much more
    + you can start new cloud nodes faster

    Generally it's overpriced VPS with slow I/O + marketing BS.
    That would be true if you had a poorly configured service, but that is not true of all Cloud Offerings, just like how those same cons could apply to some VPS providers.
    IonVz - Nginx/FreeBSD/VPS Consulting | VPSNodeBox - Managed Support Representative

  22. #22
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    Hi,

    As a customer, here is what I see ( assumption ) about the differences between Cloud Hosting and VPS.

    VPS
    VPS is a fixed configuration server set by my web hosting provider. Any changes or upgrades or downgrades that I want, I must inform him or her to do it for me. This includes processors, disk size, hardware, systems, applications, db, IP and bandwidth. If he/she responded quickly, I get it quickly. If he is slow, I get it slow.

    Most of the time, if I want to upgrade, I have to upgrade to another ready package and not according to my whims or fancies.

    As for the users' needs for CDN, providers of VPS let users alone in choosing whomever they wished to connect with. Most of the time, we are left in a pool of confusion to deal with.

    Cloud Hosting
    Based on what I've seen, I get to choose the sort of configuration I want and need. I can upgrade and downgrade anytime I wished to without the interference of support staff. It is like DIY. And this could be very intriguing for clients who are tech-blind, like myself. I can blindly either set up an overkill server or under spec one for my purpose. HELLO .... some hand holding is required here. Usually, when we're left in a confusing spot, we tend to leave very quickly and with a lot of noise. ... lol.

    So that's my perspective on the difference between Cloud and regular VPS.

    I'm not talking about Cloud Computing here, like Scott McNeally ( Sun Microsystem ) did spoke about in the year 2,000. No one ever really paid attention to his vision. Many were laughing at him. Which now became fact and hot the last few years after Google introduced Google Apps and Docs. Many providers including Amazon, entered the foray now.

    I'm talking about the simple matter of Web Hosting web sites and HOW I CAN MAKE MY MEDIA RICH CONTENT present themselves as quickly as possible to my visitors at the lowest cost as possible. Whether or not I'm on Cloud Hosting or regular VPS, I don't really care.

    Here are the take aways:
    -> CDNs play a more important role, whether my content sits in Cloud Hosting or Not.
    -> If web hosting providers do not partner with CDNs, they're about to be left behind
    -> If web hosting providers do not enter the Cloud Hosting market foray, they're about to be left behind.

    Please don't get annoyed with this last note. I'd love to see the great power of VPS with the flexibility of Cloud Hosting. No matter how much you guys fight, good business boils down to listening to your clients and in providing good customer services to clients.
    Last edited by azmanar; 06-05-2012 at 08:43 AM.

  23. #23
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    Quote Originally Posted by azmanar View Post
    Hi,

    As a customer, here is what I see ( assumption ) about the differences between Cloud Hosting and VPS.

    VPS
    VPS is a fixed configuration server set by my web hosting provider. Any changes or upgrades or downgrades that I want, I must inform him or her to do it for me. This includes processors, disk size, hardware, systems, applications, db, IP and bandwidth. If he/she responded quickly, I get it quickly. If he is slow, I get it slow.
    ...
    Most would usually be that way, except in cases where their control panel is tied into their VPS software for automatic upgrade/downgrade (upon payment confirmation of course). Most cloud instances like say Amazon AWS, you're 'billed' for it after tallying up your actual usage.

    To me I see the 'target' audience for one or the other being different, on one hand the scalability is great to be able to pay for what you use when you needed it, but on the other hand if you're consistently loaded the VPS (i.e.: not as quickly scaled) may be more feasible for the money. Also cloud services tend to be much more expensive if you need to use more CPU cycles than you do bandwidth.

    Boils down to what do you *need*
    IonVz - Nginx/FreeBSD/VPS Consulting | VPSNodeBox - Managed Support Representative

  24. #24
    i havent clear idea about this also. But after read your discussion its not clear to me!!

  25. #25
    That would be true if you had a poorly configured service, but that is not true of all Cloud Offerings
    Yes i think that for dedicated cloud for several thousands $$$ that's available JUST FOR YOU it's true.

    For shared clouds, all i tested failed to deliver. HA, Scalability and "Safe" storage is just marketing BS. As long as you're using standard SQL database none of cloud "features" will work.

    You have no clue what you are talking about.
    Yeah, sure. If you believe this 'cloud' BS show me ONE service that has SLA for uptime, IO and CPU... and doesn't constantly fail to deliver.

    Why you think in this kind of enviroment you have NO QUARANTEES, just promises. Think about it for a minute...

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