Introduction to autoscaling

To configure an automatic response to changing demands for resources, you can scale out VMs or scale them in, which is also called horizontal autoscaling. To scale out, the platform clones the base VM and deploys the clones. To scale in, the platform will delete clone VMs and undeploy the base VM. Scaling operations are subject to all standard platform constraints, such as privileges and allocation limits.

• Limitations:

  • Autoscaling does not clone captured VMs, so to use scaling groups with a captured VM, create an instance and recreate the VM. Save VM disks to create an instance template

  • VApp specs do not support scaling groups. See What do virtual appliance specs save and create

  • Scaling groups have aggregate alarms that are associated with the base VM. This means that you can push custom metrics for clone VMs but you cannot create alarms for cloned VMs that are part of a scaling group. 

• State of base VM: A scaling group with a deployed base VM would be destroyed if the base VM were deleted directly on the hypervisor. In contrast, a scaling group with an undeployed base VM is not vulnerable to interference at the hypervisor level

To stop autoscaling, put the scaling group into maintenance mode.

Automatically scale VMs

The platform enables you to automatically scale out (add more VMs) or scale up (add more resources to existing VMs).

To use autoscaling do these steps:

1. Create a base VM, which can be deployed or undeployed

2. Configure the VM and enable metrics

3. Define a scaling group with rules for scaling the VM.
   The checkbox to automatically create a scaling action, will create the following automatically:

   1. Standard alarms and alerts for the selected metrics

   2. Action plans with scaling actions for the VM and triggers for the action plans, which are monitoring alerts

   You can customize the elements the platform creates, or you can create your own configuration.

Related pages:

• Manage Scaling Groups

Define a scaling group

Before you begin:

1. Configure the base VM that will be scaled

2. Ensure that you have enough resources in your virtual datacenter to deploy up to the maximum number of cloned VMs, especially IP addresses

To create a scaling group:

1. Go to Virtual datacenters → Virtual appliances

2. On the VM icon, from the options menu, select Define scaling group

3. Enter the scaling parameters

   

   1. For the Default cooldown, enter the period of time to wait from the start of one scaling operation before allowing another scaling operation

   2. For the Minimum running virtual machines that Abiquo must maintain in the scaling group, the value must be greater than or equal to zero, where zero means that the base machine is not deployed

   3. The option to Keep virtual machines in the same layer can maintain VM anti-affinity layers when autoscaling

   4. Administrators with the privilege to Manage workflow for scaling groups can Disable workflow or enable it as required

   5. Optionally, select Create in maintenance mode to delay the start of autoscaling, and the automatic deployment of VMs to meet the minimum size

   6. Select the option to Create autoscaling action to create basic operations to scale in and scale out, with triggers based on metrics and alarm conditions.

4. Create scaling rules

   

   1. For Scale out rules, enter the number of VMs to Add. This is the number of times to clone the base VM and deploy each clone for each scaling step

   2. For Scale in rules, enter the number of VMs to Remove. Abiquo will delete clone machines and undeploy the base machine

   3. If there is no time range, then this is a default scaling rule. A time range must be unique and cannot overlap with other rules with the same scaling direction. 

5. Click Save

When you save the scaling group, Abiquo will mark the VM icon with the scaling group symbol and display the scaling group name.

• When the scaling group leaves maintenance mode, Abiquo will create clones of the base VM and deploy them to reach the minimum size. 

• The number in the bottom right-hand corner of the icon is the number of running VMs in the scaling group, including the base VM.

To open the scaling group and check its parameters, click the scaling group symbol at the top of the VM icon.

Configure automatic scaling actions

To configure automatic scaling actions:

1. When you define a scaling group, select Create autoscaling action and Save the scaling group

2. In the dialog, select a Metric to control an autoscaling action

   

3. To configure more options, including the thresholds for scaling in and scaling out, click Show more

   

4. To add this action, click Add

5. Add more actions as required 

The platform will automatically create the alarms, alerts, and action plan to automatically scale in or out according to your thresholds.

Trigger autoscaling

Before you begin:

1. Create a VM and a scaling group for the VM. See Manage scaling groups

   1. If you create an automatic scaling action, then the VM metrics will trigger autoscaling when they cross the thresholds set for the actions

To enable autoscaling operations to run:

1. Create an action plan with a scaling action for the VM with the scaling group. See Manage action plans

2. Create triggers to run the action plan. See Manage action plans

When scaling, the platform will search for a scaling rule that is valid for the specific time range, or for a default rule. It will create or delete/undeploy the number of VMs in the rule, then wait for the cooldown period before accepting another scaling request.

How the platform scales VMs

To scale out, the platform does not deploy VMs that are undeployed in the scaling group. To clone the base VM, the platform will do the following:

1. Create disks using the following:

   1. Copies of content of disks from the VM template

   2. Empty disks or volumes for each additional disk used in the VM

   3. Disk controllers used in the VM

2. Apply ALL configuration used in the VM, for example:

   1. CPU and RAM

   2. Network connections of the same type (e.g. private network)

   3. Assignment of firewall policies and attachment to load balancers

   4. Backups, startup script, cloud-init, variables, and so on

   5. Metrics. The group of metrics from clone VMs and the base VM (if it is deployed) can activate alarms in the base VM, even if it is not deployed

   6. Exception – Alarms: the scaling group has only one set of alarms in the base VM

To scale in,  Abiquo currently selects the VMs to delete or undeploy using first in, first out (FIFO). The platform deletes and undeploys VMs without requesting user confirmation when there are disks that are not stored in the Apps library (ISO configuration drive or additional hard disk). 

Perform maintenance on a scaling group

To make changes to your VMs in a scaling group (manually deploy, undeploy, delete, etc.) and edit the scaling group, put it into maintenance mode, which will disable autoscaling. 

When you leave maintenance mode, the platform will apply your modifications to the scaling group, e.g. adding new rules. Then the platform will adjust the number of VMs in the group to within the minimum and maximum size range.

To put the scaling group in maintenance mode:

1. Go to Virtual datacenters → Virtual appliances → select VM

2. At the bottom of the VM icon, click the cog maintenance symbol at the bottom of the VM icon

   

   OR if the scaling group is open, click the spanner maintenance symbol in the top right corner

   

To leave maintenance mode

1. Click a maintenance button

To automatically manage maintenance mode

1. Trigger action plans with the action "Scaling group: start maintenance mode" or "Scaling group: end maintenance mode".

To delete the base VM, you must delete the scaling group first. 

Delete a scaling group

When you delete a scaling group, the platform will place all the VMs in the virtual appliance as regular VMs and the scaling group constraints will no longer exist. 

To delete a scaling group:

1. Go to Virtual datacenters → Virtual appliances

2. Open the scaling group

3. Click the wrench maintenance button to put the scaling group into maintenance mode

4. Click the trash can delete button

Introduction to alerts

An alert is a group of one or more alarms. An alert can notify the user when it activates and it can also trigger action plans. An alert activates when all its alarms are activated. An alarm activates when a metric passes a certain threshold. 

If you imagine a dashboard for your metrics, alarms are like red lights that light up when conditions change, for example, when there is a problem. Alerts are like a worker monitoring a group of alarms; when all the lights for the group are lit up, then the worker takes action and activates the alert. 

Display alerts

To display and manage alerts:

1. Go to Control → Alerts

Create alerts and alarms

An alert will trigger when all its alarms are activated. You can use the alert to notify users and trigger automation. See Manage action plans.

Before you begin:

1. Retrieve VM built-in metrics, by editing VMs and enabling monitoring (see VM monitoring and metrics) or create custom metrics

2. Create one or more metric alarms (see Manage cloud alarms and Infrastructure alarms). You cannot save an alert without an alarm

To create an alert:

1. Go to Control → Alerts

2. Click the + add button

3. Enter the General information

   

   1. To disable action when the alert activates, select the Muted checkbox

   2. For the Email, enter a comma separated list of emails to notify when the alert activates

4. To assign alarms to the alert, click the + add button. To be able to save the alert, you must assign at least one alarm.

   

   1. Select an existing alarm, or create a new alarm, and assign it to the alert. You can filter the Alarms list by Metric and also if the alarm is Active or not.

   2. Repeat for the required alarms.

   3. Click Confirm

   

5. Click Save

Remove alarms from alerts

You can delete any alarm at any time, even if it is part of one or more alerts. The platform will not warn you that the alarm is used in an alert. However, you can check this in Control view. After you delete an alarm, you cannot recover it.

You can also remove an alarm from an alert.

To delete an alarm:

1. Go to Virtual datacenters or Infrastructure →  Alarms

2. Select the alarm and delete it by clicking on the trash bin delete button

To remove an alarm from an alert:

1. Go to Control → Alerts → edit alert

2. Select the alarm, click the trash bin delete button, and confirm
   The platform will remove it from this alert, but it will remain in all other alerts that it is associated with

If you delete a VM, the platform will delete any alarms associated with its metrics.

Introduction to action plans

To enable more control over cloud operations, users can create no-code action plans that can automatically run tasks on VMs and scaling groups, and to run general tasks, such as sending an email or web hook.

Action plans are an important automation functionality of the platform. They can combine general tasks with tasks that run on VMs and scaling groups in different providers and have multiple triggers including alerts from custom metrics, built-in metrics, budget alerts, and schedules. 

Users can select groups of VMs or scaling groups to run actions based on tags. And multiple action plans can apply to a VM or scaling group.

Display action plans

To display action plans:

1. Go to Control → Action plans

Create an action plan

Before you create an action plan, consider the elements that you wish to automate with the action plan. Create VMs or scaling groups, fetch metrics, and create alarms and alerts.

To create an action plan:

1. Go to Control → Action plans, and click the + add button 

2. Enter the action plan details

   

3. Go to Actions to add actions: 

   1. Click the + add button

   2. Select the action Type: general action, VM, scaling group, VMs by tags, scaling groups by tags

   3. If you are selecting by tags, then enter the tag filter.
      See Search for resources by tag and filter search 

   4. Enter action details

      1. Decrease CPU/RAM: you cannot use this with hot-reconfigure and you must check that the OS is compatible

      2. Instance: Name for Instance (clone) template. The platform will append the date to the name supplied

      3. Webhook action - Expected HTTP status code: If this status code is returned, continue running the action plan. Default: 204 No Content

      4. Email action - To, CC: Enter email addresses as a comma separated list

         

         For more details, see Action plan actions table and Webhook actions table below.

4. Put the actions in run order using the arrow buttons

To run the action plan automatically, go to the Triggers tab and create an alert or schedule trigger. 

Action plan actions table

Webhook action attributes table

Run an action plan now

To run an action plan immediately to test it, do these steps:

1. Go to Control → Action plans

2. Select the action plan 

3. On the Actions pane, click the Run action plan button  

Abiquo recommends that you run an action plan manually to test it before you create a trigger to run it automatically.

Create a trigger for an action plan

The platform supports two types of triggers to run action plans: Alerts and Schedules.

To run your action plan based on metrics, select an existing alert with these steps:

1. Go to Control → Action plans

2. Select an action plan

3. Below the Alerts panel, click the + add button

4. Select an alert. For details about creating an alert, see Manage alerts. 

To run your action plan automatically at selected dates and times, cre

ate a schedule trigger with these steps:

1. Go to Control → Action plans

2. Select an action plan

3. Below the Schedules panel, click the + add button

4. Enter the details of the schedule using the calendar or time and repeat interval as described below

   

 To run the action plan at intervals of a fixed number of seconds within a set timeframe:

1. Select an Interval schedule

2. Enter the following parameters

   1. Interval seconds: the number of seconds from when the action plan execution starts to when it will start again

   2. Repeat count: the number of times to run the action plan. A value of 0 means repeat forever

   3. Start time: date and time

   4. End time: date and time

After you create an interval schedule, the platform will display the execution count of how many times the action plan has run. If the repeat count is 0, the execution count is null.

To run the action plan using a Cron-type schedule:

1. Select an Advanced schedule

2. Use the calendar selector.

Delete an action plan

If you delete an action plan, Abiquo will also delete the schedule associated with that action plan.