Dynamically modifying program execution capacity

• US 10,296,385 B2
• Filed: 07/22/2016
• Issued: 05/21/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Maclinovsky, Alex, Meike, Blake, Buragohain, Chiranjeeb, Kommareddy, Christopher Reddy, Pare, Geoffrey Scott, Heitmann, John W., Lohia, Sumit, Chen, Liang, Musgrave, Zachary S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wai, Eric C
• Application Number:
  US15/217,535
• Publication Number:
  US 20160335123A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,033 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4881 Scheduling strategies for dispatcher, e.g. round robin, multi-level priority queues
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5011 the resources being hardware resources other than CPUs, Servers and Terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/505 considering the load
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5061 Partitioning or combining of resources
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/50 Systems or methods supporting the power network operation or management, involving a certain degree of interaction with the load-side end user applications

Abstract

Techniques are described for managing program execution capacity, such as for a group of computing nodes that are provided for executing one or more programs for a user. In some situations, dynamic program execution capacity modifications for a computing node group that is in use may be performed periodically or otherwise in a recurrent manner, such as to aggregate multiple modifications that are requested or otherwise determined to be made during a period of time, and with the aggregation of multiple determined modifications being able to be performed in various manners. Modifications may be requested or otherwise determined in various manners, including based on dynamic instructions specified by the user, and on satisfaction of triggers that are previously defined by the user. In some situations, the techniques are used in conjunction with a fee-based program execution service that executes multiple programs on behalf of multiple users of the service.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

obtaining, at a program execution service, and for an application available for execution by the program execution service, instructions associated with a plurality of triggers for increasing or decreasing resources for executing the application using the program execution service, wherein each trigger in the plurality of triggers specifies a number of resources to add or remove for the executing of the application if the trigger is used;

measuring, while executing the application, application load;

determining, based at least in part on the application load, that multiple triggers of the plurality are satisfied;

selecting, by the program execution service and from the multiple triggers that are satisfied, a trigger for use in increasing or decreasing resources for the executing of the application, by selecting a trigger from the multiple triggers that specifies a largest increase in the number of resources if resources are being increased or that specifies a smallest decrease in the number of resources if resources are being decreased; and

modifying, by the program execution service and in response to the determining, an amount of resources in use for the executing of the application by increasing or decreasing the amount of the resources in the number of resources specified by the selected trigger.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the obtained instructions further include specifying an initial amount of the resources for the executing of the application, and wherein the method further comprises, by one or more computing systems implementing functionality of the program execution service, selecting and providing resources for the executing of the application to satisfy the initial amount.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2 wherein the resources are virtual machines.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the resources in use for the executing of the application emit, during the executing of the application, current values for one or more metrics.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the instructions are from a user of the program execution service on whose behalf the executing of the application is performed, and further specify that a notification is to occur when a trigger of the plurality is satisfied, and wherein the method further comprises performing the notification in response to the determining.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising performing the executing of the application using a group of multiple computing nodes, and wherein the multiple triggers further include one or more conditions based at least in part on computing resources that are being used by the computing nodes of the group exceeding one or more defined thresholds, and wherein the determining that the multiple triggers are satisfied includes determining that the amount of computing resources that are being used exceeds at least one of the defined thresholds.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the instructions include a minimum or maximum number of resources, and wherein the modifying of the amount of resources includes limiting the amount of resources to not exceed the minimum or maximum number of resources.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium including stored contents that cause one or more computing systems of a program execution service to perform automated operations, the automated operations including:

obtaining, at the program execution service, instructions associated with an application that include a plurality of triggers for increasing or decreasing resources for executing the application using the program execution service, wherein each trigger in the plurality of triggers specifies a number of resources to add or remove for the executing of the application;

measuring, while executing the application, application load;

determining, based at least in part on the application load, that multiple triggers are satisfied;

selecting, by the program execution service and from the multiple triggers that are satisfied, a trigger to use that specifies a largest increase in the number of resources if resources are being increased or that specifies a smallest decrease in the number of resources if resources are being decreased; and

modifying the number of resources in use for the executing of the application by increasing or decreasing the number of resources as specified by the selected trigger.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8 wherein the obtained instructions further specify an initial amount of the resources for executing the application, and wherein the stored contents include software instructions that, when executed, further cause the one or more computing systems to select and provide the resources for the executing of the application to satisfy the initial amount.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9 wherein the obtained instructions are from a user of the program execution service on whose behalf the executing of the application is performed, and further request a notification when a trigger of the plurality is satisfied, and wherein the stored contents include software instructions that, when executed, further cause the one or more computing systems to perform the notification for at least one of the multiple triggers.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9 wherein the resources are virtual machines.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9 wherein the obtained instructions include a minimum or maximum number of resources, and wherein the modifying of the number of resources includes limiting the number of resources to not exceed the minimum or maximum number of resources.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8 wherein the contents include software instructions that, when executed, further cause the program execution service to provide a group of multiple computing nodes for use in the executing of the application, wherein each trigger further includes one or more conditions based at least in part on an amount of computing resources that are being used by the computing nodes of the group, and wherein the determining that the multiple triggers are satisfied includes determining, for each of the multiple triggers, that the one or more conditions of the trigger are satisfied based on a quantity of resources being used exceeding a defined threshold for the trigger.

14. A system comprising:

one or more hardware processors; and

one or more memories with stored software instructions that, when executed by at least one of the hardware processors, cause the at least one hardware processor to;

obtain, at a program execution service, instructions from a client associated with an application and indicating a plurality of triggers for increasing or decreasing resources for executing the application using the program execution service, wherein each trigger in the plurality of triggers specifies a number of resources to add or remove for the executing of the application;

measure, while executing the application, application load;

determine, based at least in part on the application load, that multiple triggers are satisfied;

select, from the multiple triggers that are satisfied, a trigger to use that specifies a largest increase in the number of resources or that specifies a smallest decrease in the number of resources; and

modify the number of resources in use for the executing of the application by increasing or decreasing the number of resources as specified by the selected trigger.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the obtained instructions further specify an initial amount of the resources for executing the application, and wherein the stored software instructions further cause one or more computing systems that include the at least one hardware processor to select and provide resources for the executing of the application that satisfy the initial amount.

16. The system of claim 14 wherein the client is a user of the program execution service on whose behalf the executing of the application is performed and who further indicate a notification that is to occur when a trigger of the plurality is satisfied, and wherein the stored software instructions further cause the at least one hardware processor to perform the notification for at least one of the multiple triggers.

17. The system of claim 14 wherein the stored software instructions further cause the at least one hardware processor to provide a group of multiple computing nodes for use in the executing of the application, wherein each trigger further includes one or more conditions based at least in part on an amount of computing resources that are being used by the computing nodes of the group, and wherein the determining that the multiple triggers are satisfied includes determining, for each of the multiple triggers, that the one or more conditions of the trigger are satisfied based on a quantity of resources being used exceeding a defined threshold for the trigger.

18. The system of claim 14 wherein the stored software instructions further cause the at least one hardware processor to select, from a plurality of resources provided by the program execution service, the resources for the executing of the application, including one or more virtual machines on which the application is executed.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the obtained instructions include a minimum or maximum number of resources, and wherein the modifying of the number of resources includes limiting the number of resources to not exceed the minimum or maximum number of resources.