Distributed and cloud computing are receiving significant popular attention. While there is a great deal of marketing fervor and hype associated with the topic, it is undoubtedly one of the most important aspects of information technology today. There are literally dozens of books available on the subject, but this one differs in that it is designed primarily as a textbook, covering the design and application of distributed and cloud systems.

The book is easy to navigate, and considerable effort appears to have been put into the format and layout. A detailed table of contents and thorough index allow for easy use as a reference, and appropriate diagrams and tables are employed throughout. The book is divided into three parts, each beginning with a brief summary. Each chapter begins with a chapter outline and ends with a set of problems (with solutions) for students and references.

Part 1 starts with an introductory chapter on the changes in computing over the past three decades. Scalable computing, network-based systems, modeling, and distributed and cloud computing performance are covered. Two chapters then provide detailed coverage of clustering, parallel computing technologies, and virtual machines, particularly as deployed in data centers.

Part 2 looks at cloud computing. Various cloud platforms, including infrastructure as a service (IaaS), platform as a service (PaaS), and software as a service (SaaS), are covered. Chapters are devoted to cloud platform architecture in virtualized data center environments, service-oriented architectures for distributed computing, and distributed software programming environments. The topics discussed in each chapter are supported with detailed real-world examples.

Part 3, the last part, examines future trends in distributed computing. One chapter covers the design, the platform, middleware, standards, and resource management in grid computing systems. Peer-to-peer (P2) computing and overlay networks are then discussed. In the last chapter, future trends in cloud and Internet computing are covered, along with an examination of some existing public and private cloud examples.

The authors provide good general coverage of the technologies behind distributed and cloud computing. The writing style is quite consistent across the multiple contributors. Although there are many other titles on the subject, this book provides up-to-date general coverage and is laid out so as to be useful as a textbook. The thorough index and good table of contents--particularly the “distributed” tables of contents at the beginning of each chapter--also make it useful as a reference book.