UNIT 4 RESOURCE POOLING, SHARING AND

PROVISIONING

4.1 Introduction
4.2 Objectives
4.3 Resource Pooling
4.4 Resource Pooling Architecture
4.4.1 Server Pool
4.4.2 Storage Pool
4.4.3 Network Pool
4.5 Resource Sharing
4.5.1 Multi Tenancy
4.5.2 Types of Tenancy
4.5.3 Tenancy at Different Level of Cloud Services
4.6 Resource Provisioning and Approaches
4.6.1 Static Approach
4.6.2 Dynamic Approach
4.6.3 Hybrid Approach
4.7 VM Sizing
4.8 Summary

4.1 INTRODUCTION

Resource pooling is the one of the essential attributes of Cloud Computing technology which
separates cloud computing approach from the traditional IT approach. Resource pooling along
with virtualization and sharing of resources, leads to dynamic behavior of the cloud. Instead of
allocating resources permanently to users, they are dynamically provisioned on a need basis.
This leads to efficient utilization of resources as load or demand changes over a period of time.
Multi-tenancy allows a single instance of an application software along with its supporting
infrastructure to be used to serve multiple customers. It is not only economical and efficient to
the providers, but may also reduce the charges for the consumers.

4.2 OBJECTIVES
After going through this unit, you should be able to:

 Know about Resources pooling –Compute, Storage and Network pools

 Know about Resources pooling architectures
 Know about Resources sharing techniques
 Describe Know about various provisioning approaches
 Describe how VM resizing is performed
 Know on the Resource Pricing

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4.3 RESOURCE POOLING
Resource pool is a collection of resources available for allocation to users. All types of resources
– compute, network or storage, can be pooled. It creates a layer of abstraction for consumption
and presentation of resources in a consistent manner. A large pool of physical resources is
maintained in cloud data centers and presented to users as virtual services. Any resource from
this pool may be allocated to serve a single user or application, or can be even shared among
multiple users or applications. Also, instead of allocating resources permanently to users, they
are dynamically provisioned on a need basis. This leads to efficient utilization of resources as
load or demand changes over a period of time.
For creating resource pools, providers need to set up strategies for categorizing and management
of resources. The consumers have no control or knowledge of the actual locations where the
physical resources are located. Although some service providers may provide choice for
geographic location at higher abstraction level like- region, country, from where customer can
get resources. This is generally possible with large service providers who have multiple data
centers across the world.

Fig 4.1 Pooling of Physical and Virtual Resources

4.4 RESOURCE POOLING ARCHITECTURE

Each pool of resources is made by grouping multiple identical resources for example – storage
pools, network pools, server pools etc. A resource pooling architecture is then built by
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combining these pools of resources. An automated system is needed to be established in order to
ensure efficient utilization and synchronization of pools.

Computation resources are majorly divided into three categories – Server , Storage and Network.
Sufficient quantities of physical resources of all three types are hence maintained in a data
center.

4.4.1 Server Pools

Server pools are composed of multiple physical servers along with operating system, networking
capabilities and other necessary software installed on it. Virtual machines are then configured
over these servers and then combined to create virtual server pools. Customers can choose virtual
machine configurations from the available templates (provided by cloud service provider) during
provisioning. Also, dedicated processor and memory pools are created from processors and
memory devices and maintained separately. These processor and memory components from their
respective pools can then be linked to virtual servers when demand for increased capacity arises.
They can further be returned to the pool of free resources when load on virtual servers decreases.

4.4.2 Storage Pools

Storage resources are one of the essential components needed for improving performance, data
management and protection. It is frequently accessed by users or applications as well as needed
to meet growing requirements, maintaining backups, migrating data, etc.

Storage pools are composed of file based, block based or object based storage made up of
storage devices like- disk or tapes and available to users in virtualized mode.

1. File based storage – it is needed for applications that require file system or shared file access.
It can be used to maintain repositories, development, user home directories, etc.

2. Block based storage – it is a low latency storage needed for applications requiring frequent
access like databases. It uses block level access hence needs to be partitioned and formatted
before use.

3. Object based storage – it is needed for applications that require scalability, unstructured data
and metadata support. It can be used for storing large amounts of data for analytics, archiving or
backups.

4.4.3 Network Pools

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Resources in pools can be connected to each other, or to resources from other pools, by network
facility. They can further be used for load balancing, link aggregation, etc.

Network pools are composed of different networking devices like- gateways, switches, routers,
etc. Virtual networks are then created from these physical networking devices and offered to
customers. Customers can further build their own networks using these virtual networks.

Generally, dedicated pools of resources of different types are maintained by data centers. They
may also be created specific to applications or consumers. With the increasing number of
resources and pools, it becomes very complex to manage and organize pools. Hierarchical
structure can be used to form parent-child, sibling, or nested pools to facilitate diverse resource
pooling requirements.

Check Your Progress 1

1. What is a Resource pool ?

2. Explain Respource pooling architecture.
3. What are the various types of storage pools available. Explain.

4.5 RESOURCE SHARING

Cloud computing technology makes use of resource sharing in order to increase resource
utilization. At a time, a huge number of applications can be running over a pool. But they may
not attain peak demands at the same time. Hence, sharing them among applications can increase
average utilization of these resources.

Although resource sharing offers multiple benefits like – increasing utilization, reduces cost and
expenditure, but also introduces challenges like – assuring quality of service (QoS) and
performance. Different applications competing for the same set of resources may affect run time
behavior of applications. Also, the performance parameters like- response and turnaround time
are difficult to predict. Hence, sharing of resources requires proper management strategies in
order to maintain performance standards.

4.5.1 Multi-tenancy

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Multi-tenancy is one of the important characteristics found in public clouds. Unlike traditional
single tenancy architecture which allocates dedicated resources to users, multi-tenancy is an
architecture in which a single resource is used by multiple tenants (customers) who are isolated
from each other. Tenants in this architecture are logically separated but physically connected. In
other words, a single instance of a software can run on a single server but can server multiple
tenants. Here, data of each tenant is kept separately and securely from each other. Fig 1 shows
single tenancy and multi-tenancy scenarios.

Multi-tenancy leads to sharing of resources by multiple users without the user being aware of it.
It is not only economical and efficient to the providers, but may also reduce the charges for the
consumers. Multi-tenancy is a feature enabled by various other features like- virtualization,
resource sharing, dynamic allocation from resource pools.

In this model, physical resources cannot be pre-occupied by a particular user. Neither the
resources are allocated to an application dedicatedly. They can be utilized on a temporary basis
by multiple users or applications as and when needed. The resources are released and returned to
a pool of free resources when demand is fulfilled which can further be used to serve other
requirements. This increases the utilization and decreases investment.

Fig 1: Single tenancy Vs Multi-tenancy

4.5.2 Types of Tenancy

There are two types of tenancy – Single tenancy and multi-tenancy.

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In single tenancy architecture, a single instance of an application software along with its
supporting infrastructure, is used to serve a single customer. Customers have their own
independent instances and databases which are dedicated to them. Since there is no sharing with
this type of tenancy, it provides better security but costs more to the customers.

In multi-tenancy architecture, a single instance of an application software along with its

supporting infrastructure, can be used to serve multiple customers. Customers share a single
instance and database. Customer’s data is isolated from each other and remains invisible to
others. Since users are sharing the resources, it costs less to them as well as is efficient for the
providers.

Multi-tenancy can be implemented in three ways –

1. Single multi-tenant database - It is the simplest form where a single application instance
and a database instance is used to host the tenants. It is a highly scalable architecture where more
tenants can be added to the. It also reduces cost due to sharing of resources but increases
operational complexity.

2. One database per tenant – It is another form where a single application instance and
separate database instances are used for each tenant. Its scalability is low and costs higher as
compared to a single multi-tenant database due to overhead included by adding each database.
Due to separate database instances, its operational complexity is less.

3. One app instance and one database per tenant - It is the architecture where the whole
application is installed separately for each tenant. Each tenant has its own separate app and
database instance. This allows a high degree of data isolation but increases the cost.

4.5.3 Tenancy at Different Level of Cloud Services

Multi-tenancy can be applied not only in public clouds but also in private or community
deployment models. Also, it can be applied to all three service models – Infrastructure as a
Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS) and Software as a Service (SaaS). Multi-tenancy
when performed at infrastructure level, makes other levels also multi-tenant to certain extent.

Multi-tenancy at IaaS level can be done by virtualization of resources and customers sharing the
same set of resources virtually without affecting others. In this, customers can share
infrastructure resources like- servers, storage and network.

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Multi-tenancy at PaaS level can be done by running multiple applications from different vendors
over the same operating system. This removes the need for separate virtual machine allocation
and leads to customers sharing operating systems. It increases utilization and ease maintenance.

Multi-tenancy at SaaS level can be done by sharing a single application instance along with a
database instance. Hence a single application serves multiple customers. Customers may be
allowed to customize some of the functionalities like- change view of interface but they are not
allowed to edit applications since it is serving other customers also.

Check Your Progress 2

1. What is a Single tenancy and Multi-tenancy?

2. Explain teanancy at different service levels of cloud.

4.6 RESOURCE PROVISIONING AND

APPROACHES

Resource provisioning is the process of allocating resources to applications or the customers.

When a customer demands resources, they must be provisioned automatically from a shared pool
of configurable resources. Virtualization technology makes the allocation of resources faster. It
allows creation of virtual machines in minutes, where customers can choose configurations of
their own. Proper management of resources is needed for rapid provisioning.

Resource provisioning is required to be done efficiently. Physical resources are not allocated to
users directly. Instead, they are made available to virtual machines, which in turn are allocated to
users and applications. Resources can be assigned to virtual machines using various
provisioning approaches. There can be three types of resources provisioning approaches– static,
dynamic and hybrid.

4.6.1 Static Approach

In static resource provisioning, resources are allocated to virtual machines only once, at the
beginning according to user’s or application’s requirement. It is not expected to change further.
Hence, it is suitable for applications that have predictable and static workloads. Once a virtual
machine is created, it is expected to run without any further allocations.

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Although there is no runtime overhead associated with this type of provisioning, it has several
limitations. For any application, it may be very difficult to predict future workloads. It may lead
to over-provisioning or under-provisioning of resources. Under-provisioning is the scenario
when actual demand for resources exceeds the available resources. It may lead to service
downtime or application degradation. This problem may be avoided by reserving sufficient
resources in the beginning. But reserving large amounts of resources may lead to another
problem called Over-provisioning. It is a scenario in which the majority of the resources remain
un-utilized. It may lead to inefficiency to the service provided and incurs unnecessary cost to the
consumers. Fig 2 shows the under-provisioning and Fig 3 shows over-provisioning scenarios.

Fig 2: Problem of Resource Under-provisioning

Fig 3: Problem of Resource Over-provisioning

4.6.2 Dynamic Approach

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In dynamic provisioning, as per the requirement, resources can be allocated or de-allocated
during run-time. Customers in this case don’t need to predict resource requirements. Resources
are allocated from the pool when required and removed from the virtual machine and returned
back to the pool of free resources when no more are required. This makes the system elastic.
This approach allows customers to be charged per usage basis.

Dynamic provisioning is suited for applications where demands for resources are un-predictable
or frequently varies during run-time. It is best suited for scalable applications. It can adapt to
changing needs at the cost of overheads associated with run-time allocations. This may lead to a
small amount of delay but solves the problem of over-provisioning and under-provisioning.

4.6.3 Hybrid Approach

Dynamic provisioning although solves the problems associated with static approach but may lead
to overheads at run-time. Hybrid approach solves the problem by combining the capabilities of
static and dynamic provisioning. Static provisioning can be done in the beginning when creating
a virtual machine in order to limit the complexity of provisioning. Dynamic provisioning can be
done later for re-provisioning when the workload changes during run-time. This approach can be
efficient for real-time applications.

4.7 VM SIZING

Virtual machine (VM) sizing is the process of estimating the amount of resources that a VM
should be allocated. Its objective is to make sure that VM capacity is kept proportionate to the
workload. This estimation is based upon various parameters specified by the customer. VM
sizing is done at the beginning in case of static provisioning. In dynamic provisioning, VM size
can be changed depending upon the application workload.

There are two ways to do VM sizing –

1. Individual VM based – In this case, depending upon the previous workload patterns,
resources are allocated VM-by-VM initially. Resources can be later allocated from the pool
when load reaches beyond expectations.
2. Joint-VM based – In this case, allocation to VMs are done in a combined way. Resources
assigned to a VM initially can be reassigned to another VM hosted on the same physical
machine. Hence it leads to overall efficient utilization.

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Check Your Progress 3

1. What is a Resource Provisioning ?

2. Explain various resource provisioning approaches.
3. Explain the problems of Over-provisioning and Under-provisioning.

4.8 SUMMARY
In this unit an important attribute of Cloud Computing technology called Resource pooling is
discussed. It is a collection of resources available for allocation to users. A large pool of physical
resources - storage, network and server pools are maintained in cloud data centers and presented
to users as virtual services. Resources may be allocated to serve a single user or application, or
can be even shared among multiple users or applications. Resources can be assigned to virtual
machines using static, dynamic and hybrid provisioning approaches.

Answers to Check Your Progress 1

1. Resource pool is a collection of resources available for allocation to users. All types of
resources – compute, network or storage, can be pooled. It creates a layer of abstraction for
consumption and presentation of resources in a consistent manner. A large pool of physical
resources is maintained in cloud data centers and presented to users as virtual services. Any
resource from this pool may be allocated to serve a single user or application, or can be even
shared among multiple users or applications. Also, instead of allocating resources permanently to
users, they are dynamically provisioned on a need basis. This leads to efficient utilization of
resources as load or demand changes over a period of time.

2. A resource pooling architecture is composed of Server, storage and network pools. An

automated system is needed to be established in order to ensure efficient utilization and
synchronization of pools.

a) Server pools - They are composed of multiple physical servers along with operating
system, networking capabilities and other necessary software installed on it.
b) Storage pools – They are composed of file based, block based or object based storage
made up of storage devices like- disk or tapes and available to users in virtualized mode.
c) Network pools - They are composed of different networking devices like- gateways,
switches, routers, etc. Virtual networks are then created from these physical networking

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 devices and offered to customers. Customers can further build their own networks using
these virtual networks.

3. Storage pools are composed of file based, block based or object based storage.

a) File based storage – it is needed for applications that require file system or shared file
access. It can be used to maintain repositories, development, user home directories, etc.
b) Block based storage – it is a low latency storage needed for applications requiring
frequent access like databases. It uses block level access hence needs to be partitioned
and formatted before use.
c) Object based storage – it is needed for applications that require scalability,
unstructured data and metadata support. It can be used for storing large amounts of data
for analytics, archiving or backups.

Answers to Check Your Progress 2

1. In single tenancy architecture, a single instance of an application software along with its
supporting infrastructure, is used to serve a single customer. Customers have their own
independent instances and databases which are dedicated to them. Since there is no sharing with
this type of tenancy, it provides better security but costs more to the customers.
In multi-tenancy architecture, a single instance of an application software along with its
supporting infrastructure, can be used to serve multiple customers. Customers share a single
instance and database. Customer’s data is isolated from each other and remains invisible to
others. Since users are sharing the resources, it costs less to them as well as is efficient for the
providers.

2. Multi-tenancy can be implemented at all the service levels.

a) Multi-tenancy at IaaS level – It can be done by virtualization of resources and

customers sharing the same set of resources virtually without affecting others. In this
way, customers can share infrastructure resources.

b) Multi-tenancy at PaaS level- It can be done by running multiple applications from

different vendors over the same operating system. This removes the need for separate
virtual machine allocation and leads to customers sharing operating systems.

c) Multi-tenancy at SaaS level- It can be done by sharing a single application instance

along with a database instance. Hence a single application serves multiple customers.

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Answers to Check Your Progress 3

1. Resource provisioning is the process of allocating resources to applications or the customers.

When a customer demands resources, they must be provisioned automatically from a shared
pool of configurable resources.

2. There can be three types of resources provisioning approaches– static, dynamic and hybrid.

a) In static resource provisioning, resources are allocated to virtual machines only

once, at the beginning according to user’s or application’s requirement. It is not
expected to change further. It is suitable for applications that have predictable and
static workloads.

b) In dynamic provisioning, as per the requirement, resources can be allocated or de-

allocated during run-time. Customers in this case don’t need to predict resource
requirements. It is suited for applications where demands for resources are un-
predictable or frequently varies during run-time.

c) Hybrid Provisioning combines the capabilities of static and dynamic provisioning.

Static provisioning is done in the beginning when creating virtual machines in
order to limit the complexity of provisioning. Dynamic provisioning is done later
for re-provisioning when the workload changes during run-time. This approach
can be efficient for real-time applications.

3. Under-provisioning is the scenario when actual demand for resources exceeds the available
resources. It may lead to service downtime or application degradation. This problem may be
avoided by reserving sufficient resources in the beginning.

Reserving large amounts of resources may lead to another problem called Over-provisioning. It
is a scenario in which the majority of the resources remain un-utilized. It may lead to
inefficiency to the service provided and incurs unnecessary cost to the consumers.

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