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Introduction
Do you know how the tools, applications, APIs, and infrastructure across various private and public clouds are coordinated? Do you know what provides a centralized management system that helps a team to handle complicated cloud deployments effectively? If not, then don't worry. In this article, we will discuss Orchestration in Cloud Computing, which helps us achieve the same.
In this article, we will discuss Orchestration in Cloud Computing, why we need it, its benefits, cloud orchestration models, and how cloud orchestration differs from cloud automation. Moving forward, let’s first understand a bit about cloud computing.
About Cloud Computing
Cloud computing provides on-demand access through the internet for computing various resources such as servers, applications, data storage, networking capabilities, and development tools. These resources are then hosted in a remote data center managed by CSP (cloud service provider).
CSP is an organization that provides cloud computing services. These services virtual machines, storage, application services, network resources, and so on. For example,Amazon Web Services(AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform(GCP). Below image shows the components of cloud-based infrastructure.
Before deep diving into Orchestration in Cloud Computing, one should clearly understand cloud computing itself and then move on to some key concepts and prerequisites such as Cloud service models, cloud deployment models, cloud resource management, and cloud computing architecture. One should have a solid grasp of these fundamental topics to understand Orchestration in Cloud Computing better.
Moving forward, let's understand Orchestration in Cloud Computing.
Orchestration in Cloud Computing
Orchestration in Cloud Computing refers to managing and coordinating multiple cloud resources, tools, APIs, and infrastructure across various private and public clouds. They offer efficient workflow, management of configurations, and monitoring.
A cloud works in a distributed computing environment by sharing resources among users and with high speed. So in a cloud environment, management of specific tools, applications, and APIs is needed for efficient resource allocation, scaling, flexibility, monitoring and governance, and much more. Therefore here, Cloud Orchestration plays an important role.
Through Cloud Orchestration, the tasks are automated, and connections and operations of workloads are managed on private and public clouds. Here automation refers to using certain tools and techniques used to perform specific tasks without any manual interruption. Certain processes and procedures are implemented, which knock outs the need for any facilitation of human interruption.
Working of Orchestration
Orchestration helps in creating the workflows for determining how the cloud resources are to be deployed, configured, and managed. The workflows can be complex and consist of multiple components. These components are containers, virtual machines, and network configurations. Orchestration tools are used to create the workflows. It provides a graphical interface, allowing users to drag and drop specific components that helps in creating workflows.
After creating a workflow, it is triggered automatically or manually. For instance, it can be triggered when a new virtual machine is requested or an event occurs.
Manual triggering involves a user initiating the execution by an API or by using orchestration tools, while automatic triggering is done on predefined actions or events.
So, when a workflow is triggered, orchestration tools automatically execute the defined actions. Also, the task is coordinated, and its progress is monitored during the workflow execution.
During the execution of the workflow, if there is any error, they are handled by orchestration tools. These orchestration tools are based on handling mechanisms that are predefined. Therefore through them, we can revert the changes that made a failed task by either performing error notifications, triggering automatic retires, or initiating rollback procedures.
After the successful execution of a workflow, the workflow is marked completed.
Cloud Orchestration Models
Cloud Orchestration Models help to create, set up, and manage cloud environments. There are two main cloud Orchestration models. Let's discuss them.
Single Cloud Model
A single cloud model has an easy setup. All applications in a single cloud model run in a single cloud environment. This cloud model gives a consolidated platform to manage and coordinate resources.
Multi-Cloud Model
In the multi-cloud model, the distribution of applications takes across different cloud platforms. These are then connected by multi-cloud orchestration and integrated into a cohesive system. Through this model, applications can function as a single system and, at the same time, take the benefits of multi-cloud providers.
Delivery Models for Cloud Services
Delivery models are the methods for providing cloud services to users. Let's discuss the three main delivery models.
IaaS(Infrastructure As A Service)
It is widely used in cloud orchestration environments. They provide network hardware, storage, service, and physical security in a dedicated or multi-tenant environment. Therefore by using these, users can manage their individual environments.
A multi-tenant environment refers to an environment where multiple users can share the same resources and infrastructure that a service provider provides.
PaaS(Platform As A Service)
Using PaaS, a user can run, develop, and manage applications, and it also provides development tools, a database management system, and middleware. Therefore through these, a user can build and deploy applications.
SaaS(Software As A Service)
Through SaaS, providers can deliver applications to the consumer through a web-based interface. The customer can utilize the application according to their service agreement conditions, provided that the customer has no control or configuration options of the infrastructure on which the application runs.
How Cloud Orchestration Differs from Cloud Automation
Cloud Orchestration is a subset of cloud automation in which repetitive tasks are programmed, like configuring the network on a new virtual machine. On the other hand, in cloud orchestration, interconnected automation processes are managed.
In cloud Orchestration, various tasks and processes are automated in a cloud computing environment. The workflow of cloud Orchestration has higher-level goals such as inter-service configuration, dependency management, disaster recovery, and auto-scaling distributed applications.
Below is the difference between them.
Cloud Orchestration
Cloud Automation
In Cloud Orchestration, multiple automation tasks are managed to achieve higher-level goals.
Cloud Automation uses code for performing a single repetitive task.
Cloud Orchestration handles the security and permissions of automation tasks.
In Cloud Automation, policy decisions are not implemented outside of OS-level ACLs.
Cloud Orchestration monitors and alters the workflow according to the requirement.
Through cloud automation, we can send data to third-party reporting services.
In Cloud Orchestration, the cloud resources are utilized effectively.
In Cloud Automation, only the required resources are used for a specific task.
Need of Orchestration in Cloud Computing
The demand for automating the deployment and managing of the applications in the cloud is increased due to the popularity of containerized, microservices-based applications. These applications use APIs for communication.
Due to this growing complexity, the need for orchestration is increasing daily for handling multiple dependencies across various clouds by ensuring security and managing according to predefined policies.
As the usage of hybrid cloud architecture is increasing, there is also the requirement for public cloud orchestration and hybrid cloud orchestration.
The hybrid cloud architecture setup has both public and private cloud environments.
The cloud orchestration software enables optimizing and simplifying automation tasks by removing unimportant complexities. They are used for making a task more effective, i.e., they streamline the automation of the tasks. Also, the resources are freed up so that more productive work can be done by eliminating the chances of manual errors.
By using orchestration in cloud computing, the organization can spend time on innovations that accelerate the deployment of applications across hybrid IT infrastructure.
Deployment here means making a specific application or software available by installing, configuring, and activating the application to make it run.
Benefits of Orchestration in Cloud Computing
Below are some of the benefits of orchestration in cloud computing.
It improves the efficiency of resource utilization and eliminates over-provisioning. This means ensuring that only required resources are allocated and not exceeding the limit. Over-provisioning can lead to an increase in cost. So it can be eliminated using orchestration.
The data integration is simplified through orchestration in cloud computing, and policies are automatically applied for governance and security.
Using orchestration in cloud computing eliminates the need to build ad-hoc tools whenever automation is required.
Orchestration in cloud computing provides a bridge between clouds or between private and public environments.
It monitors, alters, and reports unexpected conditions for diagnosing the root cause.
Orchestration in cloud computing reduces human intervention in managing automation tasks and saves money and time.
It ensures that only users with proper permissions can access and modify automation systems. This makes sure that the infrastructure and data stay safe.
Orchestration in cloud computing also provides comprehensive diagnostic support and helps in high-speed debugging and auditing capabilities. Here, ‘auditing capabilities’ means monitoring and tracking changes, activities, and events in automated processes and workflows.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Orchestration in Cloud Computing?
Orchestration in Cloud Computing refers to managing and coordinating multiple cloud resources, tools, APIs, and infrastructure across various private and public clouds. They offer efficient workflow, management of configurations, and monitoring.
What are the benefits of orchestration in cloud computing?
Orchestration in cloud computing provides a bridge between clouds or between private and public environments. It also provides comprehensive diagnostic support and helps in high-speed debugging and auditing capabilities. It ensures that only users with proper permissions can access and modify automation systems. This makes sure that the infrastructure and data stay safe.
How Cloud Orchestration differs from Cloud Automation?
In Cloud Orchestration, multiple automation tasks are managed to achieve higher-level goals. While Cloud Automation uses code for performing a single repetitive task. In cloud Orchestration, the cloud resources are utilized effectively, and in Cloud Automation, only the required resources are used for a specific task.
Conclusion
In this article, we have discussed Orchestration in Cloud Computing, why we need it, its benefits, cloud orchestration models, orchestration workflow, and how cloud orchestration differs from cloud automation. You can read more such articles on our platform, Coding Ninjas Studio.