Container Service for Kubernetes:FAQ about node instant scaling

What resource types can node instant scaling simulate?

The following resource types are supported for simulating and determining scaling behavior.

cpu
memory
ephemeral-storage 
aliyun.com/gpu-mem # Only shared GPUs are supported.
nvidia.com/gpu

Does node instant scaling support scaling out nodes of a suitable instance type from a node pool based on pod resource requests?

Yes, it does. For example, you configure two instance types, 4-core 8 GB and 12-core 48 GB, for a node pool with Auto Scaling enabled. A pod requests 2 CPU cores. When node instant scaling performs a scale-out, it prioritizes scheduling the pod to a 4-core 8 GB node. If the 4-core 8 GB instance type is later upgraded to 8-core 16 GB, node instant scaling automatically runs the pod on an 8-core 16 GB node.

If a node pool has multiple instance types, how does node instant scaling select one by default?

Based on the instance types configured in the node pool, node instant scaling periodically excludes instance types with insufficient inventory. It then sorts the remaining types by the number of CPU cores and checks each one to see if it meets the resource requests of unschedulable pods. Once an instance type meets the requirements, node instant scaling selects that instance type and does not check the remaining types.

When using node instant scaling, how can I monitor real-time changes in the instance type inventory of a node pool?

Node instant scaling provides health metrics that periodically update the inventory of instance types in a node pool with Auto Scaling enabled. When the inventory status of an instance type changes, node instant scaling sends a Kubernetes event named InstanceInventoryStatusChanged. You can subscribe to this event notification to monitor the inventory health of the node pool, assess its current status, and adjust the instance type configuration in advance. For more information, see View the health status of node instant scaling.

How can I optimize the node pool configuration to prevent scale-out failures due to insufficient inventory?

Consider the following configuration suggestions to expand the range of available instance types:

• Configure multiple optional instance types for the node pool, or use a generalized configuration.

• Configure multiple zones for the node pool.

Why does node instant scaling fail to add nodes?

Check for the following scenarios.

• The instance types configured for the node pool have insufficient inventory.

• The instance types configured for the node pool cannot meet the pod's resource requests. The resource size of an ECS instance type is its listed specification. Consider the following resource reservations during runtime.

  • During instance creation, some resources are consumed by virtualization and the operating system. For more information, see Why is the memory size of a purchased instance different from the memory size defined in its instance type?.

  • ACK requires a certain amount of node resources to run Kubernetes components and system processes, such as kubelet, kube-proxy, Terway, and the container runtime. For a detailed description of the reservation policy, see Node resource reservation policy.

  • By default, system components are installed on nodes. The resources requested by a pod must be less than the instance specifications.

• You have completed the authorization as described in Enable instant elasticity for nodes.

• The node pool with Auto Scaling enabled fails to scale out instances.

To ensure the accuracy of subsequent scaling and system stability, the node instant scaling component does not perform scaling operations until issues with abnormal nodes are resolved.

How do I configure custom resources for a node pool that has node instant scaling enabled?

You can configure ECS tags with the following fixed prefix for a node pool that has node instant scaling enabled. This allows the scaling component to identify the available custom resources in the node pool or the exact values of specified resources.

goatscaler.io/node-template/resource/{resource-name}:{resource-size}

Example:

goatscaler.io/node-template/resource/hugepages-1Gi:2Gi

Why does node instant scaling fail to remove nodes?

Consider the following scenarios.

• The option to scale in only empty nodes is enabled, but the node being checked is not empty.

• The resource request threshold of the pods on the node is higher than the configured scale-in threshold.

• Pods from the kube-system namespace are running on the node.

• The pods on the node have a mandatory scheduling policy that prevents other nodes from running them.

• The pods on the node have a PodDisruptionBudget, and the minimum number of available pods has been reached.

• If a new node is added, node instant scaling will not perform a scale-in operation on that node within 10 minutes.

• Offline nodes exist. An offline node is a running instance that does not have a corresponding node object. The node instant scaling component supports an automatic cleanup feature in v0.5.3 and later. For earlier versions, you must manually delete these residual instances.

  Version v0.5.3 is in phased release. Please submit a ticket to request access. For information about how to upgrade the component, see Components.

  On the Node Pools page, click Sync Node Pool, and then click Details. On the Node Management tab, check whether any nodes are in the offline state.

What types of pods can prevent node instant scaling from removing nodes?

If a pod is not created by a native Kubernetes controller, such as a deployment, ReplicaSet, Job, or StatefulSet, or if pods on a node cannot be safely terminated or migrated, the node instant scaling component may be prevented from removing the node.

How do I control node instant scaling node scale-in using pods?

You can use the pod annotation goatscaler.io/safe-to-evict to specify whether a pod prevents a node from being scaled in during a node instant scaling scale-in.

• To prevent the node from being scaled in, add the annotation "goatscaler.io/safe-to-evict": "false" to the pod.

• To allow the node to be scaled in, add the annotation "goatscaler.io/safe-to-evict": "true" to the pod.

How do I specify which nodes to delete during a node instant scaling scale-in?

You can add the goatscaler.io/force-to-delete:true:NoSchedule taint to the nodes that you want to remove. After you add this taint, node instant scaling directly deletes the nodes without checking the pod status or draining the pods. Use this feature with caution because it may cause service interruptions or data loss.

How do I prevent node instant scaling from removing specific nodes?

You can configure the node annotation "goatscaler.io/scale-down-disabled": "true" for the target node to prevent it from being scaled in by the node instant scaling component. The following is a sample command to add the annotation.

kubectl annotate node <nodename> goatscaler.io/scale-down-disabled=true

Can node instant scaling scale in only empty nodes?

You can configure whether to scale in only empty nodes at the node level or cluster level. If you configure this feature at both levels, the node-level configuration takes precedence.

• Node level: Add the label goatscaler.io/scale-down-only-empty:true or goatscaler.io/scale-down-only-empty:false to a node to enable or disable scaling in only empty nodes.

• Cluster level: In the Container Service for Kubernetes console, go to the Add-ons page. Find the node instant scaling component ACK GOATScaler and follow the on-screen instructions to set ScaleDownOnlyEmptyNodes to true or false. This enables or disables scaling in only empty nodes.

Are there any operations that trigger the automatic update of the node instant scaling component?

No. ACK does not automatically update the node instant scaling component, ACK GOATScaler, except during system maintenance and upgrades. You need to manually upgrade the component on the Container Service Management Console Component Management page.