Abstract:
A peripheral device may accelerates deployment of a virtual computing resource at a resource host. Storage locations in a memory of a host may be identified for an image of a virtual computing resource to be implemented at the host. The image data may be prepared to be hosted by the peripheral device. The peripheral device may store the prepared image in the storage locations via a direct memory access channel between the peripheral device and the host memory instead of writing the prepared image via a processor of the host system.
Abstract:
Functionality is disclosed for throughput and latency optimized volume initialization. Data blocks used for boot processes of multiple virtual machine (VM) instances are identified, for example, where the multiple VM instances are created from a specific VM image. A load order document is generated that identifies the data blocks, and also identifies an order in which the data blocks are used for the boot process. The identified data blocks are coalesced to generated a coalesced boot volume. Subsequently, each time a VM instance is created from the specific VM image, the coalesced boot volume (e.g., instead of the individual data blocks) is transmitted from a data store to the a block storage service in the order specified by the load order document. The block storage service exposes a storage volume to the VM instance that can be used to initialize the VM instance.
Abstract:
Methods and apparatus for profile-guided preloading for virtualized resources are described. A block-level storage volume whose contents are to be populated via data transfers from a repository service is programmatically attached to a compute instance. An indication of data transfers from the repository to a block storage service implementing the volume is obtained, corresponding to a particular phase of program execution at the compute instance. A storage profile is generated, based at least in part on the indication of data transfers. The storage profile is subsequently used to pre-load data from the repository service on behalf of other compute instances.
Abstract:
Web services hosted at a data center may employ architectural patterns that tend to obfuscate the source of queries made against databases and other resources in the data center. The queries may be the source of performance, capacity or utilization problems, and may contribute to the cost of hosting the web service. Web service invocations may be associated with identifiers that can be included in modified queries sent to databases and other resources. Summarized cost information may be calculated based on recorded associations between the identifiers and query performance information.
Abstract:
Methods and apparatus for enhancing control-plane security of a network-accessible service are described. In accordance with a security policy, one or more control servers are selected to perform administrative operations associated with configuration of a service instance at a particular instance host of a network-accessible service. The control servers may differ in security properties from the instance host. In response to a configuration request directed at the instance host, administrative operations are implemented at the selected control servers. A low-level command is issued for execution to the instance host from a control server. A result of the low-level command is obtained at the control server and is used to determine a response to the configuration request.
Abstract:
Methods and apparatus for instance configuration on remote platforms are disclosed. A storage medium comprises program instructions to implement a control server configured to, in response to an instance configuration request directed to a network-accessible service implemented using resource instances whose configuration is managed from within the provider network, determine whether configuration operations corresponding to the request are to be performed at a remote platform external to the provider network. In response to determining that configuration operations are to be performed at a remote platform, the control server issues commands to a selected remote platform; otherwise, it issues commands to an instance host of the provider network. Based on results of the commands, the control server provides a response to the request.
Abstract:
Web services hosted at a data center may employ architectural patterns that tend to obfuscate the source of queries made against databases and other resources in the data center. The queries may be the source of performance, capacity or utilization problems, and may contribute to the cost of hosting the web service. Web service invocations may be associated with identifiers that can be included in modified queries sent to databases and other resources. Summarized cost information may be calculated based on recorded associations between the identifiers and query performance information.
Abstract:
Methods and apparatus for client-directed placement of remotely configured service instances are described. One or more placement target options are selected for a client of a network-accessible service based on criteria such as service characteristics of the placement targets. The selected options, including a particular placement target that includes instance hosts configurable from remote control servers, are indicated programmatically to the client. A determination is made that a service instance is to be configured at the particular placement target on behalf of the client. A remote control server is configured to issue administrative commands to an instance host at the particular placement target to configure the service instance.
Abstract:
Techniques are described for providing service availability zones for computing-related services provided by a cloud provider network. According to some embodiments, the use of service availability zones enables users to achieve greater availability assurance for workloads sensitive to downtime or outages. The sensitivity of such workloads to downtime may be due to financial, regulatory, safety, or other reasons. Such availability-sensitive applications may in some cases be configured to run in multiple regions of a cloud provider network to increase their availability compared to running in a single availability zone. However, for some applications, the implementation of an application across multiple regions may not be feasible or desirable. The use of service availability zones provides user-visible fault domains within a single region of a cloud provider network, thereby enabling users to readily and reliably achieve application layer availability of approximately 99.999% for a service within a single region.
Abstract:
Techniques for monitoring computer system components for degraded operation are described. In some embodiments, a baseline performance metric value is received from a system monitoring service, a request directed to an input/output (I/O) device is received that was generated by a first computing device, a timer is started, the timer having a duration based on the baseline performance metric value, the received request is sent to the I/O device, an error message is generated upon expiration of the duration of the timer before a response to the request is received from the I/O device, and the generated error message is sent to a second computing device to cause the second computing device to perform at least one action in response to the generated error message.