Latest Release
A brief introduction to MMCloud followed by what's new in the latest release.
Memory Machine Cloud Overview
Memory Machine Cloud (MMCloud) is a software platform that streamlines the deployment of containerized applications in the cloud. Based on customizable policy, MMCloud selects and instantiates cloud resources on behalf of the user. A built-in job scheduler deploys Docker containers (and other containers that comply with the Open Container Initiative image-spec) across a group of virtual machines.
MMCloud includes AppCapsule, MemVerge's checkpoint/restore (C/R) capability. The AppCapsule is a moment-in-time snapshot of the application instance, including in-memory state and relevant files. AppCapsule is used to support workload mobility and workload continuity. Workload mobility means that a job can move from one virtual machine to another, for example, to a more powerful virtual machine that is a better fit for the next stage of execution. Workload mobility also provides high availability — if the underlying spot instance is reclaimed, the workload automatically moves to a new virtual machine and resumes running.
Users interact with MMCloud using the float CLI or the MMCloud web interface. The web interface provides a real-time graphical display of resource utilization (CPU, memory, network, etc.) as a job executes.
New in the Half Moon Bay 2.5 Release
- SurfZone is a cost management feature that allows an administrator to configure a monthly budget (quota) for a group of users. If the spending limit is reached, jobs are canceled immediately or suspended until the budget is replenished. The choice to cancel or suspend is a configuration option. If the job is suspended, the SurfZone configuration determines whether the job resumes automatically when the budget is replenished or waits for user input.
- Workflow view of jobs allows the user to examine all the tasks grouped in a single workflow. For example, there can be hundreds of tasks in a single Nextflow pipeline. In the web interface, the Workflow Details screen includes a summary of the entire pipeline, for example, wall time, CPU time, and the numbers of on-demand and spot instances created. A Timeline tab shows when individual jobs start and, if completed, when they stop. Current status is color-coded to indicate success, failure, running, and so on. This feature applies automatically to Nextflow pipelines and can be applied to other workflows by including identifying tags.
- Multiple Machine Images is a feature (called Quiver) that enables the OpCenter to create VMs using VMIs (virtual machine images) that are specialized for the task, for example, to support an instance with a GPU. Previous versions of OpCenter software used the same VMI for all instances (based on CPUs with x86 architecture).
- NVIDIA GPU support allows users to submit jobs that take advantage of the NVIDIA drivers and hardware. The NVIDIA GPU support in the Half Moon Bay release does not include checkpoint and restore, so SpotSurfer and WaveRider are not available for these jobs.
Detailed descriptions of all the new features and improvements in the Half Moon Bay Release are available here.