Date of Award
12-2013
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Legacy Department
Computer Science
Committee Chair/Advisor
Hallstrom, Jason O
Committee Member
Apon , Amy
Committee Member
Malloy , Brian A
Abstract
Emerging cloud computing infrastructure models facilitate a modern and efficient way of utilizing computing resources, enabling applications to scale with varying demands over time. The core enabler of the cloud computing paradigm is virtualization. The concept is not new; virtualization has garnered significant research attention, fostering a race to achieve the lowest possible virtualization overhead. The evolution has led to three primary virtualization approaches: full-virtualization, para-virtualization, and container-based virtualization, each with a unique set of strengths and weaknesses. Thus it becomes important to study and evaluate their quantitative and qualitative differences. The operational requirements of the Intelligent River® middleware system motivated us to compare the choices beyond the standard benchmarks to bring out the unique benefits and limitations of the three virtualization approaches. This thesis evaluates representative implementations of each approach: (i) full-virtualization - KVM, (ii) para-virtualization - Xen, and (iii) container-based virtualization - Linux Containers. First, this thesis discusses the design principles behind the chosen virtualization solutions. Second, this thesis evaluates the solutions based on the overhead they impose to virtualize system resources. Finally, this thesis assesses the benefits and limitations of each solution based on their operational flexibility, and resource entitlement and isolation facilities. The study presented in this thesis provides an improved understanding of available virtualization technologies. The results will be useful to system architects in selecting the best virtualization platform for a given application.
Recommended Citation
Sampathkumar, Aravindh, "Virtualizing Intelligent River®: A Comparative Study of Alternative Virtualization Technologies" (2013). All Theses. 1804.
https://open.clemson.edu/all_theses/1804