Abstract: Techniques are described for managing access of executing programs to non-local block data storage. In some situations, a block data storage service uses multiple server storage systems to reliably store copies of network-accessible block data storage volumes that may be used by programs executing on other physical computing systems, and snapshot copies of some volumes may also be stored (e.g., on remote archival storage systems). A group of multiple server block data storage systems that store block data volumes may in some situations be co-located at a data center, and programs that use volumes stored there may execute on other computing systems at that data center, while the archival storage systems may be located outside the data center. The snapshot copies of volumes may be used in various ways, including to allow users to obtain their own copies of other users' volumes (e.g., for a fee).

Abstract: Techniques are described for managing access of executing programs to non-local block data storage. In some situations, a block data storage service uses multiple server storage systems to reliably store network-accessible block data storage volumes that may be used by programs executing on other physical computing systems. A group of multiple server block data storage systems that store block data volumes may in some situations be co-located at a data center, and programs that use volumes stored there may execute on other physical computing systems at that data center. If a program using a volume becomes unavailable, another program (e.g., another copy of the same program) may in some situations obtain access to and continue to use the same volume, such as in an automatic manner in some such situations.

Abstract: Techniques are described for managing communications between multiple intercommunicating computing nodes, such as multiple virtual machine nodes hosted on one or more physical computing machines or systems. In some situations, users may specify groups of computing nodes and optionally associated access policies for use in the managing of the communications for those groups, such as by specifying which source nodes are allowed to transmit data to particular destinations nodes. In addition, determinations of whether initiated data transmissions from source nodes to destination nodes are authorized may be dynamically negotiated for and recorded for later use in automatically authorizing future such data transmissions without negotiation. This abstract is provided to comply with rules requiring an abstract, and it is submitted with the intention that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims.

Abstract: A component executing within a programmable execution system (PES) receives a request to launch a virtual machine instance, such as from a customer of the PES. In response to receiving such a request, the component computes an expected cost of executing the virtual machine instance over its lifetime based upon one or more cost factors. The component also computes an expected value of executing the virtual machine instance over its lifetime based upon one or more value factors. Based upon the computed expected cost and the computed expected value associated with executing the virtual machine instance, the component determines whether or not to launch the virtual machine instance. The component might utilize a similar mechanism to determine whether to instantiate other types of computing resources.

Abstract: A system and method for optimizing the performance of one or more disks in a storage array in response to access requests by other computer devices and processes across a network. For requests to access to the storage disk from the network, such as a read/write request, a response monitor notes the service time for each access requests by the storage disk, and if the performance in handling the access requests fails to meet, at least, a predetermined time threshold, actions can be taken to migrate data, modify accesses permitted to the disk, or otherwise indicate underperformance.

Abstract: Commitments against various resources can be dynamically adjusted for customers in a shared-resource environment. A customer can provision a data volume with a committed rate of Input/Output Operations Per Second (IOPS) and pay only for that commitment (plus any overage), for example, as well as the amount of storage requested. The customer can subsequently adjust the committed rate of IOPS by submitting an appropriate request, or the rate can be adjusted automatically based on any of a number of criteria. Data volumes for the customer can be migrated, split, or combined in order to provide the adjusted rate. The interaction of the customer with the data volume does not need to change, independent of adjustments in rate or changes in the data volume, other than the rate at which requests are processed.

Abstract: Techniques are described for managing communications between multiple intercommunicating computing nodes, such as multiple virtual machine nodes hosted on one or more physical computing machines or systems. In some situations, users may specify groups of computing nodes and optionally associated access policies for use in the managing of the communications for those groups, such as by specifying which source nodes are allowed to transmit data to particular destinations nodes. In addition, determinations of whether initiated data transmissions from source nodes to destination nodes are authorized may be dynamically negotiated for and recorded for later use in automatically authorizing future such data transmissions without negotiation. This abstract is provided to comply with rules requiring an abstract, and it is submitted with the intention that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for instance host configuration are disclosed. A system includes a plurality of instance hosts configurable for resource instances of a network-accessible service, and control servers to manage remote configuration of the instance hosts. In response to an instance configuration request from a client, a selected control server transmits, to a selected instance host, a sequence of one or more commands. The selected instance host instantiates a remote command executor. The remote command executor initiates configuration operations corresponding to the command sequence, and terminates. The selected control server provides a response to the instance configuration request, based at least in part on results of the operations initiated by the executor.

Abstract: Techniques are described for managing communications between multiple intercommunicating computing nodes, such as multiple virtual machine nodes hosted on one or more physical computing machines or systems. In some situations, users may specify groups of computing nodes and optionally associated access policies for use in the managing of the communications for those groups, such as by specifying which source nodes are allowed to transmit data to particular destinations nodes. In addition, determinations of whether initiated data transmissions from source nodes to destination nodes are authorized may be dynamically negotiated for and recorded for later use in automatically authorizing future such data transmissions without negotiation. This abstract is provided to comply with rules requiring an abstract, and it is submitted with the intention that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims.

Abstract: Commitments against various resources can be dynamically adjusted for customers in a shared-resource environment. A customer can provision a data volume with a committed rate of Input/Output Operations Per Second (IOPS) and pay only for that commitment (plus any overage), for example, as well as the amount of storage requested. The customer can subsequently adjust the committed rate of IOPS by submitting an appropriate request, or the rate can be adjusted automatically based on any of a number of criteria. Data volumes for the customer can be migrated, split, or combined in order to provide the adjusted rate. The interaction of the customer with the data volume does not need to change, independent of adjustments in rate or changes in the data volume, other than the rate at which requests are processed.

Abstract: Virtual data stores may be sparsely provisioned by virtual data storage services in a manner that controls risk of implementation resource shortages. Relationships between requested data storage space size, data storage server capacity, allocated data storage space size and/or allocated data storage space utilization may be tracked on a per data store, per customer, per data storage server, and/or a per virtual data storage service basis. For each such basis, a set of constraints may be specified to control the relationships. The set of constraints may be enforced during implementation resource allocation, and by migration of data storage space portions to different implementation resources as part of a sparse provisioning load balancing. Sparse provisioning details may be made explicit to virtual data storage service customers to varying degrees including explicit, aggregate on a per customer basis, and aggregate on a per virtual data storage service basis.

Abstract: Techniques are described for managing access of executing programs to non-local block data storage. In some situations, a block data storage service uses multiple server storage systems to reliably store block data that may be accessed over one or more networks by programs executing on other physical computing systems. Users may create block data storage volumes that are each stored by at least two of the server block data storage systems, and may initiate use of such volumes by one or more executing programs, such as in a reliable manner by enabling an automatic switch to a second volume copy if a first volume copy becomes unavailable. A group of multiple server block data storage systems that store block data volumes may in some situations be co-located at a data center, and programs that use volumes stored there may execute on other physical computing systems at that data center.

Abstract: Techniques are described for managing communications between multiple intercommunicating computing nodes, such as multiple virtual machine nodes hosted on one or more physical computing machines or systems. In some situations, users may specify groups of computing nodes and optionally associated access policies for use in the managing of the communications for those groups, such as by specifying which source nodes are allowed to transmit data to particular destinations nodes. In addition, determinations of whether initiated data transmissions from source nodes to destination nodes are authorized may be dynamically negotiated for and recorded for later use in automatically authorizing future such data transmissions without negotiation. This abstract is provided to comply with rules requiring an abstract, and it is submitted with the intention that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims.

Abstract: A ranking service can retrieve metrics from a metrics data store and use the metrics to determine a priority order in which to power down resources in a data center. Metrics from the data store can include a number of instances running on a host, a length of time that an instance has been operational, a type of instance, an amount of CPU use on a host, etc. The ranking service can also obtain other parameters from other sources. The parameters can include whether redundant or failover instances exist, the importance of the instances, whether the customer itself is considered important, other generic parameters from the customer account, a customer provided ranking of instances, etc.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for instance host configuration are disclosed. A system includes a plurality of instance hosts configurable for resource instances of a network-accessible service, and control servers to manage remote configuration of the instance hosts. In response to an instance configuration request from a client, a selected control server transmits, to a selected instance host, a sequence of one or more commands. The selected instance host instantiates a remote command executor. The remote command executor initiates configuration operations corresponding to the command sequence, and terminates. The selected control server provides a response to the instance configuration request, based at least in part on results of the operations initiated by the executor.

Abstract: Virtual data stores may be sparsely provisioned by virtual data storage services in a manner that controls risk of implementation resource shortages. Relationships between requested data storage space size, data storage server capacity, allocated data storage space size and/or allocated data storage space utilization may be tracked on a per data store, per customer, per data storage server, and/or a per virtual data storage service basis. For each such basis, a set of constraints may be specified to control the relationships. The set of constraints may be enforced during implementation resource allocation, and by migration of data storage space portions to different implementation resources as part of a sparse provisioning load balancing. Sparse provisioning details may be made explicit to virtual data storage service customers to varying degrees including explicit, aggregate on a per customer basis, and aggregate on a per virtual data storage service basis.

Abstract: A system and method for optimizing the performance of one or more disks in a storage array in response to access requests by other computer devices and processes across a network. For requests to access to the storage disk from the network, such as a read/write request, a response monitor notes the service time for each access requests by the storage disk, and if the performance in handling the access requests fails to meet, at least, a predetermined time threshold, actions can be taken to migrate data, modify accesses permitted to the disk, or otherwise indicate underperformance.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for instance host configuration are disclosed. A system includes a plurality of instance hosts configurable for resource instances of a network-accessible service, and control servers to manage remote configuration of the instance hosts. In response to an instance configuration request from a client, a selected control server transmits, to a selected instance host, a sequence of one or more commands. The selected instance host instantiates a remote command executor. The remote command executor initiates configuration operations corresponding to the command sequence, and terminates. The selected control server provides a response to the instance configuration request, based at least in part on results of the operations initiated by the executor.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for instance configuration on remote platforms are disclosed. A storage medium comprises program instructions to implement a control server configured to, in response to an instance configuration request directed to a network-accessible service implemented using resource instances whose configuration is managed from within the provider network, determine whether configuration operations corresponding to the request are to be performed at a remote platform external to the provider network. In response to determining that configuration operations are to be performed at a remote platform, the control server issues commands to a selected remote platform; otherwise, it issues commands to an instance host of the provider network. Based on results of the commands, the control server provides a response to the request.

Abstract: Virtual data stores may be sparsely provisioned by virtual data storage services in a manner that controls risk of implementation resource shortages. Relationships between requested data storage space size, data storage server capacity, allocated data storage space size and/or allocated data storage space utilization may be tracked on a per data store, per customer, per data storage server, and/or a per virtual data storage service basis. For each such basis, a set of constraints may be specified to control the relationships. The set of constraints may be enforced during implementation resource allocation, and by migration of data storage space portions to different implementation resources as part of a sparse provisioning load balancing. Sparse provisioning details may be made explicit to virtual data storage service customers to varying degrees including explicit, aggregate on a per customer basis, and aggregate on a per virtual data storage service basis.