Abstract: The transmission of data on computer networks according to one or more policies is disclosed. A policy may specify, among other things, various parameters which are to be followed when transmitting initiating network traffic. Multiple network interfaces may be installed on a server to enable transmission of data from the single server according a number of discrete configuration settings implicated by the various policies. The multiple network interfaces may correspond to separate physical components, with each component configured independently to implement a feature of a policy. The multiple network interfaces may also correspond to a single physical component that exposes multiple network interfaces, both to the network and to the server on which it is installed.

Abstract: Efficient and highly-scalable network solutions are provided that each utilize deployment units based on Clos networks, but in an environment such as a data center of Internet Protocol-based network. Each of the deployment units can include multiple stages of devices, where connections between devices are only made between stages and the deployment units are highly connected. In some embodiments, the level of connectivity between two stages can be reduced, providing available connections to add edge switches and additional host connections while keeping the same number of between-tier connections. In some embodiments, where deployment units (or other network groups) can be used at different levels to connect other deployment units, the edges of the deployment units can be fused to reduce the number of devices per host connection.

Abstract: The deployment and scaling of a network of electronic devices can be improved by utilizing one or more network transpose boxes. Each transpose box can include a number of connectors and a meshing useful for implementing a specific network topology. Different tiers of a network can be connected to one or more of the network transpose boxes, and operated as a logical switch. A control server can be used to manage the control plane operations of the logical switch.

Abstract: Approaches for automatically backing up data from volatile memory to persistent storage in the event of a power outage, blackout or other such failure are described. The approaches can be implemented on a computing device that includes a motherboard, central processing unit (CPU) a main power source, volatile memory (e.g., random access memory (RAM)), an alternate power source and circuitry (e.g., a specialized application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC)) for performing the backup of volatile memory to a persistent storage device. In the event of a power failure of the main power source, the alternate power source is configured to supply power to the specialized ASIC for backing up the data in the volatile memory. For example, when power failure is detected, the ASIC can read the data from the DIMM socket using power supplied from the alternate power source and write that data to a persistent storage device.

Abstract: An asset health monitoring system (AHMS) can assign a confidence indicator to some or all the monitored computing asset in a data center, such as computing systems or networking devices. In response to drops in the confidence indicators, the AHMS can automatically initiate testing of computing assets in order to raise confidence that the asset will perform correctly. Further, the AHMS can automatically initiate remediation procedures for computing assets that fail the confidence testing. By automatically triggering testing of assets and/or remediation procedures, the AHMS can increase reliability for the data center by preemptively identifying problems.

Abstract: The use of asset connectivity verification and switchable asset connectivity activation techniques may reduce or eliminate occurrences of human errors with respect to the improper connection and activation of infrastructure components in a data center. Assert connectivity verification involves the acquisition of identifiers corresponding to infrastructure component interfaces that are coupled to each other, and comparing the identifiers to pairing specifications to verify that the coupling of the infrastructure components comply with pairing specifications. Asset connectivity activation involves determining whether the coupling of a switchable coupler to one or more component interfaces complies with pairing specifications based on the corresponding identifiers of each component, and activating the switchable coupler to enable the flow of data signals and/or power when the coupling of the components meets the pairing specifications.

Abstract: A service provider can maintain one or more host computing devices which may be utilized as bare metal instances by one or more customers of the service provider. Illustratively, each host computing device includes hardware components that are configured in a manner to allow the service provider to implement one or more processes upon a power cycle of the host computing device and prior to access of the host computing device resources by customers. In one aspect, a hosting platform includes components arranged in a manner to limit modifications to software or firmware on hardware components. In another aspect, the hosting platform can implement management functions for establishing control plane functions between the host computing device and the service provider that is independent of the customer. Additionally, the management functions can also be utilized to present different hardware or software attributes of the host computing device.

Abstract: A trusted peripheral device can be utilized with an electronic resource, such as a host machine, in order to enable the secured performance of security and remote management in the electronic environment, where various users might be provisioned on, or otherwise have access to, the electronic resource. The peripheral can have a secure channel for communicating with a centralized management system or service, whereby the management service can remotely connect to this trusted peripheral, using a secure and authenticated network connection, in order to run the above-described functionality on the host to which the peripheral is attached.

Abstract: Attempts to update confirmation information or firmware for a hardware device can be monitored using a secure counter that is configured to monotonically adjust a current value of the secure counter for each update or update attempt. The value of the counter can be determined every time the validity of the firmware is confirmed, and this value can be stored to a secure location. At subsequent times, such as during a boot process, the actual value of the counter can be determined and compared with the expected value. If the values do not match, such that the firmware may be in an unexpected state, an action can be taken, such as to prevent access to, or isolate, the hardware until such time as the firmware can be validated or updated to an expected state.

Abstract: Customers in a multi-tenant environment can obtain power consumption information for a set of resources or other computing components used by those customers, including time-accurate accounting for various components of those resources utilized on behalf of the customer. A customer can also have the ability to specify how the resources are to be operated when used for the customer, in order to manage the amount of power consumption. The accounting can be performed even when the resources are shared among multiple users or entities. Various hardware components or agents can be used to provide detailed power consumption information for those components that is associated with a particular customer. The information can be used not only for accounting and monitoring purposes, but also to make dynamic adjustments based on various changes in usage, power consumption, or other such factors.

Abstract: Approaches are disclosed for enabling owners of virtual computing resources to specify one or more constraints for their virtual machines and/or virtual networks, with respect to metrics such as cost, latency, throughput, network bandwidth, power usage, server availability, data redundancy, correlated failure susceptibility, and other such metrics. A customer can declare a set of constraints with metrics goals for their virtual machine instance or network of instances, and the service provider can optimize the placement (e.g., host selection) and various settings (e.g., hardware and software settings) to satisfy the specified constraints. The satisfaction of customer-specified constraints may need to take into account what other virtual machine instances are performing in the shared resource environment.

Abstract: The deployment and scaling of a network of electronic devices can be improved by utilizing one or more network transpose boxes. Each transpose box can include a number of connectors and a meshing useful for implementing a specific network topology. When connecting devices of different tiers in the network, each device need only be connected to at least one of the connectors on the transpose box. The meshing of the transpose box can cause each device to be connected to any or all of the devices in the other tier as dictated by the network topology. When changing network topologies or scaling the network, additional devices can be added to available connectors on an existing transpose box, or new or additional transpose boxes can be deployed in order to handle the change with minimal cabling effort.

Abstract: Operating profiles for consumers of computing resources may be automatically determined based on an analysis of actual resource usage measurements and other operating metrics. Measurements may be taken while a consumer, such as a virtual machine instance, uses computing resources, such as those provided by a host. A profile may be dynamically determined based on those measurements. Profiles may be generalized such that groups of consumers with similar usage profiles are associated with a single profile. Assignment decisions may be made based on the profiles, and computing resources may be reallocated or oversubscribed if the profiles indicate that the consumers are unlikely to fully utilize the resources reserved for them. Oversubscribed resources may be monitored, and consumers may be transferred to different resource providers if contention for resources is too high.

Abstract: A system includes a rack, a plurality of shelves, a plurality of shelf-mountable electrical systems, and an inter-shelf power-pooling bus. The inter-shelf power-pooling bus is coupled to a power output of a shelf power supply mechanism on each of the shelves and a power input of a shelf computing device on each of the shelves. The inter-shelf power-pooling bus supplies pooled power from the shelf power supply mechanisms coupled to the inter-shelf power bus to the shelf computing devices coupled to the inter-shelf power-pooling bus.

Abstract: Customers in a multi-tenant environment can obtain energy consumption information for a set of resources or other computing components used by those customers, including time-accurate accounting for various components of those resources utilized on behalf of the customer. A customer can also have the ability to specify how the resources are to be operated when used for the customer, in order to manage the amount of energy consumption. The accounting can be performed even when the resources are shared among multiple users or entities. Various hardware components or agents can be used to provide detailed energy consumption information for those components that is associated with a particular customer. The information can be used not only for accounting and monitoring purposes, but also to make dynamic adjustments based on various changes in usage, energy consumption, or other such factors.

Abstract: High-speed processing of packets to, and from, a virtualization environment can be provided while utilizing segmentation offload and other such functionality of commodity hardware. Virtualization information can be added to extension portions of protocol headers, for example, such that the payload portion is unchanged and, when physical address information is added to a frame, a frame can be processed using commodity hardware. In some embodiments, the virtualization information can be hashed and added to the payload or stream at, or relative to, various segmentation boundaries, such that the virtualization or additional header information will only be added to a subset of the packets once segmented, thereby reducing the necessary overhead. Further, the hashing of the information can allow for reconstruction of the virtualization information upon desegmentation even in the event of packet loss.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for emulating circuit switching in cloud networking environments are disclosed. A system includes a plurality of resources of a provider network and a resource manager. The resource manager receives a circuit switching emulation request specifying (a) a first resource group and a second resource group, and (b) a desired network traffic rate to be supported between the first and second resource groups. In response to a determination to accept the circuit switching emulation request, the resource manager initiates configuration operations associated with a network path between the first and second resource groups to allow network traffic between the first and second resource groups at a rate up to the desired network traffic rate.

Abstract: Host machines and other devices performing synchronized operations can be dispersed across multiple racks in a data center to provide additional buffer capacity and to reduce the likelihood of congestion. The level of dispersion can depend on factors such as the level of oversubscription, as it can be undesirable in a highly connected network to push excessive host traffic into the aggregation fabric. As oversubscription levels increase, the amount of dispersion can he reduced and two or more host machines can be clustered on a given rack, or otherwise connected through the same edge switch. By clustering a portion of the machines, some of the host traffic can he redirected by the respective edge switch without entering the aggregation fabric. When provisioning hosts for a customer, application, or synchronized operation, for example, the levels of clustering and dispersion can be balanced to minimize the likelihood for congestion throughout the network.

Abstract: Customers in a multi-tenant environment can obtain power consumption information for a set of resources or other computing components used by those customers, including time-accurate accounting for various components of those resources utilized on behalf of the customer. A customer can also have the ability to specify how the resources are to be operated when used for the customer, in order to manage the amount of power consumption. The accounting can be performed even when the resources are shared among multiple users or entities. Various hardware components or agents can be used to provide detailed power consumption information for those components that is associated with a particular customer. The information can be used not only for accounting and monitoring purposes, but also to make dynamic adjustments based on various changes in usage, power consumption, or other such factors.

Abstract: Application program data stored in system memory may be selectively persisted. An indication may be provided to an application program that an application data object or a range of application data stored in system memory may be treated as persistent. Data backup may be enabled for the application data object or range of application data in the event of a system failure, copying the application data object or range of application data from system memory to non-volatile data storage. Upon recovery from a system failure, further data backup for the application data object or the range of application data may be disabled. In some embodiments, at least some of the application data object or range of application data may be recovered for the application program to access. Data backup for the application data object or the range of application data may also be re-enabled.