Multi-level cloud computing system

1. A cloud computing system comprising:

a physical resource pool comprising a number of information processing devices, each information processing device comprising a processor, a computer-readable medium, and a network interface;

a first cloud controller to manage a first cloud infrastructure, the first cloud infrastructure operating a first set of virtual resources on the first cloud infrastructure, the first set of virtual resources having access to the physical resource pool through the first cloud controller; and

a second cloud controller to manage a second cloud infrastructure, the second cloud infrastructure utilizing the first set of virtual resources to operate a second set of virtual resources on the second cloud infrastructure, the second set of virtual resources being provided access to the physical resource pool through both the second cloud controller and the first cloud controller, wherein the first cloud controller is configured to change, in response to an event, a number of virtual resources within the first set of virtual resources;

a plurality of virtual machine images, wherein the plurality of virtual machine images comprises a set of virtual machine images used to instantiate the first set of virtual resources on the first cloud infrastructure and a set of virtual machine images used to instantiate the second set of virtual resources on the second cloud infrastructure, the set of virtual machine images associated with the second cloud infrastructure having configuration information independent of virtual machine images associated with the first cloud infrastructure; and

wherein the second set of virtual resources on the second cloud infrastructure is instantiated using the first set of virtual resources on the first cloud infrastructure and the set of virtual machine images associated with the second cloud infrastructure;

wherein, when the event comprises an increase in demand for services on the second cloud infrastructure, the first cloud controller is configured to increase the number of virtual resources in the first set of virtual resources; and

wherein, when the event comprises a decrease in demand for services on the second cloud infrastructure, the first cloud controller is configured to decrease the number of virtual resources in the first set of virtual resources.

2. The system of claim 1 , the virtual resources in the first set of virtual resources and the second set of virtual resources including at least one of: a compute service, a storage service, and a network service.

3. The system of claim 2 , further comprising a monitoring service to monitor the capacity of first cloud infrastructure in relation to demand for capacity from the second cloud infrastructure.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the first cloud controller of the first cloud infrastructure is configured to execute a command to start up a new virtual service in response to a notification from the monitoring service.

5. The system of claim 3 , wherein the first cloud controller of the first cloud infrastructure is configured to execute a command to tear down a virtual service in response to a notification from the monitoring service.

6. The system of claim 3 , wherein in response to a determination by the monitoring service that a needed resource from said first set of virtual resources is no longer running, the first cloud controller is configured to start up a replacement resource for the resource no longer running.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the virtual resources in the first set of virtual resources comprise an object storage service, the first cloud controller being configured to add an additional object storage service to the first set of virtual resources in response to a demand from the second cloud controller for more storage space.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the virtual resources in the first set of virtual resources comprise a network service, the first cloud controller being configured to add an additional network service to the first set of virtual resources in response to a demand from the second cloud controller for more network services.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the virtual resources in the first set of virtual resources comprise a compute service, the first cloud controller being configured to add an additional compute service to the first set of virtual resources in response to a demand from the second cloud controller for more computing capacity.

10. A method for operating a cloud computing system, the method comprising:

with a first cloud controller for a first cloud infrastructure, providing a number of primary virtualized resources access to a physical resource pool, the physical resource pool comprising a number of information processing devices, each information processing device comprising a processor, a computer-readable medium, and a network interface, wherein the first cloud controller is configured to change the number of primary virtual resources; and

with a second cloud controller for a second cloud infrastructure comprising the primary virtualized resources, providing a number of secondary virtualized resources access to the physical resource pool through the primary virtualized resources, wherein providing the number of secondary virtualized resources access to the physical resource pool through the primary virtualized resources includes instantiating the secondary virtualized resources using the primary virtualized resources and a set of virtual machine images associated with the second cloud infrastructure, the set of virtual machine images associated with the second cloud infrastructure having configuration information independent of virtual machine images associated with the first cloud infrastructure; and

changing, with the first cloud controller, the number of primary virtual resources used to support the second cloud infrastructure in response to a change in demand on the second cloud infrastructure, wherein:

when the change in demand comprises an increase in demand for services on the second cloud infrastructure, changing the number of primary virtual resources comprises increasing the number of primary virtual resources; and

when the change in demand comprises a decrease in demand for services on the second cloud infrastructure, changing the number of primary virtual resources comprises decreasing the number of primary virtual resources.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the primary virtualized resources comprise at least one of: a compute service, an object storage service, and a network service.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising, with the first cloud controller, adding an additional object storage service to the number of primary virtualized resources in response to an increased demand on the second cloud infrastructure for more storage space.

13. The method of claim 11 , further comprising, with the first cloud controller, adding an additional compute service to the number of primary virtualized resources in response to an increased demand on the second cloud infrastructure for more computing capacity.

14. The method of claim 11 , further comprising, with the first cloud controller, adding an additional network service to the number of primary virtualized resources in response to an increased demand on the second cloud infrastructure for more storage space.

15. The method of claim 11 , further comprising, starting up a replacement primary virtualized resource in response to determining that a primary virtualized resource utilized by the second cloud infrastructure is no longer running.

16. A cloud computing system comprising:

a physical resource pool comprising a number of information processing devices, each information processing device comprising a processor, a computer-readable medium, and a network interface;

a first cloud infrastructure comprising a cloud controller and a number of cloud services, the first cloud infrastructure supporting a first set of virtual resources, the first set of virtual resources having access to the physical resource pool through the first cloud controller; and

a second cloud infrastructure comprising a cloud controller and a number of cloud services, the second cloud infrastructure utilizing the first set of virtual resources to operate a second set of virtual resources, the second set of virtual resources being provided access to the physical resource pool through the cloud controller of the first cloud infrastructure, wherein the second set of virtual resources on the second cloud infrastructure is instantiated using the first set of virtual resources on the first cloud infrastructure a set of virtual machine images associated with the second cloud infrastructure, the set of virtual machine images associated with the second cloud infrastructure having configuration information independent of virtual machine images associated with the first cloud infrastructure;

wherein a number of virtual resources within the first set of virtual resources is configured to change in response to changes in demand on the second cloud infrastructure wherein:

when the change in demand on the second cloud infrastructure comprises an increase in demand for services on the second cloud infrastructure, the number of virtual resources within the first set of virtual resources is increased; and

when the change in demand on the second cloud infrastructure comprises a decrease in demand for services on the second cloud infrastructure, the number of virtual resources within the first set of virtual resources is decreased.

17. The system of claim 16 , wherein the first set of virtual resources and the second set of virtual resources comprise at least one of: a network service, a computer service, and a storage service.