← IGCSE Computer Science Paper 1

Physical servers and storage behind the cloud

A building full of servers and storage devices owned by the cloud provider. It holds users' data, often copied to several locations, and is accessed over the internet.

Part of: IGCSE Computer Science 0478 — 3.3 Data Storage — Module 26

Understanding Physical servers and storage behind the cloud in IGCSE Computer Science Paper 1

What it does: The company running the cloud looks after the servers and storage devices, so users do not buy or repair them. The provider buys, repairs, upgrades and powers the hardware. The customer just rents space on it. Copying data to several places makes it more reliable. Copies actually use more storage, not less. Users access cloud data remotely over the internet, so they do not need to be near the hardware. The provider owns the hardware, so it replaces faulty devices. Copies of the data mean customers usually notice nothing. A data centre is the physical place where cloud data is actually stored, so the cloud is not 'in the air'.

Common mistakes: In cloud storage the provider owns and maintains the servers and storage devices. The line should be owns_hardware = True. If every server holds 24 drives, the total number of drives is servers multiplied by drives, not added. It should be total = servers * drives.

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This module's key terms are also in a printable crossword (Modules 314–324) and word search (Modules 304–324).

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Learning

Duo

Where is data stored when you use cloud storage?

In the air or on the internet itself, with no physical hardwareOn storage devices in a data centre owned by the provider

Matches

cloud_data = "stored in the air, no hardware"

↓

Cloud data is not stored in the air. It is held on physical servers and storage devices in data centres.

Applying

Meanings

Term

data centre

Meaning

A building full of servers and storage devices owned by the cloud provider. It holds users' data, often copied to several locations, and is accessed over the internet.

Practice

DECLARE copies : INTEGER

Testing

Gaps

A is a building full of servers

Check Answer

Spots

1provider = 'CloudCo'

2owns_hardware = False

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Quick Questions

1. Where is data stored when you use cloud storage?

A. On storage devices in a data centre owned by the provider ✓

B. In the air or on the internet itself, with no physical hardware

Cloud data is always held on real physical storage devices, kept in data centres. The internet is only used to reach them.

2. What is a data centre?

A. A building full of servers and storage devices ✓

B. A single USB drive that is plugged into the user's computer

A data centre holds a huge number of servers and storage devices, not just one device.

3. Who owns and maintains the hardware used for cloud storage?

A. The customer who saves files there

B. The cloud storage provider ✓

The provider buys, repairs, upgrades and powers the hardware. The customer just rents space on it.

4. Which statement about cloud storage hardware is correct?

A. One single hard disk holds all of the customers' data

B. Many servers and storage devices work together to hold the data ✓

Providers use very many servers and storage devices so they can hold huge amounts of data for lots of users.

5. Why do providers often keep copies of your data in several locations?

A. So data is not lost if one device or data centre fails ✓

B. So the data takes up less storage space

Copying data to several places makes it more reliable. Copies actually use more storage, not less.

Match the Pairs

data centre → A building full of servers and storage devices that hold the data people save to the cloud

replication → Copying data to several storage devices or locations so it is not lost if one fails

The cloud provider owns, powers and maintains the physical hardware, not the user → provider.maintain(servers)

Cloud data is held on many storage devices and servers working together in a data centre → data_centre = [server1, server2, server3]

cloud_data = "stored in the air, no hardware" → Cloud data is not stored in the air. It is held on physical servers and storage devices in data centres.

copies = 1 # only one copy of the data, so it is always safe → Keeping only one copy is risky. Providers usually copy data to several locations in case a device or site fails.

Key Term

data centre

A building full of servers and storage devices owned by the cloud provider. It holds users' data, often copied to several locations, and is accessed over the internet.

Fill in the Blanks

1. A data centre is a building full of servers

Hint: Type the two-word name for the building that houses the cloud provider's servers.

2. The provider owns the cloud hardware

Hint: Type the word for the company that owns and maintains the cloud's equipment.

3. Data is often copied to several locations

Hint: Type the word for making duplicates of data so it is not lost if one site fails.

4. Users reach a data centre via the internet

Hint: Type the network that users connect through to access their cloud data.

5. Cloud data is held on physical servers

Hint: Type the name of the powerful computers in a data centre that hold and serve the data.

Spot the Error

Question 1

A provider = 'CloudCo'

B owns_hardware = False

C location = 'data centre'

Line B — In cloud storage the provider owns and maintains the servers and storage devices. The line should be owns_hardware = True.

Question 2

A servers = 500

B drives = 24

C total = servers + drives

Line C — If every server holds 24 drives, the total number of drives is servers multiplied by drives, not added. It should be total = servers * drives.

Question 3

A copies = []

B for site in ['UK', 'USA']:

C copies.remove(site)

Line C — Data is often copied to several locations, so each site should be added to the list of copies. remove would fail on an empty list. It should be copies.append(site).

Question 4

A def store(file, sites)

B for s in sites:

C print('Saved to', s)

Line A — A function definition must end with a colon. The line should be def store(file, sites):

Question 5

A data_centre = []

B data_centre.add('server1')

C data_centre.append('server2')

D print(len(data_centre))

Line B — A Python list has no add method. To add a server to the data centre list you use append: data_centre.append('server1').

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