Flexible Capacity Reservations for Network Resources
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Managing flexible capacity reservations for network-accessible resources in large-scale data centers is complicated due to varying workload demands and long-term reservation commitments, leading to suboptimal resource utilization and increased costs for clients and providers.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a resource manager that allows clients to modify existing reservations for compute and storage instances by changing capacity levels, reservation durations, and uptime ratios, with pricing models that reflect the changes, and enabling the resale of unused capacity to optimize resource allocation and utilization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If clients make long-term resource reservations with fixed capacity levels, then they secure cost benefits and resource availability, but they cannot adapt to changing workload demands leading to suboptimal resource utilization
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic capacity adjustment for reserved instances, allowing clients to modify the capacity level of their reservations without creating new reservations. The system enables clients to upgrade or downgrade their reserved instance capacity as workload demands change, while maintaining the cost benefits of long-term reservations. This dynamic capability resolves the contradiction by making fixed-term reservations adaptable to changing requirements.
2Reliability
If clients reserve excess capacity to ensure availability during peak demands, then they maintain service levels, but they incur increased costs for unused resources during low-demand periods
Solution Approach 1:
The system allows clients to dynamically adjust their reserved instance capacity to match actual workload demands. During peak periods, clients can upgrade capacity to maintain service levels, and during low-demand periods, they can downgrade capacity to reduce costs. This eliminates the need to permanently over-provision resources while ensuring availability when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements self-service capabilities that allow clients to autonomously modify their reservation capacity levels based on their own workload assessment. Clients can request capacity changes without provider intervention, enabling them to optimize their resource allocation and costs according to their specific needs and demand patterns.
3Reliability
If clients make initial resource reservations based on projections, then they secure future capacity, but changing expectations lead to less-than-optimal use of the resource budget
Solution Approach 1:
The system transforms static reservations into dynamic commitments by allowing capacity modifications during the reservation term. Clients can adjust their reserved capacity to match actual usage patterns and budget constraints, optimizing their resource expenditure while maintaining the reliability of reserved capacity when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates feedback mechanisms that allow clients to monitor their resource utilization and adjust their reservations accordingly. By providing visibility into actual usage versus reserved capacity, the system enables clients to make informed decisions about capacity adjustments, improving budget optimization based on real-world performance data.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and apparatus for flexible capacity pool reservations for network-accessible resources are disclosed. A system includes a plurality of resources of a provider network, and a resource manager. The resource manager receives a reservation modification request from a client that has an existing reservation for an original resource capacity and an original reservation duration. The modification request specifies a desired resource capacity. The reservation manager identifies resources to provide the desired capacity, and determines pricing components for the requested modification based on the difference between the desires resource capacity and the original capacity and on the remaining portion of the duration of the existing reservation. The resource manager modifies the reservation as requested and notifies the client regarding the pricing components.