HP Labs cloud-computing test bed projects

Researchers at HP Labs will use the new cloud research test bed to collaborate with industry leaders, academia and governments worldwide in advancing innovation in the area of cloud computing.

Initially, HP Labs will focus its research in the test bed on the following projects:

• Cells as a Servicea prototype management system for cloud infrastructures that centers on the creation of Service Cells – secure “containers” for virtual infrastructure elements. Each Cell can contain an arbitrary assembly of virtual machines, virtual storage volumes and virtual networks, connected into whatever design of IT infrastructure a customer desires. Cells are securely isolated from one another, although connectivity between Cells can be established in controlled ways. This enables the management of a cloud infrastructure to be automated and allows for the dynamic deployment and management of services offered through the cloud. The project will be conducted by researchers in the Automated Infrastructure Lab at HP Labs Bristol.
  
  
• Exascale Data Center Project aims to radically redesign the future data center and its computing components, delivering significantly improved customer experience at dramatically lower costs. The proposed new data center would be built from simple, cost-efficient ‘building blocks’ of hardware and software that will be designed by the HP Labs research team. This project will be conducted by researchers in the Exascale Computing Lab at HP Labs Palo Alto.
  
  
• The Scalable Storage Project aims to develop an enterprise storage service that can automatically scale to store petabytes of data across geographically dispersed locations, and offers a non-stop, fault tolerant, self-managing platform that can be simultaneously used by multiple parties for different purposes. This project will be conducted by researchers in the Storage and Information Management Platforms Lab at HP Labs Palo Alto.
  
  
• Service Lifecycle Management (SLiM) is a management system for converting any type of application into a service – not just traditional services – and managing the lifecycle from design, to deployment, to adaptation, to termination. SLiM will leverage the automated infrastructure made possible by the Cells as a Service system to automatically manage the lifecycle of cloud services. This project will be conducted by researchers in the Automated Infrastructure Lab at HP Labs Bristol.
  
  
• Sustainable Data Center Project focuses on developing sustainable IT approaches that are more energy efficient and will reduce the environmental impact of the massive data centers required to house cloud computing systems. This project will be conducted by researchers in the Sustainable IT Lab at HP Labs Palo Alto and Bristol.