Cloud Computing Technology

2. Cloud Computing Technology

Introducing the IIJ GIO Cloud Service
We began providing the IIJ GIO cloud service in 2009, and it is now in its ﬁfth year.
We are continuing to expand our lineup of services to meet a variety of needs.
In this report we will once again give an overview of the service from a technological perspective,
and in future reports we will continue to discuss the underlying technology that supports the service.

2.1 Introduction
Corporate adoption of cloud technology is proceeding at a faster pace than specialist institutions initially expected. Onereason that cloud computing is growing so quickly is changes in the IT environment, such as faster and lower-cost networks,a significant reduction in the cost of deploying IT devices, unpredictable shifts in the business environment, and a wider
range of applications for virtualization technology. Riding these waves of change, the market is beginning to understandthe benefits to be gained from the use of cloud technology, including freeing companies from physical and geographicalconstraints, and alleviating the existing issue of IT infrastructure operating costs. Other factors include progress in moves
toward asset-less environments and on-demand services, as well as the economic effect gained through the improved
efficiency of resource utilization.

2.2 Service Overview
IIJ began providing the IIJ GIO cloud service in December of 2009, taking advantage of our accomplishments in thedevelopment and operation of IT resource services over more than 10 years, as well as the fact we have one of the largest
Internet backbones in Japan. We began expanding our service lineup from June the following year, starting with the IIJ
GIO Hosting Package Service. To this day we continue to provide high-quality cloud services that support our customers’
business infrastructure.
The IIJ GIO Hosting Package Service and IIJ GIO Component Service in the IaaS space constitute the core of our varied
service lineup.

Other Public Cloud Services
LinkedOther Private Cloud Services

Customer Systems

LinkedLinkedIaaS

SaaS/PaaS
AppliedServices

Figure 1: The Extensive IIJ GIO Cloud Service Lineup

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Distribution
Networks

GlobalMonitoring/Operation

The IIJ GIO Hosting Package Service*1 is an IaaS-based public cloud service available to use immediately through an online
application. We made plans packaging system configurations for purposes in which the standard server software is fixed toa certain extent, such as Web mail and mail servers. Based on a Basic package that featured only CentOS, we have prepareda number of plans that combine software and hardware to meet various intended uses.
In September 2013 the API*2 was made public, answering the needs of those who wanted to automate routine operations bycreating their own programs.

2.2.2 Virtual Private Cloud-Based Services

Cloud Computing Technology

2.2.1 Public Cloud-Based Services

The IIJ GIO Component Service provides system configuration elements such as servers, storage, and networks ascomponents. This is a ﬂexible IaaS-based cloud service for enterprise customers that enables users to select the optimal
configuration for their needs from a varied menu. Through direct connection with on-premise environments, it can also be
used as a private cloud.
Its main components are the base server and the virtualization platform.
Two base servers are provided: the V Series virtual server in which the physical server is shared with other customers, andthe X Series physical server that can be used exclusively. In January 2014 we updated the hypervisor, and released a V Series
G2 option with enhanced management functions and virtual server specs.
For virtualization platforms we have the VW Series, which provides a physical server environment utilizing the VMware
vSphere ESXi virtualization software from U.S. company VMware, along with VMware vCenter Server. Because VMware
vSphere ESXi environments are provided with administrator privileges, they offer a degree of system configuration freedom
comparable to on-premise environments. We think this provides an attractive option to users considering new server
integration or cloud construction, as well as users already constructing or operating virtual infrastructure using VMware. We
plan to offer a new version of vSphere ESXi and physical servers with more memory from spring 2014. We are also looking
at adding packages using different virtualization software to our lineup.

Package
Plans

Options

Basic

FirewallWeb

Load
Balancing
WebMobileWeb

Load
Balancer

Additional
Disks

Shared Disks(NAS)

LAMPWebInternet VPN

SecureMail

Monitoring

Web &Mail

VLAN

Internet[Customer Premises]

Figure 2: Overview of Public Cloud-Based Services*1

See the following site for more information about the IIJ GIO Hosting Package Service. (http://www.iij.ad.jp/GIO/service/hosting/).

*2

See the IIJ GIO Hosting Package Service API Reference. (http://manual.iij.jp/gp/gpapi/).

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Cloud Computing TechnologyResources other than servers can also be selected as IaaS-based services.
The first of these is the Network Add-On*3, which enhances the network functionality provided as standard on base servers
and virtualization platforms. By changing shared Internet access lines to dedicated lines (private connections), Internet VPN
or walled garden networks (wide area networks) can be used to connect safely to on-premise environments. Multi-carrierconfigurations separated by carrier are also possible.
The second is the Storage Add-On*4. The two main options are Standard, which provides the same high-end storage used byfinancial institutions, and Basic, which is a mid-range option suitable for data management of general Web systems, etc. We
offer network-based NAS storage, Fiber Channel (FC) SAN storage, and iSCSI SAN storage.
The third is the Database Add-On*5, which provides Oracle

Base Servers

Database and MySQL as DBaaS (Database-as-a-Service).
Oracle Database licenses are available for a monthly fee,

V Series

X Series(Virtualization Type)(Dedicated Type)enabling customers to alleviate the burden of investingin database licenses and avoid the risks associated withinvestment. This service provides database instances
designed and operated by IIJ, based on our experience
with implementing and operating large numbers ofVirtualization Platform

relational databases.
The fourth is the License Add-On, which provides software

VW Series

licenses for a monthly fee. Currently we provide software
products that are in high demand for a monthly fee,including Microsoft SPLA products, as well as products
from Citrix, VMware, and Symantec.

2.2.3 Cloud Service Usage Trends

Add-Ons

IIJ GIO usage trends for the past few years show that,compared with April 2012, while the number of physicalservers has almost doubled, storage capacity has almosttripled. One reason for this is that use of our cloud services
has expanded from general Web systems to enterprise-Network

Storage

Database

Licenseoriented systems that handle large amounts of data.
An indicator supporting this is the fact that trends in thenumber of servers for each of our services match the timingof increases in the number of VW Series corporate private
cloud service servers used.
We will continue to monitor the usage status of equipment,and report information on usage trends, etc.

Customer Premises Network

Figure 3: Overview of Virtual Private Cloud-Based Services

30*3

See the following page for more information about network add-ons. (http://www.iij.ad.jp/GIO/service/component/network/).

*4

See the following page for more information about storage add-ons. (http://www.iij.ad.jp/GIO/service/component/storage/).

*5

See the following page for more information about database add-ons. (http://www.iij.ad.jp/GIO/service/component/db/).

Large-scale infrastructure such as that used to provide cloud services can be boiled down to two key points: physicalconstruction and infrastructure technology and operation. We plan to examine infrastructure technology and operation over
several installments from our next report. In this first article, we will focus on physical construction.
Cloud services require infrastructure to be constructed ona massive scale in a short period of time. In light of theserequirements, we evaluated a variety of implementation
methods, and in the end we were able to shorten the lead

Cloud Computing Technology

2.3 Points for Building and Operation of Large-Scale Infrastructure

time to about a third of what it was initially. Here we will
discuss some of the issues we faced along the way, andhow we overcame them.

2.3.1 On-Site Construction
On-site construction is still common practice for thephysical construction of IT devices used on-premise or incolocation services involving data center rental.
Hardware such as the servers, storage, and network
devices to be used are sent to the place of installation, andkitting, racking, and wiring of LAN cable and fiber optic

Figure 4: Large Amounts of Packaging Material (Waste)
Left After Physical Construction

cable is carried out on-site. We initially adopted the same
approach for IIJ GIO. However, we faced issues unique tothe construction of large-scale environments, such as data
centers requiring a lot of space for unpacking and setup
work due to the large amount of equipment involved. There
were also issues with processing the huge quantity of wastematerial left over after construction, and the repeated needto deal with initial failures on-site. (Figure 4)

2.3.2 Container Transportation
In April 2011, we began container transportation following
the establishment of Matsue Data Center Park in Matsue,
Shimane Prefecture. This was the first commercial
container-based data center with outside-air cooling inJapan. (Figure 5)

Figure 5: Illustration of Matsue Data Center Park
Expansion After Completion

Previously servers were carefully packed, increasing theirbulk about eight-fold, which meant that more vehicles
were required to transport them. In contrast, transporting
containers with racks to the server manufacturer’s factory,
and carrying out all the kitting, racking, and rack wiring
there, realized the concept of hauling containers withservers already installed and ready to use straight away.
At the same time, it enabled construction and transport
costs to be reduced, and also solved the issue of needing todeal with a large amount of packaging material waste afterinstallation work. (Figure 6)

Figure 6: Installation of Transported Container

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Cloud Computing Technology

We also enabled low-cost, ﬂexible transportation using standard heavy trucks*6 by developing slim containers that reduced
the initial width to less than 2.5 meters. (Figure 7)
By implementing container transportation, we were able to provide services using large numbers of IT devices in a shortspace of time, and reduce the work carried out at data centers as much as possible. However, this still left issues such as
the facility adjustment period for cooling units after on-site installation, and the handling of initial failures on-site. (Figure 8)

2.3.3 Rack Transportation
We adopted rack transportation at our urban data centers.
For container transportation, we bring containers fittedwith racks to the server manufacturer’s factory, but for
rack transportation, we only bring the racks themselves.
This enabled us to carry out the same kitting, racking, andrack wiring process as container transportation, but wewere also able to achieve further reductions in the leadtime after transportation by implementing electrical andinitial failure handling at the factory as well. Of course, thiswould make no sense if device failures occurred during
Figure 7: Container Transportation Using Heavy Trucks

transportation, so we also incorporated efforts to limit theimpact of transportation on installed devices to a minimum.
(Figure 9)Figure 8: Work Inside Containers and Initial Failure Handling

Figure 9: Racking Work at Server Factory*6

Figure 10: Rack Transportation

When a vehicle’s width is over 2.5 meters, it becomes a “special-purpose vehicle” that must make a special application to travel over roads. Lead cars arerequired in front of and behind the truck, and the roads it can travel on are restricted.

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installed, the transportation route must have sufficient load bearing capacity for the weight of the racks, and enough height
to haul them upright on the truck. (Figure 10)
Weather is an even more important factor. Waterproofing measures are essential to proceed with transportation workwithout delay, as schedules may overlap with the rainy season or typhoon season. In addition to standard cushioning, racks
are given three layers of waterproofing for good measure.
Here we have focused on urban data centers, but rack transportation is also a valid option for container-based data centers.
With the containers themselves left connected to the on-site cooling units, the racks inside are transported to the server

Cloud Computing Technology

Next, we need to consider the route for transporting racks to the data center. Because racks remain upright with servers

manufacturer’s factory. This makes it possible to reduce the facility adjustment period with cooling units that occurs after
installing containers on-site.
By transporting racks using the above approach, we greatly reduced the lead time before starting server operation.

2.4 Conclusion
In this report we gave on overview of the IIJ GIO service using IaaS as an example. In the future we will look at the underlying
technology that supports the service.
We will also continue to provide you all with services and fundamental technology currently under development at IIJ thatmeet the needs of the market.

Author:Shinri Kimura
Vice Manager, Platform Service Department, Platform Division, IIJ As service manager of the IBPS service that preceded the IIJ GIO cloudservice, Mr. Kimura was responsible for its development and operation. He later participated in IIJ GIO from the planning and concept
stage, and he is now engaged in the development and operation of IIJ GIO system infrastructure services.

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