AL-604-A Cloud Computing - Dec 2024 Question Paper

Under each question, How to answer lists the points an answer should cover, outlined by CampusPrep from the syllabus. Check the details against your textbook.

1. 7 Marks
   aDiscuss the role of middleware and management software in Grid and Cloud computing architectures.
   How to answer

   • Define middleware and management software in Grid/Cloud context
   • Functions: resource discovery, scheduling, monitoring, security
   • Differences/role in Grid vs Cloud architectures
   • Examples of middleware platforms
2. 7 Marks
   bExplain how public Cloud providers address security concerns through encryption, access controls, and compliance certifications.
   How to answer

   • Public cloud shared responsibility and threats
   • Encryption at rest/in transit and key management
   • Access controls: IAM, MFA, RBAC
   • Compliance certifications: ISO, SOC, GDPR etc.
3. 7 Marks
   aExplain how elastic computing allows organizations to dynamically scale resources up or down based on demand fluctuations.
   How to answer

   • Define elastic computing and elasticity vs scalability
   • Auto-scaling mechanisms and monitoring demand
   • Scale up/down examples and benefits: cost, performance
4. 7 Marks
   bExplain the concept of Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) and its relevance to Cloud design.
   How to answer

   • Define SOA: services, loose coupling, reusability
   • Principles: standard interfaces, composability
   • Relevance to Cloud: SOA for IaaS/PaaS/SaaS design
   • Benefits for Cloud interoperability
5. 7 Marks
   aDiscuss Information Lifecycle Management (ILM) and its role in managing data throughout its lifecycle, from creation to deletion.
   How to answer

   • Define ILM and its stages
   • Policies for storage tiering, archiving, retention
   • Role from creation to deletion
   • Benefits for cost and compliance
6. 7 Marks
   bDiscuss the architecture of VDI solutions and the components involved, including virtual desktops, hypervisors, and connection brokers.
   How to answer

   • Define VDI and use case
   • Components: virtual desktops, hypervisor, connection broker
   • Architecture flow: client to broker to host
   • Storage and management aspects
7. 7 Marks
   aExplain the role of hypervisors in server virtualization and provide examples of popular hypervisor platforms.
   How to answer

   • Define hypervisor and its role in abstraction
   • Type 1 vs Type 2 hypervisors
   • Examples: VMware ESXi, Hyper-V, KVM, Xen
   • Benefits for server consolidation
8. 7 Marks
   bExplain the concepts of Storage Area Network (SAN) and Network-Attached Storage (NAS) in the context of storage virtualization.
   How to answer

   • Define storage virtualization context
   • SAN: block-level, Fibre Channel/iSCSI architecture
   • NAS: file-level, NFS/SMB access
   • Comparison of use cases
9. 7 Marks
   aExplain how virtualized data centers enable organizations to deploy and scale applications more efficiently in modern IT environments.
   How to answer

   • Define virtualized data center
   • Server, storage, network virtualization
   • Rapid deployment, templates, scaling
   • Benefits for modern IT agility
10. 7 Marks
    bDiscuss the importance of vulnerability assessment in cloud environments and its role in identifying and mitigating security risks.
    How to answer

    • Define vulnerability assessment in cloud
    • Continuous scanning and identification of risks
    • Mitigation: patching, configuration
    • Role in shared responsibility
11. 7 Marks
    aDiscuss the importance of contractual agreements, such as SLAs and DPAs, in ensuring privacy and security compliance in the cloud.
    How to answer

    • Define SLA and DPA
    • SLA: uptime, performance, remedies
    • DPA: data processing, privacy obligations
    • Ensuring compliance and accountability
12. 7 Marks
    bDefine autonomic security and explain how it involves self-configuring, self-healing, and self-protecting mechanisms to adapt to changing security threats in cloud environments.
    How to answer

    • Define autonomic security
    • Self-configuring, self-healing, self-protecting
    • Adaptation to changing threats via automation
    • Examples in cloud environments
13. 7 Marks
    aDiscuss how IaaS providers expose infrastructure services as reusable and composable components that can be accessed and organized using SOA principles.
    How to answer

    • Define IaaS and SOA principles
    • Infrastructure as reusable services/APIs
    • Composability and orchestration
    • Access and organization via SOA
14. 7 Marks
    bDefine OLAP and explain its role in business intelligence (BI) applications for analyzing and querying large datasets.
    How to answer

    • Define OLAP and OLTP vs OLAP
    • Multidimensional analysis, cubes, operations
    • Role in BI for querying large datasets
    • Examples of OLAP tools
15. 14 Marks
    Write a short note on any two:

    1. i)Cloud Performance Monitoring Commands
    2. ii)Attribute-Based Access Control (ABAC)
    3. iii)Virtual Machine Introspection (VMI)
    4. iv)Issues in Cloud Computing
    How to answer

    • Select any two topics from i-iv
    • Define each with key concepts and features
    • Cloud relevance with examples
    • Concise structured short note format