Madras University - Cloud Computing
(325E6D)
Important 2-Mark Questions and Answers
Unit I: Introduction to Cloud Computing
1. Define Cloud Computing. Cloud computing is the on-demand delivery of
computing services—including servers, storage, databases, networking, software, and
more—over the internet (“the cloud”) on a pay-as-you-go basis.
2. What is a Cloud? A cloud refers to a network or the internet. In computing, it
represents a pool of virtualized computer resources that can host various workloads,
including back-end jobs and user-facing applications.
3. List the five essential characteristics of Cloud Computing.
On-demand self-service
Broad network access
Resource pooling
Rapid elasticity
Measured service
4. Why is Cloud necessary? Cloud is necessary to reduce capital expenditure (CapEx)
on hardware and software, provide scalability, ensure high availability, and allow
access to resources from anywhere with an internet connection.
5. Name the three basic clouds in cloud computing.
Public Cloud
Private Cloud
Hybrid Cloud
6. Define Cloud Application Architecture. Cloud application architecture refers to the
hierarchy of components and their relationships required for a cloud application to
function, typically involving a front-end, back-end, and cloud-based delivery system.
7. How are cloud services measured? Cloud services are measured using a
“metered” or “pay-per-use” model, where resource usage (like CPU time, storage
space, or bandwidth) is monitored, controlled, and reported for both the provider and
consumer.
8. What are System Integrators? System integrators are individuals or companies
that specialize in bringing together component subsystems into a whole and ensuring
that those subsystems function together, often helping businesses migrate to the
cloud.
Unit II: Cloud Computing Models
1. Define Public Cloud. A public cloud is a type of computing in which a service
provider makes resources, such as applications and storage, available to the general
public over the internet. Example: Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform
(GCP).
2. Define Private Cloud. A private cloud consists of computing resources used
exclusively by one business or organization. It can be physically located at an on-site
data center or hosted by a third-party service provider.
3. What is a Hybrid Cloud? A hybrid cloud is a computing environment that combines
a public cloud and a private cloud by allowing data and applications to be shared
between them.
4. What is Community Cloud? A community cloud is a collaborative effort in which
infrastructure is shared between several organizations from a specific community with
common concerns (security, compliance, jurisdiction, etc.).
5. Define IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service). IaaS provides virtualized computing
resources over the internet. It includes virtual machines, storage, and networks.
Example: AWS EC2, Azure Virtual Machines.
6. Define PaaS (Platform as a Service). PaaS provides a platform allowing customers
to develop, run, and manage applications without the complexity of building and
maintaining the infrastructure. Example: Google App Engine, Heroku.
7. Define SaaS (Software as a Service). SaaS allows users to connect to and use
cloud-based apps over the internet. The provider manages the hardware and
software. Example: Gmail, Microsoft Office 365, Salesforce.
8. What is DaaS (Desktop as a Service)? DaaS is a cloud computing offering in which
a third party hosts the back end of a Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) deployment.
Unit III: Cloud Storage and File Systems
1. What are DAS, SAN, and NAS?
DAS (Direct Attached Storage): Storage directly connected to a computer.
SAN (Storage Area Network): A specialized, high-speed network that provides
block-level network access to storage.
NAS (Network Attached Storage): A file-level computer data storage server
connected to a computer network.
2. What is SCSI? SCSI (Small Computer System Interface) is a set of standards for
physically connecting and transferring data between computers and peripheral
devices like hard disks.
3. What is a Cloud File System? A cloud file system is a way to store data in the cloud
that allows multiple users to access and share files over the internet, providing
scalability and remote access.
4. What is HDFS (Hadoop Distributed File System)? HDFS is a distributed file system
designed to run on commodity hardware. It is highly fault-tolerant and designed to be
deployed on low-cost hardware while providing high throughput access to application
data.
5. Define Multi-tenancy. Multi-tenancy is an architecture in which a single instance of
a software application serves multiple customers (tenants). Each tenant’s data is
isolated and remains invisible to other tenants.
6. Define Big Data. Big Data refers to extremely large data sets that may be analyzed
computationally to reveal patterns, trends, and associations, especially relating to
human behavior and interactions.
7. What is QoS (Quality of Service) in Cloud? QoS in cloud computing refers to the
ability of a cloud provider to meet the requirements of a service level agreement (SLA),
ensuring performance, availability, and reliability.
Unit IV: Cloud Security and Risk Management
1. Define Risk in Cloud Computing. Risk is the potential for loss, damage, or
destruction of an asset as a result of a threat exploiting a vulnerability. In cloud, it
often relates to data breaches or service downtime.
2. What is Risk Management? Risk management is the process of identifying,
assessing, and controlling threats to an organization’s capital and earnings.
3. List some important risks in cloud computing.
Data loss or leakage
Account hijacking
Insecure APIs
Shared technology vulnerabilities (Multi-tenancy risks)
4. What is Federated Authentication? Federated authentication allows a user to use a
single set of credentials (username/password) to access applications across different
networks or organizations.
5. Define Agility in Cloud. Agility refers to the ability of a cloud environment to rapidly
develop, test, and launch software applications that drive business growth.
6. What is MapReduce? MapReduce is a programming model and an associated
implementation for processing and generating large data sets with a parallel,
distributed algorithm on a cluster.
Unit V: Hadoop and Large Scale Computing
1. What is Hadoop? Hadoop is an open-source framework that allows for the
distributed processing of large data sets across clusters of computers using simple
programming models.
2. What are the primary uses of Hadoop?
Data intensive processing
Scalable data storage
Big data analytics
Log processing
3. How is Hadoop scaled up? Hadoop scales “out” (horizontally) by adding more
commodity servers to the cluster, rather than scaling “up” (vertically) by adding more
powerful hardware to a single server.
4. What is the shuffling phase in the reduce function? In MapReduce, shuffling is the
process by which the system transfers the map outputs to the reducers as inputs.
5. In what way is Hadoop better than existing distributed databases? Hadoop is
better for handling unstructured data, provides higher scalability at a lower cost using
commodity hardware, and offers better fault tolerance through data replication.