Alibaba Cloud

Auto Scaling

FAQ

Issue: 20181115
Auto Scaling FAQ / Legal disclaimer

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Issue: 20181115 I
Auto Scaling FAQ / Legal disclaimer

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II Issue: 20181115
Auto Scaling FAQ / Legal disclaimer

Issue: 20181115 III

Auto Scaling FAQ / Generic conventions

Generic conventions
Table -1: Style conventions

Style Description Example

This warning information indicates a

situation that will cause major system Danger:
changes, faults, physical injuries, and Resetting will result in the loss of user
other adverse results. configuration data.

This warning information indicates a

situation that may cause major system Warning:
changes, faults, physical injuries, and Restarting will cause business
other adverse results. interruption. About 10 minutes are
required to restore business.

This indicates warning information,

supplementary instructions, and other Note:
content that the user must understand. Take the necessary precautions to
save exported data containing sensitive
information.

This indicates supplemental instructio

ns, best practices, tips, and other Note:
content that is good to know for the You can use Ctrl + A to select all files.
user.

> Multi-level menu cascade. Settings > Network > Set network type

Bold It is used for buttons, menus, page Click OK.

names, and other UI elements.

Courier It is used for commands. Run the cd /d C:/windows command

font to enter the Windows system folder.

Italics It is used for parameters and variables. bae log list --instanceid
Instance_ID

[] or [a|b] It indicates that it is a optional value, ipconfig [-all|-t]

and only one item can be selected.

{} or {a|b} It indicates that it is a required value, swich {stand | slave}

and only one item can be selected.

Issue: 20181115 I
Auto Scaling FAQ / Contents

Contents

Legal disclaimer........................................................................................I
Generic conventions................................................................................ I
1 Hot topics..............................................................................................1
1.1 Environment configuration................................................................................................1
1.2 Monitoring and automation...............................................................................................2
1.3 Password and logon........................................................................................................ 5
1.4 Auto Scaling, Server Load Balancer, and RDS FAQ.......................................................6
1.5 Scaling configuration rules FAQ...................................................................................... 7

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Auto Scaling FAQ / 1 Hot topics

1 Hot topics

1.1 Environment configuration

When creating scaling configuration for ECS instances, you can use an ECS custom image
template to create instances. If you need to sync internal system data (such as a previous
system environment) when the ECS instances are running, we recommend that you install a
custom rsync program.

When creating scaling configuration for ECS instances, you can use an ECS custom image
template to create instances. If you need to sync internal system data (such as a previous system
environment) when the ECS instances are running, we recommend that you install a custom rsync
program.

In the created instances, after a restart, why is 127.0.0.1 added after /etc/hosts are cleared?

When your content is added after /etc/hosts in an image, and the custom image generated
by this image is used to create an instance, its configuration will be restored to the system default
settings. This means the added content will be cleared. If these settings need to be retained, add
the script code in rc.local. Then, check if the information is in /etc/hosts. If not, you must add
the script code again.

My Auto Scaling service is set up to automatically create instances, however, there is no fixed
quantity. How can I ensure that my instances are scaled normally when using images in the
image market?

If you need to scale to N instances that use the same image, you must buy N images from the
image market in advance.

Can I buy images from the image market in batches?

Batch purchasing of images is not supported.

If a previously used image from the image market no longer exists, how can I ensure that the
scaling group instances set up can be scaled normally?

We recommend that you select a suitable replacement image from the image market to ensure
your scaling group can scale normally.

Can I use a single product code to get images from different regions?

Yes. However, you must ensure that your desired regions support the image.

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Auto Scaling FAQ / 1 Hot topics

I have bought 100 images with the same product code. Can I use these images in all regions?

Images in the image market have region attributes. You must ensure the purchased images are
supported by your desired regions.

Can Auto Scaling automatically change ECS CPU, memory, and bandwidth?

Auto Scaling is a management service that automatically adjusts elastic computing resources
based on your business needs and policies. The service automatically increases ECS instances
when the business grows, and decreases ECS instances when the business declines. Currently,
Auto Scaling does not support vertical scaling. The service cannot automatically adjust the CPU,
memory, or bandwidth configurations of ECS instances.

1.2 Monitoring and automation

How does Auto Scaling determine if its ECS instances are available?

If the Server Load Balancer is available in the expected Auto Scaling group, it will check that
the ports of the backend ECS instances are functional before forwarding requests to the ECS
instances.

What are the triggering conditions for Auto Scaling alarms?

Monitoring alarms in Auto Scaling are triggered based on the CPU load, memory usage, average
system load, and Internet and intranet inbound and outbound traffic. These are used to automatica
lly increase or decrease the number of ECS instances.

Can Auto Scaling support dynamic scaling based on custom alarms in CloudMonitor?

No. Dynamic scaling based on custom monitoring settings is not supported.

How can I automate the deployment of the ECS applications created in a scaling group?

To automatically install or update a program, or automatically load code after an ECS instance is
automatically created in a scaling group, you must store an execution script in a custom image
and set up a command to automatically run this script upon operating system startup.

Note:
CentOs 6 and lower systems use system V init as the initialization process, and CentOs 7 uses
systemd for the initialization process. Their working principles are quite different. Descriptions
about CentOs 6 and CentOs 7 are as follows.

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For CentOs 6 and lower systems,

1. create the following shell test script:

#. /bin/sh
# chkconfig: 6 10 90
# description: Test Service
echo "hello world!"

The # chkconfig: 6 10 90 in the preceding script is described as follows:

In the preceding output, 6 is the default start level. There are a total of 7 levels ranging from
0-6. Level 0: Shutdown. Level 1: Single user mode. Level 2: Multiuser command line mode with
no network connection. Level 3: Multiuser command line mode with network connection. Level
4: Unavailable. Level 5: Multiuser mode with graphic interface. Level 6: Restart . 10 is the start
priority and 90 is the stop priority. The priority range is 0-100. The higher the number, the lower
the priority.

2. Put the test file in the /etc/rc.d/init.d/ directory and run chkconfig --level 6
test on.

Note:
This test script will run each time the system starts up.

Example

The following example shows how to use a script to install Phpwind. Put the Phpwind installer
in the script for execution (you will need to enter the database password). An example output is
as follows:

cd /tmp
echo "phpwind"
yum install -y \
unzip \
wget \
httpd \
php \
php-fpm \
php-mysql \
php-mbstring \
php-xml \
php-gd \
php-pear \
php-devel
chkconfig php-fpm on \
&& chkconfig httpd on
wget http://pwfiles.oss-cn-hangzhou.aliyuncs.com/com/soft/phpwind_v9
.0_utf8.zip \
&& unzip -d pw phpwind_v9.0_utf8.zip \
&& mv pw/phpwind_v9.0_utf8/upload/* /var/www/html \

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Auto Scaling FAQ / 1 Hot topics

&& wget http://ess.oss-cn-hangzhou.aliyuncs.com/ossupload_utf8.zip -

O ossupload_utf8.zip \
&& unzip -d ossupload ossupload_utf8.zip \
&& /bin/cp -rf ossupload/ossupload_utf8/* /var/www/html/src/
extensions/ \
&& chown -R apache:apache /var/www/html
service httpd start && service php-fpm start
echo "Install CloudMonitor"
wget http://update2.aegis.aliyun.com/download/quartz_install.sh
chmod +x quartz_install.sh
bash quartz_install.sh
echo "Installation complete"

CentOs 7 system:

CentOs 7 uses systemd for the initialization process, and the working principle is quite different
from system V init. Assume that you have created the script and it is running correctly. Follow
these steps to run the script at system shutdown when you use systemd.

1. Create a file run-script-when-shutdown.service under /etc/systemd/system,

including the following content (change the value of the variable ExecStop to the absolute path
to which you run the script):

[Unit]
Description=service to run script when shutdown
After=syslog.target network.target

[Service]
Type=simple
ExecStart=/bin/true
ExecStop=/path/to/script/to/run
RemainAfterExit=yes

[Install]
WantedBy=default.target

2. Run the following command to enable the newly created service:

systemctl enable run-script-when-shutdown

systemd start run-script-when-shutdown

Note:

• Run the restart command to make the current service take effect immediately.

• You can configure run-script-when-shutdown to run the fixed script. When needed,
the relevant personnel can modify the fixed script to make it more flexible and practical.

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3. When you do not need to run the preceding service, run the following command:

systemctl disable run-script-when-shutdown

1.3 Password and logon

When Auto Scaling automatically creates instances, how do I view their passwords and
subsequently log on to these instances?

• Instances automatically created by Auto Scaling do not have the same password. In a Linux
environment, we recommend that you set a public/private key certificate for SSH logon without
password.

• If you do not want to set a public/private key certificate for SSH logon without password,
you must reset the password on the console, and then restart the instance to apply the new
password, before you can log on.

Why are the passwords of instances created by Auto Scaling different from the password for my
custom image?

• Created ECS instances do not have the same password as the custom image. To ensure
password security, we recommend that you set a public/private key certificate for SSH
password-free logon.

• If you do not want to set a public/private key certificate for SSH logon without password,
you must reset the password on the console, and then restart the instance to apply the new
password, before you can log on.

When using a custom image to generate Linux system instances, can I manage the instances
through SSH logon without password?

1. You can set a public/private key certificate for SSH logon without password as follows:
Establish a public key and private key in the custom image’s ECS server-end instance.

2. Copy the ECS instance idc.pub to the client.

3. Delete the public key from the server-end.

4. Modify the SSH configuration file on the server-end.

5. Configure the client software.

Take SecureCRT configuration as an example:

1. Select the corresponding remote connection information.

2. Right-click on the Attribute option

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Auto Scaling FAQ / 1 Hot topics

3. and select SSH2.

4. Clear the Password option and select PublicKey.

5. Click the Attribute button on the right side

6. and select Use Session Public Key Settings.

7. Select Use ID or Certificate File, and idc.pub (the public and private key files you previously
copied from the server).

1.4 Auto Scaling, Server Load Balancer, and RDS FAQ

• After Auto Scaling creates an ECS instance, will the new instance be automatically added to a
Sever Load Balancer instance?

• When a scaling group is added in Auto Scaling, can I bind multiple Sever Load Balancer
instances to the group?

• When Auto Scaling creates an ECS instance, can the instance be added to multiple Server
Load Balancer instances?

• Can I modify the weights of ECS instances added to an Auto Scaling group Server Load
Balancer Instance?

• I have a public network Server Load Balancer instance. If I create a scaling configuration, will
its ECS instances need public bandwidth?

• Do I need to use Server Load Balancer, CloudMonitor, and RDS in combination with Auto
Scaling?

After Auto Scaling creates an ECS instance, will the new instance be automatically added to a
Sever Load Balancer instance?

If a Server Load Balancer instance is specified in a scaling group, the scaling group will
automatically add the ECS instances in the group to the specified Server Load Balancer instance.

When a scaling group is added in Auto Scaling, can I bind multiple Sever Load Balancer
instances to the group?

By default, you can only bind five Server Load Balancer instances to each scaling group. To bind
more Server Load Balancer instances, open a ticket to apply for a higher quota to Alibaba Cloud
Technical Support.

When Auto Scaling creates an ECS instance, can the instance be added to multiple Server Load
Balancer instances?

Yes. You can bind five Server Load Balancer instances to each ECS instance.

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Can I modify the weights of ECS instances added to an Auto Scaling group Server Load
Balancer Instance?

Yes. You can modify the weights in the Server Load Balancer console. The Server Load Balancer
also distributes traffic based on the weight ratio, not the actual number. This means that, if you
have two backend ECS instances weighted 50 and 50 (with a ratio of 1:1), this is the same as if
they were weighted 100 and 100. This is suitable for most scenarios, as backend ECS instances
of Auto Scaling groups normally carry the same services and are the same type. By default, ECS
instances under Auto Scaling Sever Load Balancer instances have a weight of 50.

I have a public network Server Load Balancer instance. If I create a scaling configuration, will its
ECS instances need public bandwidth?

When a scaling configuration is created, you do not have to allocate public bandwidth to its
ECS instances. However, we recommend that you set at least 1 Mbit/s of ECS bandwidth when
creating a scaling configuration, for easier ECS instance management.

Do I need to use Server Load Balancer, CloudMonitor, and RDS in combination with Auto
Scaling?

No. Auto Scaling is an open elastic scaling platform, and can independently scale up or down ECS
instances. It can be deployed either separately or in combination with the Server Load Balancer
and ApsaraDB for RDS.

Auto Scaling allows the CloudMonitor to trigger scaling up or scaling down actions for ECS
instances.

1.5 Scaling configuration rules FAQ

• What information should I provide for Auto Scaling troubleshooting?

• Can I add different ECS instance types in an Auto Scaling groups?

• How many ECS instances can be added to a scaling group at most? Can I increase the
maximum number of instances in the Auto Scaling service?

• Can I add ECS instances that I have already created to a scaling group?

• Can I create 8vCPU and 16vCPU ECS instances in a scaling group?

• Is Auto Scaling vertical scalable?

• Can I create periodic tasks in Auto Scaling?

• Can I add existing subscription instances to scaling groups?

• Can I add an ECS instance to more than one scaling group?

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• When I remove an ECS instance from a scaling group and release the instance, can I save the
ECS instance data?

• If I disable a scaling group, are instances created by Auto Scaling released?

• Does Auto Scaling automatically include or exclude a new or removed ECS instances into or
from the IP address whitelists of the configured RDS or Memcache?

• How can I make sure that ECS instances are not removed from the scaling group?

What information should I provide for Auto Scaling troubleshooting?

When you open a ticket, we recommend that you provide your Auto Scaling activity ID (
ScalingActivityId) and relevant logs to facilitate troubleshooting.

Can I add different ECS instance types in an Auto Scaling groups?

No, you cannot. However, each scaling group can be set with a different configuration type.

How many ECS instances can be added to a scaling group at most? Can I increase the
maximum number of instances in the Auto Scaling service?

Yes, you can. The default maximum number of ECS instance in a scaling group is 1,000. Open a
ticket for a higher instance quota.

Can I add ECS instances that I have already created to a scaling group?

Yes. However, the ECS instances:

• Must be in the same region as the scaling group. For more information, see regions and zones.

• Must be in the Running status. For more information, see ECS instance life cycle.

• Cannot exist in more than one scaling group.

Can I add existing subscription instances to scaling groups?

Yes, you can. Auto Scaling automatically creates Pay-As-You-Go or spot instances by default,
and you can also add your existing Subscription or Pay-As-You-Go instances to a scaling group.

Can I add an ECS instance to more than one scaling group?

No, you cannot. This feature is not currently supported.

Can I create 8vCPU and 16vCPU ECS instances in a scaling group?

Yes, you can. Open a ticket to use more ECS instance types when you create ECS instances.

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Is Auto Scaling vertical scalable?

No, it is not. Auto Scaling does not support automatically upgrade or downgrade the vCPU,
memory, or bandwidth of an ECS instance.

Can I create periodic tasks in Auto Scaling?

Yes, you can. For more information, see create a scheduled task.

When I remove an ECS instance from a scaling group and release the instance, can I save the
ECS instance data?

No, you cannot. Therefore, do not establish application status information (for example, session)
or related data (such as databases and logs) in an Auto Scaling ECS instances. We recommend
that you save the status information to an independent state server (for example, ECS), database
(for example, RDS), or standardized log storage (for example, Log Service).

If I disable a scaling group, are instances created by Auto Scaling released?

No. After you disable a scaling group (DisableScalingGroup), instances created by Auto Scaling
are not automatically released.

Does Auto Scaling automatically include or exclude a new or removed ECS instances into or
from the IP address whitelists of the configured RDS or Memcache?

Auto Scaling automatically includes a new or removed ECS instances into or from the IP address
whitelists of a RDS. However, Memcache whitelists are not supported.

How can I make sure that manually added ECS instances are not removed from the scaling
group?

• For automatically created ECS instances, supposing that you want to retain the specified 100
ECS instances in a scaling group, and pay attention to the following when you create a scaling
configuration(CreateScalingConfiguration):

▬ Set the minimum number of instances to greater than 100.

▬ Set the first Removal Policy to The instances with the oldest configuration.

• For manually created ECS instances, do not stop the specified ECS instance. Because the
manually created and added ECS instances are not released if they are removed from a
scaling group.

Note:

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Since manually added ECS instances were not created by a scaling group, Auto Scaling removes
the automatically created ECS instances from the scaling group. Manually added ECS instances
are removed only after all the automatically created ECS instances have been removed.

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