Cloud computing Code:  22.601    :  6
View general information   Description   The subject within the syllabus as a whole   Professional fields to which it applies   Prior knowledge   Learning objectives and results   Content   View the UOC learning resources used in the subject   Guidelines on assessment at the UOC   View the assessment model  
This is the course plan for the first semester of the academic year 2024/2025. To check whether the course is being run this semester, go to the Virtual Campus section More UOC / The University / Programmes of study section on Campus. Once teaching starts, you'll be able to find it in the classroom. The course plan may be subject to change.
In this subject, the fundamental concepts of Cloud Computing will be presented in a vision from the most general to the most applied. For this, conceptual and practical aspects will be analyzed and the student will carry out activities to consolidate knowledge on different aspects that are part of the functional base of these technological environments. Aspects such as infrastructures, operating systems, deployment environments, and most important actors (private and public) will be analyzed among others. 

This subject assumes that the student has minimal knowledge about the operating systems internals and deployment and service environments. Considering this, the subject starts from a basic level of the Linux Operating System (since it is an essential factor in the technological ecosystems of Cloud Computing and services) and increases its complexity in the next modules until explains the different parts, services, and environments that are used today in the business and private/ institutional infrastructures.

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For the development of this subject, very basic knowledge of information systems is required, and minimal skills about computers and operating systems, since the rest will be essential contents of the course.

As this is the only course within the bachelor's degree that targets cloud computing, it does not require previous knowledge on cloud technology. After the course, students interested in this field can develop a cloud computing related project as their Final project of the degree.

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The knowledge taught in this subject will allow to the student obtain skills and competencies for different aspects related to Cloud Computing. This knowledge will be centred on some aspects such as design & deployment of virtual infrastructures & services, configuration and management, and services performance analysis and which are an essential part of the professional skills in business environments and also in private development environments or institutional environments among others. 

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For the development of this subject, very basic knowledge of information systems is required, and minimal skills about computers and operating systems, since the rest will be essential contents of the course.

The methodology includes case studies, reading of technical documentation about the Linux operating system, administration and management, virtualization, cloud computing infrastructures, deployment of services and administration, and monitoring of infrastructures as well as the autonomous search for information.

In this aspect, the student must have skills with the advanced use of Internet Search Engines, the analysis of quantitative and qualitative information, the ability to synthesize and obtain conclusions, as well as having oral and written communication skills. Likewise, it is also necessary that students can read and understand documents in English; since the material and bibliography / referenced documents are in this language. 

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The objectives that the student is expected to achieve through this subject are the following:

- Understand the concepts and formal definitions associated with operating systems & cloud computing infrastructures that process user data.

- Know how to distinguish and configure the different parts of the operating systems processes & services and cloud computing infrastructure considering aspects such as management, performance and security.

- Understand the most appropriate technologies for the deployment of Cloud Computing infrastructures securely and efficiently, considering aspects such as scalability, performance evaluation and high availability aspects.

- Know the main actors available in the Cloud Computing ecosystem such as hypervisors, IaaS, PaaS, SaaS, open-source cloud infrastructures (i.e. OpenNebula), environments (i.e. Proxmox) and public cloud (i.e. AWS, Azure).

- Understanding the concepts of automated and verified deployment of infrastructures and applying these concepts to use benchmarks in the cloud providers will be considered.

The subject is organized into six modules, and three challenges (carrying out the corresponding CAA activities).

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The subject is organized into six modules and four challenges (PEC). 

- M1.- Introduction to Linux

- M2.- Linux Administration

- M3.- Fundamentals and Platforms of Cloud Computing

- M4.- Virtualization and Hypervisors

- M5.- Cloud Infrastructure (Iaas, Paas/SaaS) 

- M6.- Introduction to Cloud Administration


In the "Introduction to Linux" module, a user-level introduction to the open-source GNU-Linux operating system will be presented. The main functional aspects of this operating system will be analyzed (concepts that can later be exported to MacOS or Windows) and this will be a solid base to develop the following topics.

The "Linux Administration" module will focus on aspects of Linux operating system administration including sections such as local administration (processes and procedures to manage a desktop machine without external services), network management, service administration and security of the whole environment.

The essential aspects of Cloud Computing will be presented in the "Fundamentals and Platforms of Cloud Computing" module, where aspects such as models, infrastructures, advantages and disadvantages will be analyzed, as well as the most relevant aspects and the important actors in public o private cloud computing ecosystem.

An essential aspect of the functional model of Cloud Computing is virtualization, which allows the use of hardware infrastructures efficiently and profitability way, reducing space and improving the use of energy and resources. These contents will be analyzed in the "Hypervisors" module.

The "Cloud Infrastructure (Iaas, Paas/SaaS)" module will present the most important deployment models such as Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS) and Software as a Service (SaaS). These categories are the most important ones and all the advantages/disadvantages can be analyzed and different activities can be carried out that allow conceptualizing and learning new skills in this type of environment. 

Finally, the "Introduction to Cloud Administration" module will allow the student to learn about the management and administration processes of the cloud (both in private and public environments) and to acquire skills that allow designing, manage a cloud infrastructure based on virtual machines/containers to provide services using a public or private cloud environment. 
The challenges (CAT, continuous assessment tests) will be oriented to cases study deployment to carry out some real & common and practical tasks in Linux & Cloud Computing environments. 

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The assessment process is based on students' own work and the assumption that this work is original and has been carried out by them.

In assessment activities, the following irregular behaviours, among others, may have serious academic and disciplinary consequences: someone else being involved in carrying out the student's assessment test or activity, or the work being not entirely original; copying another's work or committing plagiarism; attempting to cheat to obtain better academic results; collaborating in, covering up or encouraging copying; or using unauthorized material, software or devices during assessment.

If students are caught engaging in any of these irregular behaviours, they may receive a fail mark (D/0) for the assessable activities set out in the course plan (including the final tests) or in the final mark for the course. This could be because they have used unauthorized materials, software or devices (e.g. social networking sites or internet search engines) during the tests, because they have copied text fragments from an external source (internet, notes, books, articles, other student's projects or activities, etc.) without correctly citing the source, or because they have engaged in any other irregular conduct.

In accordance with the UOC's academic regulations , irregular conduct during assessment, besides leading to a failing mark for the course, may be grounds for disciplinary proceedings and, where appropriate, the corresponding punishment, as established in the UOC's coexistence regulations.

In its assessment process, the UOC reserves the right to:

  • Ask the student to provide proof of their identity, as established in the university's academic regulations.
  • Request that students provide evidence of the authorship of their work, throughout the assessment process, both in continuous and final assessment, by means of an oral test or by whatever other synchronous or asynchronous means the UOC specifies. These means will check students' knowledge and competencies to verify authorship of their work, and under no circumstances will they constitute a second assessment. If it is not possible to guarantee the student's authorship, they will receive a D grade in the case of continuous assessment or a Fail in the case of final assessment.

    For this purpose, the UOC may require that students use a microphone, webcam or other devices during the assessment process, in which case it will be the student's responsibility to check that such devices are working correctly.

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You can only pass the course if you participate in and pass the continuous assessment. Your final mark for the course will be the mark you received in the continuous assessment.
 

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