[CESG] CSS Area statement on use of cloud computing resources for CCSDS prototyping

[Barkley, Erik J (3970)]

CESG Chair,

Below please find the CSS Area statement on cloud computing resources which has been discussed by the CCS WG chairs and co-chairs for those WGs in the area with a need for prototyping.

Best regards,

-Erik


CSS area statement with regard to question on cloud computing resources for interoperability prototyping:

Although not opposed to the use of cloud computing resources for interoperable prototyping and testing, there are questions and concerns that tend to call into question whether or not there are benefits. The questions and concerns are along the following lines:


1)      we may have extra work to do and or considerations that need addressing if a particular piece of software used in a prototype is not ready for a cloud type license. For example, the CSTS work relies on ASN.1 compiler which as we understand it is licensed and bound to a particular CPU and not necessarily licensed for cloud computing usage. It seems likely that both NASA and ESA would likely have this type of concern based on the compiler vendors being used.  To the extent that cloud computing continues to grow and evolve this issue may lessen but in the immediate future is not clear that the CSTS prototype work could be moved directly to the cloud without further licensing negotiations.

2)      If prototyping includes not just functional testing but performance testing there could potentially other issues such as connecting an agencies resources to the cloud for real-time output; in this case use of cloud resources not represent testing vs a typical operational deployment.  However it does seem possible to do some performance testing for certain types of protocols (not involving the space link directly).

3)      Our understanding is that agencies that are utilizing cloud computing resources may in fact have restrictions as to which cloud vendors they can and cannot work with. It's unclear as to whether or not a single cloud provider can work with all CCSDS member agencies or whether negotiations between cloud providers would in fact have to occur (driven by the member agencies). It seems possible that this could negate a potential cloud computing advantage relative to the "traditional" approach of negotiating interoperability testing involving agency DMZ considerations as that problem potentially reemerges in negotiating between how secure various cloud vendors may or may not interact, etc.

4)      The general sense is that for CSS area prototype testing it tends to be point-to-point, one implementation communicating with another. There may be an advantage here in terms of not having to purchase  hardware but there is also a consideration that most of the agencies have a fair amount of hardware already in place. If it the case that prototype testing needs to scale for many different nodes in the prototype tested etc. then it likely a good fit for cloud computing.

5)      If there is a need for a long-running inter-agency test bed for several recommendations, it may make sense to do this in the cloud.

Bottom line: there does seem to be a potential advantage in being able to quickly procure computing resources as opposed to buying a particular hardware platform, etc. but there are also questions and concerns which suggest that this advantage is not necessarily immediately realizable.

Potential alternate approach: it seems like it may be in fact reasonable to consider the use of cloud computing resources to be at the discretion of the agency involved in doing a prototype interoperation rather than have CCSDS as a whole considering which cloud vendors etc. to utilize.

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