Lunacloud vCPUs versus AWS ECU

Nov. 6, 2012 - PRLog -- A Cloud Server, a pay-per-use Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) provided by Lunacloud available in the UK since last May, is a combination of RAM, CPU and DISK resources.

Whilst RAM and DISK space are easy to compare amongst providers (after all, a GB is clear objective unit), the same is not true for the allocation of processor time. With Amazon, customers get ECU’s (ECU = EC2 Compute Unit), with the definition being “one EC2 Compute Unit provides the equivalent CPU capacity of a 1.0-1.2 GHz 2007 Opteron or 2007 Xeon processor”, according to aws.amazon.com/ec2/faqs/.

Rackspace does not provide a clear definition and does not even mention CPU allocation in the server configurations (it uses only RAM and DISK space).

With Lunacloud, customers get vCPU’s (vCPU = virtual Central Processing Unit), with the definition being “One vCPU provides the equivalent CPU capacity of a 1.5 Ghz 2010 Xeon processor”.

“The industry lacks a standard for defining a unit of processor time for a Cloud Server. Most cloud providers use this lack of clarity to their benefit, confusing customers. Not only we believe that our customers need to know what they are buying, we also believe that the industry should work towards a standard. Before that happens, the best is to use benchmark comparisons in addition to price comparions.”, says Lunacloud co-founder and CEO António Miguel Ferreira.

vCPU vs ECU: benchmark comparisons

For the CPU performance we have chosen the Timed Linux kernel compilation (LKC) and the Parallel BZIP2 Compression (PBC) tests. The LKC tests how long it takes to build the Linux 3.1 kernel. PBC tests the time needed to compress a 256MB file with parallel BZIP2 [4] compression using POSIX threads. Units displayed are in seconds (less is better).

“What these CPU tests show is that 1 vCPU is up to 7% faster than 1 ECU. We have a better price per hour, now we hope to make it clear that our Cloud Servers are also a better choice when it comes to CPU performance”, concludes António Miguel Ferreira.

About Lunacloud

Founded in 2011 by industry experts Antonio Miguel Ferreira and Charles Nasser, Lunacloud is the latest pay-as-you-go Cloud infrastructure services provider available to tech-savvy SMEs and start-ups as well as individual developers in the UK. More info at http://www.lunacloud.com

The cloud has fundamentally changed the way we consume compute, store and network resources, and Lunacloud has evolved to meet these demands.

Lunacloud provides Cloud Servers with any choice of RAM from 512 MB to 96 GB, 1 to 8 CPU cores and 10 GB to 2 TB Disk, running Linux or Windows and controlled via the web control panel or the compute API, from 1.3 pence per hour. This level of flexibility allows for 307,200 different server configurations.

It also provides Cloud Storage, a virtual unlimited disk for object storage, accessible via a web browser or the S3-compatible API, from 5.8 pence per month per used GB.

Lunacloud is in partnership with Dell who provides the underlying physical servers & storage infrastructure and hosts its physical infrastructure in Tier-3+ datacentres, redundantly connected to the Internet, providing a secure and strong footing for customers at all times.