Title: Cloud infrastructure planning considering the impact of maintenance and self-healing routines over cost and dependability attributes

Authors: Carlos Melo; Jean Araujo; Jamilson Dantas; Paulo Pereira; Felipe Oliveira; Paulo Maciel

Addresses: Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil ' Universidade Federal do Agreste de Pernambuco, Garanhuns, Brazil ' Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil ' Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil ' Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil ' Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil

Abstract: Cloud computing has become the leading paradigm for internet service provisioning, attracting more adopters daily. Service providers face high costs related to acquisition and implementation, making outsourced maintenance a cost-effective alternative, especially for small infrastructures. This paper evaluates infrastructure reliability and the impact of outsourced maintenance on private cloud availability, with a focus on blockchain as a service. By modelling service and maintenance routines, the findings are applicable to various cloud services. The study assesses maintenance strategies - reactive, preventive, and self-healing - within Service Level Agreements. Results indicate that preventive and self-healing maintenance offer a better cost-benefit balance compared to traditional reactive methods. However, the optimal approach depends on the provider's available resources. This research helps small-scale service providers choose cost-efficient maintenance strategies while ensuring high availability.

Keywords: maintenance; reliability; availability; modelling; cloud computing; blockchain; container; services; SLA.

DOI: 10.1504/IJGUC.2025.146279

International Journal of Grid and Utility Computing, 2025 Vol.16 No.3, pp.211 - 223

Received: 14 Sep 2020
Accepted: 03 May 2021
Published online: 15 May 2025 *

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