Abstracts of Magazine FUJITSU 2011-1 (VOL. 62, NO. 1)

Special Issue: Middleware for Cloud Computing

• Efforts Regarding Middleware for Creating Private Clouds

With the aim of improving the efficiency of corporate business platforms and promptly responding to new businesses while pursuing solutions in cooperation with our customers, Fujitsu will continue to provide new Cloud services for new business fields. As an introduction to the other papers appearing in this special issue, this paper overviews topics and technologies concerning (1) solutions for continuously strengthening corporate core businesses and (2) our group of three platform middleware products that are central to system integration: Interstage, Symfoware, and Systemwalker. Turning to private Clouds, which improve the efficiency of our customers' business platforms, it then describes Fujitsu's efforts regarding these integrated system management technologies from four viewpoints: (i) technology and operational know-how acquired through the provision of public Clouds, (ii) practical implementation of private Clouds in in-house development centers, (iii) middleware for creating private Clouds, and (iv) middleware utilization in the Cloud. Finally, it describes Fujitsu's efforts from here on towards providing new Cloud-computing services targeting new business fields.

• Middleware for Creating Private Clouds

As a solution to demands such as speedy system implementation in pace with changes in the business environment and a reduction in the rising costs of information and communications technology (ICT), Cloud computing is gaining a lot of attention. Two forms of Cloud computing are presently in use: public Cloud computing (using ICT resources provided by service providers via the Internet) and private Cloud computing (using a Cloud "owned" and kept for private use by individual corporations). Although these two forms co-exist, they are used for different purposes for different business systems in accordance with requirements concerning security, reliability, cost, and so on. In addition to providing public-Cloud-computing services, Fujitsu is providing middleware products for constructing private Clouds in accordance with the varied needs of our customers. This paper overviews our middleware products for supporting speedy system implementation and ICT cost reduction by making use of private Cloud computing.

• Dynamic Resource Management in Cloud Environment

Fujitsu has been providing ServerView Resource Orchestrator (ROR) since June 2010 as a software package for constructing and operating a private Cloud within an enterprise. This software enables the user to construct a Cloud infrastructure and a management environment, but in actual operation, it is still necessary to set up a service environment. To meet this need, Fujitsu has developed two key solutions. First, for users who wish to run quick trials in a simple and convenient environment, Fujitsu has developed Cloud Infrastructure Management Software in combination with ROR. This tool simplifies the creation of a self-service portal and an environment for visualizing system conditions. Second, for users who wish to perform critical, high-reliability tasks in a Cloud environment, Fujitsu has enabled cluster environment to be used with ROR. In this paper, we introduce these solutions.

• Symfoware Server: Reliable and Scalable Data Management

With the scale of corporate information systems continuing to expand and the amount of data handled and transactions processed such systems increasing by leaps and bounds, corporate information systems require high-class processing performance, reliability, and extendibility. Through its Symfoware Server high-reliability high-performance database software, Fujitsu is responding to this need by developing a database server fallback function and application-connection shifting function for handling faults and accommodating business growth and by expanding parallel-processing and cluster technologies. This paper describes Fujitsu's approach to stable database operation with a focus on load sharing with the aim of achieving high performance, high reliability, and good extendibility in ultralarge-scale systems.

• Fujitsu's Approach to Hybrid Cloud Systems

This paper introduces Fujitsu's approach to the "hybrid Cloud," which combines internal (on-premises) systems and services on public Clouds. A hybrid Cloud must be able to provide seamless links between a company's own on-premises business systems and services and external business systems and services in public Clouds. This requires front-end integration, data integration, and process integration. Fujitsu has been providing middleware having these three integration technologies (Interstage series of software) for some time, but it has now developed middleware equipped with new functions for constructing and operating hybrid Clouds. The merger of new technology for achieving hybrid Clouds with previously refined integration technologies enables this middleware to promote the effective use of public Clouds, which are becoming increasingly important in the corporate world, with the aim of optimizing business systems.

• Provisioning of Standardized Business Systems

In the face of severe business conditions, there is a growing need in companies for flexible business processes and innovative, low-cost information and communications technology (ICT) systems to meet management strategies. This need is expected to be met by private Clouds, which will provide Cloud computing environments for in-house ICT systems. However, virtualizing a customer's system involves consolidating various ICT systems originally optimized for individual departments on datacenter servers on the customer's premises. This brings together a wide assortment of software (operating systems (OSs), middleware, and applications), which increases the operation-and-maintenance workload of the system manager for each ICT system. This paper presents techniques for converting standard patterns in ICT systems into system templates and for automatically allocating the resources required by an ICT system to a virtual environment and describes provisioning techniques (for automating OS/middleware configuration and definition) that aim to increase the agility of automatic allocation. It also introduces Fujitsu's Systemwalker Software Configuration Manager V14g as management software for automating software deployment and parameter setting on virtual servers.

• Operation Efficiency Improvements
  for IT Infrastructure through Automation Technology

Enterprises have been consolidating their servers within on-premises datacenters to optimize their entire information technology (IT) infrastructure, and they are now working to create private Clouds through virtualization. The operation of an on-premises datacenter follows a "runbook" that describes the procedures to be taken in a step-by-step manner for either daily operations or emergency situations. Since the consolidation of servers and conversion to a Cloud environment increases the volume and load of datacenter operations, there is a need to reduce the operation load and improve operation quality by automating these operations, which have until now been performed manually according to the runbook. Runbook automation (RBA) technology has been attracting attention as a means of standardizing and automating the work flow of manual IT-infrastructure operations and dramatically improving operation efficiency. This paper introduces Fujitsu's approach to making IT Infrastructure operations in a datacenter more efficient through the use of RBA technology.

• Private Cloud Using Service Catalog

Enterprises are centralizing their in-house systems at datacenters to reduce the total cost of ownership by using fewer servers and less power. However, such centralization requires solutions to problems such as the increased workload for the datacenter manager, regulation of information and communications technology (ICT) resources, and visualization of ICT resource usage. To solve those problems, Fujitsu has developed the Systemwalker Service Catalog Manager (CT-MG), which reduces the burden on the datacenter manager by letting ICT resource users select desired services from a service catalog and ask to use them by simply accessing a Web page. CT-MG was developed on the basis of expertise acquired through the development and operation of public Cloud systems and the characteristics of a private Cloud. This paper describes what has been achieved with CT-MG.

• Operations Management Visualization for Private Clouds

For the operation of private Clouds to be made more efficient, the ICT resources (servers, storage devices, networks, etc.), which are becoming huge in number, must be managed more efficiently. This means that a company's infrastructure management department must perform a comprehensive survey of the state and usage conditions of ICT resources, assess problems quickly, and take appropriate action. A "comprehensive survey" can be achieved by visualizing the operation of the private Cloud. Fujitsu's Systemwalker Service Catalog Manager V14.1 and Cloud Infrastructure Management Software V1.1 provide two means of visualization targeting the resource pool and performance. These virtualization capabilities enable the existence of performance problems and available capacity of resources to be checked in an integrated manner that helps make the operation management of private Clouds more efficient. This paper describes the role of virtualization in making private Cloud operations management more efficient and introduces operations virtualization by these products.

• Ultra-high-speed In-memory Data Management Software Achieving
  High-speed Response and High Throughput

The evolution of the network has driven a demand for ultra-high-speed processing of huge amounts of data that far exceeds existing levels and what has commonly been considered possible. This data processing capability is giving birth to completely new modes of service, which in turn are giving birth to new ways of using information and communications technology (ICT). For a system that must process huge amounts of data rapidly, both high-speed response and high throughput are of course important, but high reliability must also be achieved at the same time. Leveraging its extensive experience in mission critical systems and its strength in advanced technologies, Fujitsu supports stable operation in the "arrowhead" trading system of the Tokyo Stock Exchange through its Primesoft Server ultrahigh-speed data management software. Based on the concept of diskless operation, Primesoft Server achieves large-scale data processing together with superb extensibility, flexibility, and reliability. This paper describes Fujitsu's approach to achieving high-speed response and high throughput, explains the Primesoft Server concept, and introduces new technologies in this field.

• Cloud Computing for Software Development Environment
  —In-house Deployment at Numazu Software Development Cloud Center—

In its development of middleware, Fujitsu has faced three problems: increasing server operation costs, server underutilization or congestion, and increasing man-hours for development environment construction. To solve these problems, Fujitsu has been working since 2008 on moving its software development environment to a Cloud platform at its Numazu Software Development Cloud Center. Converting to Cloud computing within Fujitsu itself is also seen as a way to refine the Cloud products and services that Fujitsu offers to its customers. In addition to solving the above problems, this transition to a Cloud environment is expected to reduce costs by 700 million yen annually from 2011. This paper describes the background to converting to Cloud-based software development, Fujitsu's approach to this conversion, the effects of Cloud deployment, and the expansion of services as a result of using a Cloud platform. It also introduces the Numazu Cloud Center tour, which conveys know-how through face-to-face conversations with customers.

• IT Management SaaS

Fujitsu is engaged in a variety of activities to provide its customers with value-added services through the use of Cloud computing. One of these is the development of information technology (IT) management software as a service (SaaS), which features Fujitsu middleware products and technologies. This enables an IT management system from an IT management SaaS provider to be used over the Internet, which eliminates the need for a customer to own and operate such a system on its premises. As a result, the customer can expect a number of benefits, such as lower initial deployment costs and a shorter deployment period. This paper describes Fujitsu's approach to providing IT management SaaS using Fujitsu middleware products. It outlines IT management SaaS and market trends, describes the benefits, deployment models, and functional requirements of IT management SaaS, explains how Fujitsu intends to meet those requirements, and touches upon future challenges in this field.

• On-Demand Middleware Delivery Services for Cloud Computing

Fujitsu has been providing the On-demand Virtual System Service, which allows users to build and access virtualized servers, storage, and network via the Internet on a needs basis, since October 2010. This service is equipped with server system templates consisting of virtual servers pre-installed with middleware, which dramatically reduce the workload and time for procurement, installation, and setup work. In other comparable services, if the user needs to install additional middleware not included in the system templates, middleware installation takes hours to upload the large installation media packages onto the virtual servers via the Internet. With Fujitsu's service, by contrast, a library hosting hundreds of software media packages, called the Software Media Pack Library, reduces the transfer time to a matter of minutes. This paper describes our efforts regarding these on-demand middleware delivery services for Cloud computing.

• Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V Server Virtualization

Server virtualization has attracted attention as a means of reducing the cost of system introduction and the cost of operation and management by server centralization and as a platform for public Cloud computing. The Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 operating system provides the Hyper-V server virtualization function as a standard feature. Hyper-V uses a kernel hypervisor virtualization architecture to provide a flexible and stable virtualization platform. Fujitsu has acquired technical strengths and troubleshooting expertise from its experience with testing the Windows Server 2008 R2 combined with the PRIMERGY PC server from the beta version of Hyper-V. This knowledge has been published on a Web site developed by Fujitsu. This paper covers the Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V architecture, virtual disks, virtual networks, and file sharing systems. It also describes Microsoft's System Center Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM) architecture and management functions for improving the manageability of the Hyper-V environment.

• Server Virtualization with VMware vSphere 4

The market for server virtualization products is expanding very rapidly because virtualization offers important advantages such as space and energy conservation through efficient use of hardware resources, improved business agility through rapid changes in the number of servers, and lower total cost of ownership through the separation of hardware and business system life cycles. Fujitsu offers virtualization solutions that combine the vSphere 4 virtualization product of VMware, highly reliable servers and Fujitsu middleware products that can optimize the operation of data centers. These solutions are in use by a large number of customers. This paper describes the changes in VMware server virtualization, the functions and features of the vSphere 4 virtualization infrastructure, and the relationship with the Cloud environment. Examples of the use of the middleware and application examples are also provided.

• Kernel-Based Virtual Machine Virtualization

Kernel-based virtual machine (KVM) virtualization has been attracting attention in recent years as an open source server virtualization technique. Since its introduction in October 2006, this idea has aroused the interest of Linux kernel developers because of its simplicity, which has resulted in rapid extension of KVM functionality. KVM is now formally supported by Red Hat Enterprise Linux and has also been supported by Fujitsu since version 6 of Red Hat Enterprise Linux. This paper begins by explaining the internal structure of KVM and then describes the relevant components. It then introduces hardware and software support for KVM virtualization and briefly describes some enhancements planned by Fujitsu to enable KVM to be used in mission-critical work.