Distributed Computing Cost Management via Digital Wallets
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Solution Overview
Problem
Distributed computing teams face challenges in managing costs effectively due to the complexity of cloud service providers' configurations and pricing models, particularly with spot instances that can be terminated unpredictably, making it difficult to minimize costs and reach project goals.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for managing operational costs in distributed computing environments, which includes creating a digital wallet linked to a currency account, funding a team budget, adding members, and allowing them to purchase compute resources from multiple providers while notifying the team manager when funds reach a threshold, ensuring cost control and efficient resource allocation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If spot instances are used to minimize costs, then cost is reduced, but reliability deteriorates due to unpredictable termination
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the team budget into individual member wallets, allowing each member to manage their own compute resource purchases. This segmentation enables granular cost control while maintaining the ability to access reliable instances through individual member accounts that can be independently managed and replenished.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements automated notification when team budget or individual member wallet balances approach threshold values. This feedback mechanism allows timely replenishment of funds, ensuring continuous access to compute resources while maintaining cost efficiency through monitored spending patterns.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple cloud providers and instance types are available, then versatility is improved, but device complexity increases making cost management difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces a centralized budget management platform as an intermediary between team members and multiple cloud providers. This intermediary handles the complexity of comparing providers, managing budgets, and monitoring spending, while presenting simplified interfaces to team members for resource allocation.
Solution Approach 2:
The budget management system serves multiple functions: it manages team-level budgeting, individual member wallets, cost monitoring, threshold notifications, and coordination across multiple cloud providers. This multi-functionality consolidates what would otherwise be multiple separate management tasks into a single unified system.
3Ease of operation
If team members can independently purchase compute resources, then ease of operation is improved, but loss of control over budget increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the team budget into individual member wallets, allowing each member to independently manage their own compute resource purchases. This segmentation enables granular cost control while maintaining the ability to access reliable instances through individual member accounts that can be independently managed and replenished.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements automated notification when team budget or individual member wallet balances approach threshold values. This feedback mechanism allows timely replenishment of funds, ensuring continuous access to compute resources while maintaining cost efficiency through monitored spending patterns.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for managing operational costs associated with distributed computing. The method includes: creating, via a graphical user interface (GUI), a distributed computing team; linking a digital team wallet to the distributed computing team, wherein the digital team wallet is linked to a currency account; adding a member to the distributed computing team; allowing the member to purchase compute resource access from a plurality of compute resource providers using the digital team wallet; and notifying a team manager when funds in the digital team wallet reduce to at least a team threshold value.