Computer Solutions
provide the infrastructure on which applications can be built. Data and storage clouds (for example, Amazon S3) offer
reliable access for varying amounts of data. Amazon’s Simple Storage Service (S3) is built with a minimal feature set and allows reading, writing and deletion of files from 1 byte to 5 terabytes each. They are firewall-protected and have high reliability (designed for 99.99 per cent reliability). Compute Clouds provide environments that include
processing power, but there are many different models. The important characteristic is that they offer scalable, on-demand resources to run code that has been developed to use them. There are various restrictions on what they will do (languages and types of storage, for example) but they can offer an organisation reliable and flexible computing with high availability. Users often do not know where the code is executed or the data stored (which can be a problem) but the point is that it will be executed and stored remotely. Typical examples are Amazon’s Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2), the Google App Engine and the Rackspace Cloud (see panel for other examples of cloud computing). Sometimes vendors use cloud technology to offer scalable
server environments built with cloud components. In this case the hybrid offering is similar to using a VPS but with the benefit of being able to have more than one instance of the server if required. There is no change needed in the software used, whether it is proprietary or written in-house, as the cloud just provides the underlying infrastructure for a given level of service. Platform Clouds, which are also referred to as Platform
as a Service (PaaS), feature computational resources that are made available on a platform for which applications and
services can be developed. While this was once a separate class of service, the name survives despite the boundary between the latest compute clouds and PaaS clouds having almost disappeared. The difference is now more between environments that deliver application functionality (see Software Clouds) and those which do not. The Google App Engine is sometimes classed as a platform, rather than infrastructure. Software Clouds, also referred to as Software as a Service
(SaaS), are where a single application is made available as a service, possibly by using one or both of the types of cloud service described above. This is the oldest type of internet- based service and some vendors have always operated in this way. Typical examples are the
Salesforce.com customer relationship management (CRM) system, Google Docs (office documents), and SAP Business by Design (a business management system). In this case the end user buys precisely the service that is advertised. For designers, Autodesk is one of the more advanced in terms of its cloud-based offering, which includes the Project Neon rendering service and Bluestreak collaboration software. Cloud computing overcomes many problems inherent
with conventional IT resourcing, but the newer technology is not without its risks. First, company data (and possibly also intellectual property) will be stored remotely, so organisations need to be sure that is it in the right jurisdiction for their type of work, that the service provider complies with all relevant regulations and that the provider is open to security audit. This could include questions about any of their staff who might access to the organisation’s data - which may or may not be encrypted. l
Optimisation of electromagnetic force
is a key consideration and often has to be done with practical constraints. These include physical constraints such as size, shape and weight of the device as well as
W
hen designing practical devices, optimising the force that the device can produce
materials, which in a specific environment may be a design consideration. Commercial factors, which include initial cost, cost of operation, safety, and product lifecycle (including recycling costs), must also be considered. Some demands may support each other,
eg, less weight = energy efficient, whilst other design goals may oppose, eg, weight versus durability. With any open-ended problem it is up to the creative mind to come up with an original design, or modifying an existing one. It is the implementation of this design which requires software tools to find the optimal shape and materials to meet the criteria. To illustrate, here is a basic solenoid problem where the design goal is to maximise force given the solenoid outer dimensions are fixed. The simplest parameter to optimise is the gap length of the solenoid. As can be seen, the gap was changed from a minimum to a maximum. The optimal gap field plot is included. Thus the designer finds the optimum design for the problem’s constraints. l
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