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  1. LPU MCA Semester 1
  2. CAP470
  3. Unit 1

CAP470 · Unit 1: Introduction to cloud computing

Components and characteristics of cloud computing

10 practice questions · in the MTE and ETE syllabus

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Key points

  • Five NIST characteristics: self-service, network access, pooling, elasticity, measured service
  • Pooling means shared multi-tenant resources
  • Elasticity scales out and in with demand
  • Measured service enables pay-per-use billing

A cloud system has three main components: clients (devices that access services), distributed servers (many machines that provide the services) and the data centre (the facility that houses and connects them).

NIST lists five essential characteristics:

  1. On-demand self-service: users provision resources automatically without provider staff.
  2. Broad network access: capabilities are reached over standard networks from many client types.
  3. Resource pooling: the provider's resources serve many tenants, dynamically assigned and reassigned (multi-tenancy).
  4. Rapid elasticity: capacity scales out and in quickly, often automatically.
  5. Measured service: usage is metered, reported and billed, giving transparency to both sides.

Example: a shop that adds servers on a sale day and pays only for those hours uses elasticity and measured service.

Exam trap: pooling means sharing among tenants, not a dedicated machine for each customer.

Try two questions

Question 1 · Tier 2, Understand

Which statement describes resource pooling?

  1. Every customer receives a permanently dedicated physical server in a locked room
  2. Provider resources serve many customers and are assigned dynamically
  3. Resources are available only through a single device type
  4. Customers cannot know anything about where data resides
Show the answer

B. A multi-tenant pool serves many consumers and resources are dynamically assigned according to demand.

Why not A: Dedicated machines are the opposite of pooling.

Why not C: That contradicts broad network access.

Why not D: Pooling concerns sharing, though location control may vary by provider.

Question 2 · Tier 3, Apply

A company's monthly bill rises and falls with the storage and compute it actually used. Which characteristic is this?

  1. Rapid elasticity
  2. Resource pooling
  3. Measured service
  4. On-demand self-service
Show the answer

C. Metering resource use and billing for it is the measured service characteristic.

Why not A: Elasticity concerns scaling, not billing.

Why not B: Pooling concerns sharing among customers.

Why not D: Self-service concerns provisioning without human help.