Web Hosting Talk : Web Hosting Main Forums : Cloud Hosting : Cloud hosting apps different

[Skeptical]

Would like to offer cloud hosting to customers. A few questions for you pros:

1.
Do php/cgi/asp/aspx and database need to be rewritten or is it just like a dedicated machine with the same paths and environments?

2.
What server software is used out there to power cloud hosting?

3.
What billing software out there is suitable for cloud hosting?

[01globalnet]

1 - no you do not have to rewrite anything. It actually works as any dedi or vps. If your database is on different cloud then you will need to change the configuration files in your scripts (nothing special).

2 - there are custom solutions and out of the box, some free, some commercial: vmware, applogic, xen etc.

3 - depends. You can use a standard control panel like h-sphere to bill transfer/space, or whmcs with cpanel, da etc. If you need to compute cpu cycles there are other solutions.

For 2 + 3: you better find an established provider that has ready the infrastructure (no need to re-invent the wheel). For example Cartika, Gigenet, Softlayer, Vps.net provide cloud instances. Especially, Cartika can setup a fully managed cloud/cluster based on h-sphere and you will be able to bill your clients based on usage.

[Skeptical]

1.
How will paths work though, since it's on a cloud. I imagine wanting to expand /home/'s hard drive space from 1G to 3G. What exactly happens?

2.
Any of these plug in to WHMCS and has a control panel such as SolusVM for Xen vps?

Regarding using an established provider, that's a great idea. Which ones has integration for whmcs do you know?

[CloudWeb]

Originally Posted by Skeptical

1.
How will paths work though, since it's on a cloud. I imagine wanting to expand /home/'s hard drive space from 1G to 3G. What exactly happens?

2.
Any of these plug in to WHMCS and has a control panel such as SolusVM for Xen vps?

Regarding using an established provider, that's a great idea. Which ones has integration for whmcs do you know?

1) In a true cloud platform, expanding /home from 1G to 3G for example should be accomplished by a reboot, and minimal downtime (minutes) to "resize" the partition, and it should be a very simple process. Only in very large partitions can it take a while to resize (careful resizing those multi terabyte ones!).

2) Depends on the application, and what you want to do. Understand Xen in itself is not cloud, it is virtualization.. but it is a component of many installations of cloud.