Cloud Computing. Concept behind it - (Azure - Part 3)

How many times you have deleted older files and folders, just to make space for new files and apps? What if you don’t have to do it from today onwards?

The concept of cloud computing is very simple. Imagine you are working with a very low end PC. For example, let’s say there’s no sufficient hard disk space. Even the processor, RAM and every other aspect of configuration is too basic. But you want to host your application that requires high memory, disk-space and bandwidth.

Here, the solution would be to connect your PC to internet. Connect to a super-computer, and host your application. Very simple. Isn’t it?

Taking it forward, this discussed, so called supercomputer, is nothing, but a vast network of machines, providing combined storage, memory and infrastructure. Lets see if this diagram will be able to explain it at high level.


It also takes its own backups at regular intervals and if one machine fails, another is swapped-in, without user knowing anything about it at all.

We’ll dive in more details in next post. Till that time watch dilbert on ‘Cloud Security’.

Cloud : What’s in it for me? - (Azure - Part 2)

First let’s see how it works, and then we'll see how it helps you.

Cloud involves the large number of computer servers and other resources as a group. These are made available, in the form of their combined capacity. Cloud computing users are either Publishers (those who deploys the application on cloud) or Consumers (those who accesses these applications).

Now you know how it works, so let’s see if these benefits interest you…
1. No Maintenance: No client-side application deployment or maintenance.
2. No Capital Investments: Initial IT investments involved in traditional hosting server-based solutions, are avoided.
3. Reduced upgrade costs: Over time, as technology progresses, existing resources become obsolete. In traditional on-premise hosting, we always need to upgrade hardware. In cloud computing, what you worry is paying only usage fees.
4. Ready to use: We can cut down time spent in setting up the initial hardware and software installations.
5. Scalability: Applications can now quickly scale up or scale down their usage of services as per market demands, during peak hours of activity.
6. Reduced operating Costs : Operating costs are reduced drastically, almost 6 times less. (I will write a separate post for this)
7. More Focus on real work: People now can worry about their actual business and writing applications around it rather than how to build and maintain infrastructure to support those apps.

The list is long, but for a time being, lets stick to simplicity.

In next post, we'll try to cover its risks as well. Till that time enjoy virtualization with dilbert. :-)

Cloud what??? - (Azure - Part 1)

So, just now, you have mastered your preferred language, framework and technology. But before the dust settles down, you are hearing organization’s push towards ‘Cloud Computing’. Now what's this??? You must be wondering, whose need is it anyway? Is it just a new gimmick or simply another buzzword to nicely decorate your resume.
…
So, lets take couple of examples to understand why would somebody use cloud computing.
Scenario (1)
Lets say I'm launching a site that provides information, snaps and videos of ongoing 20-20 cricket matches. Now I have my web site up and ready. If I'm opting traditional hosting with some ISP, I have to provision for the hardware/software requirement considering the peak activity. This means when the matches are going on, around 50,000 user might be using the data for 24 hours, and it will also require very high in and out bandwidth. Suppose I invest, considering this peak activity, most of the time, this capacity will be unused. Especially, when there are no cricket matches or once the 20-20 series is over.

Scenario (2)
Take another example. Imagine, you are a developer, struck by an idea in the midnight, about a new wonderful application (ofcourse wonderful. Everything looks so, atleast in its inception phase). It is going to provide awsome facility to its users and you in return are going to reap good amount of profit. But the problem is how and how much would you invest in infrastructure. How much would it be sufficient? Are you going to buy server class machines on your own? What will you do with the infra later? Or what to do with all those machines if you don't get sufficient users?

So, imagine a cloud computing as a solution for this. Imagine there is somebody out there, in cloud, who is providing everything that you'll require, on rent. Now your application is able to handle the peak time activity. And on the other hand, you charged only for what you have use. just like the latest cellphone-plan's "1 paisa billing". Isn't that amazing? Taking everything on rent and paying only for what you require, dynamically. At this stage, we will see it is as means of "Paying only for the computing, storage, bandwidth that you have used".

We will cover it in more details in next post. Till that time evaluate cloud computing with Dilbert.

Ud jaayega hans akela - Kabir - Kumar Gandharva

Listening to Kumarji's nirguni bhajan's after understanding its meaning is real pleasure. Today I'll share with you the one that I was listening for many years and liked it from my heart. But when I understood its meaning today, I liked it even more and really got amazed. Kumarji singing Kabir's verse is heavenly experience.

उड जायेगा हंस अकेला
जग दर्शन का मेला ।।धृ.।।
The swan will fly away all alone
Spectacle of the world will be a mere fair

जैसे पात गिरे तरुवर के
मिलना बहुत दुहेला
As the leaf falls from the tree
Is difficult to find

न जानु किधर गिरेगा
लगया पवन का रेला।।
Who knows where it will fall
Once it is struck with a gust of wind

जब होवे उमर पूरी
जब छुटेगा हुकम हुजूरी
When life span is complete
Then listening to orders, following others, will be over

यम के दूत बडे मजबूत
यम से पडा झमेला ।।
The messengers of yama are very strong
It's an entanglement with the yama

दास कबीर हर के गुण गावे
वा हर को परन पावे
Servant kabir then praises lord and finds him soon.

गुरु की करनी गुरु जायेगा
चेले की करनी चेला ।।
(Now in the end he also warns Guru will go according to his doings
and the disciple according to his)

Translation source: Rabindranath Tagore's book - "Songs of Kabir" (1915)

आ फिर से मुझे छोड के जाने के लिये आ....

मेहदीजींच्या निधनाची बातमी जीवाला चटका लावणारीच आहे.

त्यांची गझल कॉलेज मध्ये असताना पहिल्यांदा ऐकली. ती होती, 'मुहब्बत करने वाले कम न होंगे'. इतका अप्रतिम गोडवा असलेला आवाज, त्यांची गझल रंगवत गाण्याची अदा आणी रागांची निवड खरोखरीच वेड लावून गेली.
कॉलेज च्या काळापासून नेहमी त्यांच्या आणी गुलाम अलींच्याच गझल नेहमी ऐकत असायचो.
काल अचानक त्यांच्या नसण्याची बातमी आली अन् मनाला विषण्ण करून गेली.
देहानं जरी ते आपल्याला सोडून गेले असले तरी त्यांच्या गझल चा अमूल्य ठेवा ते आपल्यासाठी सोडून गेले आहेत, आता तोच ऐकत त्याची आठवण काढायची. बस्....

परंपरा - savani shende

ह्या शनिवारीच ठाण्यात, गडकरीत, 'परंपरा' हा शास्त्रीय संगीताचा कार्यक्रम झाला. सावनी शेंडे आणी रघुनंदन पळशीकर ह्यांचं शास्त्रीय आणी भक्तीसंगीत गायन होतं.
त्यामध्ये सावनी शेंडे यांचा तर एकदम अफलातून performance होता .
त्यांनी रागेश्री म्हणला आणी रघुनंदन पळशीकरांनी संपूर्ण मालकंस गायला. एकदम सही.
सावनींच्या साथीला 'सानिया किर्लोस्कर' (माझी पुतणी) होती.
classical बरोबरच सावनींचं कविता वाचन, गझल आणी भक्तीसंगीत म्हणजे तर खरोखरच ऐकणार्यांची ऐश होती.
त्यांनी 'सावनी' हा प्रकार देखील गायला. त्यामुळे हा weekend एकदम मस्त गेला.

नाटकं आणी पुस्तकं

ह्या blog वर post करून २ वर्ष तरी नक्कीच झाली असतील. जुई झाल्यापासून घरी अजिबातच वेळ मिळाला नाही. पण आता पुन्हा एकदा पोस्ट्स टाकण्याचं ठरवलं तरी आहे.

अलीकडेच २ सुंदर नाटकं बघेतली. प्रत्येकानं आवर्जुन पाहावीत अशी नाटकं आहेत ही.

१) फायनल ड्राफ्ट : एका लेखकाच्या ढासळलेल्या लिखाणावर जरी हे आधारीत असलं तरी थोडंफार आज काल आपण ज्या शैलीनं  कामं करतो, त्यामुळ हे सर्वानाच लागू असावं असं मला वाटतंय.
२) काटकोन त्रिकोण: म्हाताऱ्या माणसाची मनस्थिती आणी त्यांचा दृष्टीकोन एकदम हसत खेळत सांगता सांगता सिरीयस विचार करायला लावणारं नाटक आहे.

सध्या एक पुस्तक वाचायला घेतलंय:
चिंता : लेखक : डॉ. प्रदीप पाटकर
एकदम सुरेख पुस्तक आहे. छोटया छोटया गोष्टींची काळजी करत आपण नकळत कसं स्वतःचं आयुष्य वाया घालवतो त्यावर आहे.

आज एवढंच पुरे. असंच अधून मधून post करत नाही.