Article Title Questions

Cost-Benefit Analysis

of Cloud Computing versus Desktop Grids

Derrick Kondo1, Bahman Javadi1, Paul Malecot1, Franck Cappello1, David P. Anderson2

1INRIA, France,2UC Berkeley, USA

Contact author: derrick.kondo@inria.fr

Abstract

Cloud Computing has taken commercial computing by storm. However, adoption of cloud computing platforms and services by the scientific community is in its infancy as the performance and monetary cost-benefits for scientific applications are not perfectly clear. This is especially true for desktop grids (aka volunteer computing) applications. We compare and contrast the performance and monetary cost-benefits of clouds for desktop grid applications, ranging in computational size and storage. We address the

following questions: (i) What are the performance trade offs in using one platform over the other? (ii) What are the specific resource requirements and monetary costs of creating and deploying applications on each platform? (iii) In light of those monetary and performance cost-benefits, how do these platforms compare? (iv) Can cloud computing platforms be used in combination with desktop grids to improve cost-effectiveness even further? We examine those questions using performance measurements and monetary expenses of real desktop grids and the Amazon elastic compute cloud.

1 Introduction

Computational platforms have traditionally included clusters, and computational Grids. Recently, two cost-

efficient and powerful platforms have emerged, namely cloud and volunteer computing (aka desktop grids).

Cloud Computing has taken commercial computing by storm. Cloud computing platforms provide easy access to a company’s high-performance computing and storage infrastructure through web services. With cloud computing, the aim is to hide the complexity of IT infrastructure management from its users. At the same time, cloud computing platforms provide massive scalability, 99.999% reliability, high performance, and specifiable configurability. These capabilities are provided at relatively low costs compared to dedicated infrastructures. Volunteer Computing (VC) platforms are another cost efficient and powerful platform that use volunteered resources over the Internet. For over a decade, VC platforms have been one of the largest and most powerful distributed computing systems on the planet, offering a high return on investment for applications from a wide range of scientific domains (including computational biology, climate prediction, and high-energy physics). Since 2000, over 100 scientific publications (in the world’s most prestigious scien-

tific journals such as Science and Nature) [15, 5] have documented real scientific results achieved on this platform.

Adoption of cloud computing platforms and services by the scientific community is in its infancy as the performance and monetary cost-benefits for scientific applications are not perfectly clear. This is especially true for volunteer computing applications. In this paper, we compare and contrast the performance and monetary cost-benefits of clouds for volunteer computing applications, ranging in size and storage. We examine and answer the following questions:

• What are the performance trade-offs in using one platform over the other in terms platform construction, application deployment, compute rates, and completion times?

• What are the specific resource requirements and monetary costs of creating and deploying applications on

each platform?

• Given those performance and monetary cost-benefits, how do VC platforms compare with cloud platforms?

• Can cloud computing platforms be used in combination with VC systems to improve cost-effectiveness

even further?

To help answer these questions, we use server measurements and financial expenses collected from several

real VC projects, with emphasis on projects that use the BOINC [1] VC middleware. With this data, we use backof-the-envelope calculations based on current VC storage

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What's your secret?

Maybe you have some uncommon way of dealing with an everyday problem, or you've developed a faster or cheaper way of doing something. Either way, you know something most other people don't know. In fact, as an expert in your niche, you probably have quite a few secrets, but you may not think of them like that.

Strangely, in the case of article writing, the "secrets" you share are the ones that define you the most.

Your secrets are the unique concepts and facts that you have about your niche. You share some of your best secrets every once in a while in articles. Of course, you save some of those secrets to be shared elsewhere, but article writing is a great avenue to share your expertise.

This article template is a great way to share those secrets in a succinct, guided way.

Just follow these steps:

Choose a Secret - Whatever you choose needs to be something that the general population doesn't know already. It could be a startling fact or little-known process that you're ready and willing to uncover.

Write a Captivating Title – Don't give away your secret in the title. Use this part of the article to build interest in the topic, but don't over-hype the secret. If you exaggerate the secret in the title and under-deliver, readers will notice.

Share the Secret – In the introductory paragraphs, share the secret and explain it as well as you can. If you're outlining a secret recipe or step-by-step process, use an ordered list to organize the steps. If your secret is better told in paragraphs, take that route.

Explain Why It's Not Widely-Known – Up until this point, your secret has been just that - a secret. Think about why it's such a special piece of information or why it hasn't become common knowledge and share your thoughts.

Tell Why You're Sharing It – Whether you're just in the mood to help people out or you want to announce a better/faster/cheaper solution to everyday problems, explain to your readers why you've decided to share the secret.

Recap the Secret – Now that the secret is out, recap what it is, what it means and why you're sharing it in the conclusion of the article. Highlight the main points and summarize to conclude the article.

This secret-sharing article template is a great way to connect with your readers on a new, more personal level. Feel free to play with less formal writing when working with this template. Some authors pretend that they're actually "whispering" the secret in their writing. That can be a different way of showing your lighter side as a writer.

Use this article template today to boost your credibility and reputation as an author with one-of-a-kind secrets about your niche.

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Traditions Article Template

Long-lasting traditions from some cultures span generations. Perhaps others are shorter lived, but either way there is value to staying connected with the past through rituals, traditions and events.



Whether you're celebrating a holiday with traditional activities or cooking a traditional dish from your country of origin, the traditions that exist in your niche can make a great new set of articles for your account.



First, identify a tradition that's been adopted in your article niche. Whatever tradition you choose should have some personal or cultural significance with which you can identify. That connection will ensure your familiarity with the tradition and why it's important to you and others in your niche.



Components of the Traditions Article Template



Keyword-Rich Title – Choose commonly-used keywords to describe the tradition in the title. Your article will be more easily found by web surfers if you stay away from obscure references in the title. Also, consider the type of audience you hope to draw with the article. Choose keywords further down the long tail of the keyword distribution curve to appeal to an audience looking for very detailed content.



Introduce the Tradition – Describe it. The structure may be in list format or just in paragraphs depending on the complexity of the topic you've chosen. Again, consider your audience as you introduce the tradition. You can choose to provide very basic information or go more in-depth.



Explain the Benefits – This is your chance to share exactly why the tradition is near and dear to your heart. Share why the tradition has become a part of the culture of your niche. For example, does it honor something? What are its origins? Who else is practicing the tradition and why?



Counter the Shortfalls – Weigh the validity of the traditions, and explain why the tradition should be continued.



Concluding the Article – Now that you've walked through the tradition, explained its benefits and thought about any shortfalls of the tradition, you have a chance to evaluate the tradition one more time and explain why it should be continued in the future ... or discontinued altogether.

This basic process should help you lay out your own observations on the various cultural traditions in your niche. Plus, an article about traditions is one of the best ways to be sure they live on.

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