What Is Fault Tolerance In Cloud Computing And Its Importance?
The post will make readers aware of knowledge regarding fault tolerance in cloud computing arena. One is going to learn the importance of fault tolerance for cloud access security and the measures to build such system. So let us begin!!
What Is Fault Tolerance?
A fault tolerance in cloud computing is a system, which is blueprinted and designed for continuing ongoing work, even if few parts of it are unavailable or down. It shows the capability of your infrastructure to provide services when one or more associated devices are defected due to one or another cause. There are chances that system does not provide 100% with all the availed services but, this concept will keep machine in a running mode at a usable and reasonable level.
Example of Fault Tolerance: A web application developed with several services like caching, database, application code, etc., which can run on different servers. Because of a failure in hardware system, the caching server might become unavailable and goes into offline mode. In such case, instead of putting all application simultaneously in offline mode, the machine might run at lower capacity by rendering the features that will be free from cache services.
Different distributed services are required to develop a fault tolerance system. This is the reason due to which these machines throw their less impact.
Major Concepts Behind Fault Tolerance System
The fault tolerance in cloud computing is dependent upon two major key concepts i.e., redundancy and replication.
- Redundancy: It is the idea of having ‘backup type systems’. This is useful when any system part gets failed and moves towards the downstate. For example – A website program system can be a database like MS SQL that suddenly faces the failure due to hardware fault and now things are in offline mode. In case of redundancy concept, immediately a new database will be availed and kicked in. The server will be taking place of original MySQL instance, which comprises of several redundant services within it.
- Replication: It is a fault-tolerant system that is designed with the concept of running several instances for each and every service. In this manner, if one instance goes in downstate then, there are other instances also that can be placed at others place. For example – A database cluster is there that comprises 3 servers having the same information on each server. All operations get written on three servers that include data insertion, updating, and deletion. In case of replication, redundant servers will be available but in an inactive mode, until and unless a fault tolerance system does not demand their availability.
Implementation Ideas Of Fault Tolerance Techniques In Cloud Computing
Following points need to be implemented at the time of fault-tolerant creation:
- While planning and designing a fault tolerance in cloud system, it is essential to give priority to all the services. Enterprises need to give full focus on basic services like database that is the core part of the entire system because it powers several other parts also.
- After deciding all the priorities, another scenario that a user needs to think is to imagine the time when any one of the core services get fail. For example – Support you are working on a forum website, which enables users to log in to the account and post. Suddenly the authentication services went down due to which the person is unable to log in. In such case, you can think of the time where it is possible to render a ‘read-only’ forum. At least, this will enable that user to search for the information and impact will be minimal.
What Are The Characteristics Of Fault Tolerance In Cloud Computing?
There are two major characteristics of fault tolerant system:
- Not even a single point failure: There should be not even a single point failure because if the failure exists then, the system is not at all a fault tolerant. One can check this by using concepts of redundancy and replication.
- Accept the Concept of Fault Isolation: When the fault occurrence takes place, it should be in isolated mode and handled in separately from system reminder. This will keep the fault tolerance system away from all the failures due to which existing system fails.
Existence Of Fault Tolerance
Nowadays the two major uses of fault tolerance are system failures and security breaches.
- System Failure: This is failure that is associated with software or hardware issue. The software failure is the one that is caused either due to the bug, which comprises of a crashed system or due to a hanging situation like stack overflow. The hardware issue is caused because of improper maintenance of physical hardware machines.
- Security Breaches: This comprises of several cases that lead to call for fault tolerance in cloud computing. The server might get hacked and negatively impact the server. Denial of service, Ransomware, phishing, virus attack, etc., these can be the examples of the existence of fault tolerance in form of security breaches.
Fault Tolerance In AWS: Just An Outline To It
Amazon Web Services maintain a large infrastructure for fault tolerance. It provides different tools for creating and designing your own fault tolerant system with the environment. At each level of the stack, there exists few features of fault tolerance, which you can append on your application with which you work regularly.
Observational Verdict
Fault tolerance in cloud computing is a crucial concept. Enterprises do not realize its importance until and unless things do not go unexpectedly with them. So, it is advised to all organizations that they should apply fault tolerant system to continue growing even when some kind of failure has occurred. Do not let the hurdles impact on the rapid development of your organization while using cloud platforms.
