Zend

Zend Technologies [www.zend.com], the PHP Company, launched the Simple API for Cloud Application Services project, a new open source initiative that allows developers to use common application services in the cloud, while enabling them to unlock value-added features available from individual providers. The project aims to facilitate the development of cloud applications that can access services on all major cloud platforms. Zend, IBM, Microsoft, Nirvanix, Rackspace and GoGrid are co-founding contributors to this community project.

The Simple Cloud API project empowers developers to use one interface to interact with a variety of cloud application services, enabling them to more easily access new technologies from cloud vendors. The first deliverables will include interfaces for file storage, document database, and simple queue services from platforms like Amazon Web Services, Windows Azure, Nirvanix Storage Delivery Network, and Rackspace Cloud Files. As a result, developers can deploy software applications to access services in these environments without making time-consuming and expensive changes to their source code.

“The Simple Cloud API combines the benefits of open source community processes with the active participation of the cloud vendors themselves,” said Andi Gutmans, CEO of Zend. The Simple Cloud API project is designed to encourage widespread participation and contributions from the open source community, resulting in the availability of Simple Cloud API adapters for virtually all major cloud providers. Zend Cloud adapters will be available for services such as:

» File storage services, including Windows Azure blobs, Rackspace Cloud Files, Nirvanix Storage Delivery Network, and Amazon S3

» Document Storage services, including Windows Azure tables and Amazon SimpleDB

» Simple queue services, including Amazon SQS and Windows Azure queues

Other adapters, such as those for Rackspace Cloud Files API, will work with external libraries with no changes to application code. Microsoft is also contributing Simple Cloud API adapters, along with the official PHP client libraries for Windows Azure storage, to future versions of Zend Framework. These adapters will allow applications to take advantage of many Windows Azure features through the Simple Cloud API interface, while Microsoft’s client libraries will put Windows Azure innovations, such as transaction and partial upload support, at the fingertips of cloud application developers.

IBM will also be contributing adapters for IBM’s cloud service interfaces, as well as adapters to IBM’s data storage products, allowing developers to easily switch between public clouds, private clouds and traditional data center environments.

An initial Simple Cloud API proposal and reference implementation is available now for community review and participation at http://www.simplecloud.org. Developers can also evaluate the Simple API for Cloud Application Services by deploying their applications that use it on the Amazon cloud using the freely available Zend Server Community Edition Amazon Machine Image (AMI) for EC2.

Source: www.zend.com/en/company/news/press/zend-teams-with-ibmmicrosoft- rackspace-and-other-cloud-leaders-on-open-source-initiativeto-drive-cloud-application-development

Source of Information : Implementing and Developing Cloud Computing Applications 2011

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