Computing Resource Maintenance Incentive Pricing
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Solution Overview
Problem
In data centers, maintenance tasks such as rebooting servers, updating hypervisors, or rebuilding file systems are challenging when computing resources cannot be shut down or migrated, especially due to extensive local states, leading to software version proliferation and reduced maintenance efficiency.
Innovation Solution
Implementing incentives for customers to participate in scheduled maintenance windows by adjusting pricing, offering negative hourly prices, and allowing default responses to notifications, which motivates customers to shut down or migrate resources during maintenance, thereby distributing the maintenance load and increasing efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If customers are allowed to continuously use computing resources without shutdown, then service availability is improved, but maintenance efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements scheduled maintenance windows that occur periodically, allowing resources to be maintained at regular intervals rather than continuously. This periodic approach balances service availability with maintenance needs by temporarily suspending services during designated maintenance periods while ensuring resources are kept updated and functional.
Solution Approach 2:
The system sends advance notifications to customers before maintenance windows begin, allowing them to prepare and migrate their resources in advance. This preliminary action enables smoother transitions and reduces disruption by giving customers time to relocate their workloads before the actual maintenance occurs.
2Ease of repair
If computing resources are shut down for maintenance, then maintenance tasks can be performed, but service availability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the data center resources into multiple groups or pools, allowing maintenance to be performed on segmented portions rather than all resources simultaneously. This segmentation enables continuous service availability by redistributing workloads across maintained and non-maintained segments, ensuring that services remain operational while maintenance tasks are executed on specific subsets of resources.
3Adaptability or versatility
If maintenance is performed on individual resources independently, then resource-specific maintenance is achieved, but overall maintenance efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges maintenance operations across multiple computing resources by coordinating maintenance windows and consolidating maintenance tasks. By combining individual resource maintenance into coordinated group maintenance events, the system achieves both resource-specific maintenance needs and improved overall efficiency through standardized procedures and reduced redundant operations.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods are described for managing computing resources by a provider network. A selection of a pricing plan for use of a computing resource is received. The pricing plan can include inclusion of a premium for continued use of the computing resource during a maintenance window, or a cost benefit for interrupting use of the computing resource during the maintenance window. Maintenance is performed on the computing device in accordance with the maintenance window and based on the selected pricing plan.