Open Educational Resources
Document Type
Lecture or Presentation
Publication Date
Winter 2026
Abstract
This collection of lecture notes provides a comprehensive technical foundation for modern cloud computing, spanning from physical infrastructure to high-level application patterns. The text explores how warehouse-scale computers and virtualization transformed traditional data centers into flexible, on-demand resource pools characterized by elasticity and a pay-as-you-go economic model. Detailed chapters examine core architectural components, including Kubernetes orchestration, serverless computing (FaaS), and distributed key-value stores like Dynamo. The sources also emphasize the critical nature of fault tolerance, utilizing techniques like erasure coding and replication to manage the statistical inevitability of hardware failure. Security and management are addressed through frameworks like the Shared Responsibility Model, Infrastructure as Code (IaC), and Zero Trust Architecture. Moreover, MLOps and microservices are discussed, highlighting the trade-offs between system agility and the inherent complexities of network-based communication.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
CUNY OER Funding
CUNY OER Initiative
Included in
Computer and Systems Architecture Commons, Data Storage Systems Commons, Digital Communications and Networking Commons
