ARC207 Monitoring Performance of Enterprise Applications on AWS: Understanding the Dynamic Nature of Cloud Computing

© 2017, Amazon Web Services, Inc. or its Affiliates. All rights reserved.

UNDERSTANDING THE DYNAMIC NATURE OF CLOUD COMPUTING

MONITORING PERFORMANCE OF

ENTERPRISE APPLICATIONS ON AWS

Lee Atchison ∙ Senior Director Strategic Architecture at New Relic, Inc. / Las Vegas, NV, 2017


Does this sound familiar?


©2008–17 New Relic, Inc. All rights reserved#FutureStack



You had power most of the time.

Why are you complaining?


Keeping Your Enterprise Apps Running…

At Scale

Visibility…

… into your app

performance


… overheard OPs conversation...

Does this sound like something you’ve

heard recently…


“We were wondering how

changing a setting on our

MySQL database might

impact our performance…

The Conversation…


The Conversation…

… but we were worried

that the change may

cause our production

database to fail…”

“We were wondering how

changing a setting on our

MySQL database might

impact our performance…


The “Scary” Overheard Conversation…

“… Since we didn’t want to bring

down production, we decided to

make the change to our backup

(replica) database instead…

UnderConstruction



… After all, it wasn’t

being used for anything

at the moment.”

UnderConstruction

“… Since we didn’t want to bring

down production, we decided to

make the change to our backup

(replica) database instead…



UnderConstruction

X

Until, of course, the backup was needed…



This was a true story

UnderConstruction

!!!!X

X

Until, of course, the backup was needed…


Availability can be more subtle, for example…


300ms

1.5s

© 2017, Amazon Web Services, Inc. or its Affiliates. All rights reserved. 17Confidential ©2008-15 New Relic, Inc. All rights reserved.

.9s

© 2017, Amazon Web Services, Inc. or its Affiliates. All rights reserved. 18


The Data from Monitoring Your AppDwarfs the Data Inside the App


User Experience

Business Outcome

Servers

Apps

Big Data Problem


High

Expectations

Blame

Game

Intensity

Rises

The problem

must be

someone

else’s fault

Without Visibility - Panic


What Happened?

You can’t know what happened if you

can’t visualize what your app is doing.


Enterprise ApplicationsNeed Data at Every Level

Typical Server / Amazon EC2 Instance

• Application & Application Microservices

• Server OS

• Hardware (virtual)

Amazon EC2 Instance

BrowserMobile

Server (Virtual)

Hardware

Server OS

Application &

Application

Microservices


Amazon EC2 Instance

BrowserMobile

Server (Virtual)

Hardware

Server OS

Application &

Application

Microservices

Low Level Monitoring

Amazon CloudWatch

AWS CONSOLE

Amazon CloudWatch

Monitors

• Amazon EC2 instance

• Virtualization

• Hardware

• [CPU / Disk /

Networking]

Doesn’t know about:

• Server OS

• Memory / Filesystem

• Processes

• Configuration

• Application

–Latency

–Error rates

–App insights


Amazon EC2 Instance

BrowserMobile

Server (Virtual)

Hardware

Server OS

Application &

Application

Microservices

DASHBOARDS

New RelicApplicationMonitoring

New Relic Infrastructure

Monitoring

Amazon CloudWatch

AWS CONSOLE

Monitors (Server)

• How O.S. is performing

• Configuration Changes

• Processes

• Hardware

Monitors (Application)

• App health

• App performance

• Microservices

Doesn’t know

• Virtualization

Infrastructure / Application Monitoring


Amazon EC2 Instance

BrowserMobile

Server (Virtual)

Hardware

Server OS

Application &

Application

Microservices

Full Stack Monitoring



Monitoring

Amazon CloudWatch

AWS CONSOLE

Integrations

New Relic

Monitors

Amazon

CloudWatch

Monitors

DASHBOARDS

AWS / Amazon CloudWatch

• Visibility into virtualization

• CPU / Disk / Networking

• 14 AWS Services

APM

• CPU / Disk / Networking

• Memory / Filesystem

• Processes

• Infrastructure components

• Configuration inventory

• Application / Microservices:

–Latency

–Error rates

–App insights


Why Measurement Matters



Visibility…

… into your app

performance

Dynamic Cloud…

... tools to make

availability happen.

How Do You Keep Your Enterprise

Apps Running?


Using the Cloud in Enterprise Applications

Better Data Center Dynamic Environment


Better Data Center



Cloud as a “Better Data Center”

Resources are

allocated to uses, just

like in a data center

Provisioning

process

is faster

Lifetime of

components is

relatively long

Capacity planning is

still important and

still applies


Why Use a “Better Data Center”?

Add new

capacity

Capacity where

you need it

Faster Redundant Compliant

Improve application availability


Dynamic Cloud



Cloud as a “Dynamic Tool for Dynamic Apps”

Use only

the resources

you need

Allocate / de-allocate

resources on the fly

Resource allocation is

an integral part of your

application architecture


Dynamic Cloud

Resources are: Application in charge:

Allocated Application is aware of and is controlling traditional OPs resources

Consumed De-allocated


Dynamic Usage Example…

Docker Container Age(Count vs. Hours)

1 Hour

200 days 833 days


Dynamic Usage Example…

Docker Container Age(by Minute and Hour)

1,200,000

11% under one minute

Container age (minutes)


Dynamic Cloud Technologies

Dynamic Cloud is about scaling and availability

Amazon EC2 Auto Scaling

Mobile / IoT Dynamic routing

Load balancing

Queues and notifications

Docker


Dynamic Cloud Enables Better

Applications Faster

Traditional

Data Center

Cloud

Data Center

Dynamic

Cloud

Better Best

The way you’ve done things in the pastwon’t work in the future.

Good


Dynamic Cloud

Server running

application / processes

Process running

a command

Function performing

a task or operation

Amazon EC2 Docker AWS Lambda

Things happen faster because of…


Microcomputing & AWS Lambda

• Highly dynamic

• Incredibly scalable

• No infrastructure to provision

• Massively shared infrastructure


Dynamic Cloud

Dynamic Cloud

Easier Scaling

Faster Change

Faster Response

Higher Availability


How Do I Track What the Dynamic Cloud

Is Doing for Me (or to Me)?Dynamic Cloud Has Unique Monitoring Requirements…


What is a Dynamic Cloud Application?

Server OS

Server (Virtual)Hardware

Application & Application

Microservices

Provisioning


Microservices


Microservices

BrowserMobile

Responsible for the parts

you care about

• Application & Application

Microservices

Let Cloud manage rest

• Infrastructure

• Allocation/Provisioning

• Scaling


Server OS



Microservices

Provisioning


Microservices


Microservices

BrowserMobile

Monitoring Dynamic Cloud Applications

AWS CONSOLE

Amazon CloudWatch


Server OS



Microservices

Provisioning


Microservices


Microservices

BrowserMobile

AWS InfrastructureApplication Performance

Amazon CloudWatch



Monitoring

DASHBOARDS

Integrations

AWS CONSOLE


Server OS



Microservices

Provisioning


Microservices


Microservices

BrowserMobile

Amazon CloudWatch



Monitoring

DASHBOARDS

AWS InfrastructureApplication Performance

Amazon

CloudWatch &

AWS Monitors

Integrations

AWS CONSOLE

New Relic

Monitors


Server OS



Microservices

Provisioning


Microservices


Microservices

BrowserMobile

How Do You Monitor This?

?How do you

monitor this?


Where Did It Go? It Was Just Here!!

The thing you monitored 10 minutes ago…

... doesn’t exist anymore!?


Monitoring the Dynamic Cloud

Monitor the Cloud

Components themselves

Monitor the lifecycle of

the Cloud Components

Very different than monitoring traditional Data Center components


Changing World

Ops

Previous – STATIC World


Changing World

Dev

Now – DYNAMIC World

Ops

Ops

Previous – STATIC World


Changing World of Enterprise Applications

Dev

Now – DYNAMIC World

Ops

We know:

• Change is inevitable

We must:

• Embrace and drive change

Enabling:

• Quicker growth

• More reliable growth


Dynamic Cloud…

... tools to make


Migration…

... how do I get my

app to the cloud?

Your Enterprise Apps and the Cloud


High

Expectations

Blame

Game

Intensity

Rises

The problem

must be the

cloud’s fault

Pressure to

Declare Victory

in the Migration

The Politics of Migration

Show me the

new apps!!?

Promised Performance Gains?

Cost Controls?

Optimize Costs?

Why is it taking so long?

Migration failure…

This problem is easy to avoid...


OpsUse the Cloud

Does not have to be painful…

• Move in a controlled way

• Learn as you go

• Measure everything


Experiment

Cloud Policies

Enable Servers, Enable SaaS

Enable Value-Added Services

Enable Unique Services

Mandate Cloud Usage

Standard steps

most companies

follow

Progressions in Cloud Adoption… The Controlled Way


Progressions in Cloud Adoption

Experiment


Enterprise IT Cloud Adoption StrategyProgressions in

Cloud Adoption

What is this cloud thing?


Experiment:

• Non-evasive, safe technologies

• Amazon S3

• Perhaps: Amazon CloudFront,

Amazon Simple Queue Services (SQS),

Amazon Simple Email Service (SES)

• Security: Easy as one-offs

• No “Policies” implemented yet

• “Just seeing what this is all about”


Experiment

Cloud Policies




Cloud Adoption

Can we trust the cloud?


Cloud Policies:

• IAM (Credentials)

• VPC (Secure network)

• AWS Direct Connect

(just another data center)

• Cloud policies begin to be formed

• All parts of the company are

now involved

• Critical evolution point


Experiment

Cloud Policies





Cloud Adoption


Enable Servers, Enable Saas:

• Amazon EC2

–Basic “data center migration”

–Just another server type available

• Multiple AZs/Regions

–Part of multi-datacenter resiliency strategy

• Independently: SaaS usage increases

–Non-critical or internal uses first

The cloud seems to work pretty well…


Experiment

Cloud Policies






Cloud Adoption


Enable Value-added Services:

• Managed Databases

–RDS, Aurora

• Other Managed Services

–Elastic Beanstalk, Amazon SES, Amazon SQS, ElasticSearch

Dynamic Cloud becomes a thing…


Experiment

Cloud Policies







Cloud Adoption



• High-value, Cloud-specific services

–AWS Lambda, Kinesis

–DynamoDB

–SWF, Elastic Transcode

–Redshift

• Point of commitment…

–… dependent on cloud

Dynamic Cloud is deeply ingrained…


Experiment

Cloud Policies




Mandate Cloud Usage




Cloud Adoption


Mandate Cloud Usage Usage

• Cloud as data center replacement

• Company is now “all in” with cloud

Why do we need our own data centers?


Experiment

Cloud Policies




Mandate Cloud Usage


Different Companies

Different Speed

Different Needs


Cloud Adoption Strategies

• Experiment

• Cloud Policies

• Enable Servers, Enable SaaS

• Enable Value-Added Services

• Enable Unique Services

• Mandate Cloud Usage

• Experiment / Peripheral Usage

• Cloud Servers

• Managed Components

• Unique Components

• Application Cloud Committed

Enterprise ITCloud Adoption Strategy

ApplicationCloud Adoption Strategy


Application

Adoption

Corporate

Adoption Cloud Adoption

Mandate

Committed

Allow Value-Added

Allow SaaS

Allow Servers

Policies

Experiment

Experiment Servers Managed

Components

Unique

Components

Committed

CriticalApplications

NewApplications

Non-Critical/Internal

Applications

Step #1

Step #2

Step #4

First Steps

ApplicationRe-Writes

Step #3



Components

Unique

Components

Committed

First Steps

CriticalApplications

NewApplications

Non-Critical/Internal

Applications

Step #1

Step #2

Step #4

ApplicationRe-Writes

Step #3

RDSAmazon SES

IAMVPC

Non-IntegralSaaS

Amazon EC2

AWS LambdaKinesis

S3

IntegralSaaS

Cloud Adoption

Application

Adoption

Corporate

Adoption

Mandate

Committed

Allow Value-Added

Allow SaaS

Allow Servers

Policies

Experiment


Adoption Sweet Spot

First Steps

Application

Adoption

Corporate

Adoption

Cloud Adoption

Center of Gravity


Components

Unique

Components

Committed

Mandate

Committed

Allow Value-Added

Allow SaaS

Allow Servers

Policies

Experiment


IntegralSaaS

RDSAmazon SES

AWS LambdaKinesis

Application

Adoption

Corporate

Adoption

Amazon S3

IAMVPC

Non-IntegralSaaS

Amazon EC2

Cloud Adoption

Center of Gravity

Adoption Sweet SpotMandate

Committed

Experiment

Allow Value-Added

Allow SaaS

Allow Servers

Policies

Experiment

Servers Managed

Components

Unique

Components

Committed


How to be successful…

… migrating Enterprise apps to the cloud


Adoption Success Strategies

Understand your culture

Create aSolid Plan

Drive cultural change

Monitor your adoption

Understand your needs


Monitor Your Adoption

Before Migration

Baseline application(servers, databases, caches, applications,

microservices)

Determine your steady state



During Migration

Incorporate cloud’s internal monitoring

Continue application monitoring

Understand and solve all deviations from steady state…

Performance Post Migration

& During Optimization

Pre-Migration Feasibility &

Benchmarking


Continue Monitoring…

Infrastructure is now out of your control

Understand application

impact

Ongoing application & infrastructure monitoring is

essential



All Phases

Before Your Migration

Establish Your Steady State

During Your Migration

Understand and solve all deviations from

steady state…

After Your Migration

Ongoing application & infrastructure monitoring

is essential



Keeping Your App Running…At Scale

8

3

Dynamic Cloud…

... tools to make


Migration…

... how do I get my

app to the cloud?

Visibility…

… into your app

performance

Monitor your application and infrastructure


Monitoring Just the Server

Worked When Rate of Change Was Low…

Amazon EC2 Instance

Server OS


Application &Application Microservices

AWS CONSOLE

Amazon CloudWatch


Dev

Ops

Dynamic World


Server OS



Microservices

Provisioning


Microservices


Microservices

BrowserMobile

Full Stack Monitoring – Full App Visibility



Monitoring

DASHBOARDS

You need:

• Top to bottom monitoring…

• Visibility into your application operation

• Dynamic infrastructure control…

©2008–17 New Relic, Inc. All rights reserved#FutureStack


The World is ChangingDynamic Cloud Enables Better Applications Faster

Traditional

Data Center

Cloud

Data Center

Dynamic

Cloud

Better Best

The way you’ve done things in the pastwon’t work in the future.

Good


Fireside Chat

Mark Kelly

Director of Cloud and Infrastructure

Services Architecture


THANK YOUVisit New Relic at booth #2412

Technology

ARC207 Monitoring Performance of Enterprise Applications on AWS: Understanding the Dynamic Nature of Cloud Computing