Scheduled Scaling

5 minutes 5 Questions

Scheduled Scaling is a feature that allows you to create pre-determined times for your Auto Scaling group to scale in or scale out, according to your application's predictable workload patterns. This can be useful for time-bound or cyclical workloads that experience predictable variations in demand…

Guide to Scheduled Scaling using AWS Solution Architect

Scheduled Scaling is an essential concept for an AWS Solution Architect.

What is Scheduled Scaling?
Scheduled Scaling is one of the dynamic scaling methods provided by AWS Auto Scaling. It is mainly used for scaling applications in response to predictable load changes. These changes are set according to scheduled time and predictable load, such as an increase in usage during business hours or a particular day of the week or year.

Why is it important?
Scheduling Scaling is an integral part of efficient resource management. It allows applications to accommodate expected changes in demand, leading to cost optimization by not running unnecessary resources. Moreover, it ensures that the application remains available during high demand periods by allocating resources timely.

How does it work?
With Scheduled Scaling, you can schedule scale-out or scale-in events at specific times. AWS Auto Scaling will then automatically adjust the capacities of your scalable resources at the prespecified time and date. These schedules can recur based on daily or weekly requirements.

Exam Tips: Answering Questions on Scheduled Scaling
- Always remember that Scheduled Scaling is meant for predictable load changes. If a question refers to an unexpected or unpredictable change in load, Scheduled Scaling is not the appropriate solution.
- Understand the use cases where Scheduled Scaling is useful, for example, when usage increases during specific times of the day, week, or year.
- Be sure of how Scheduled Scaling can work in combination with other AWS Auto Scaling policies.
- Understand the impact on costs and how Scheduled Scaling helps optimize them.

With an understanding of these key areas, you should be well-prepared to answer questions on Scheduled Scaling in an AWS Solution Architect exam.

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Question 1

A company has a web application that experiences a sudden usage spike every Saturday at 8 PM. The application is hosted on an Auto Scaling group of EC2 instances. As a Solutions Architect, how should you schedule scaling to accommodate the weekly spike?

Increase the number of EC2 instances permanently to handle the highest expected traffic. Create a scheduled action that scales out the number of instances on Saturdays at 7:45 PM, then scales back in later. Create a CloudWatch alarm that scales out when CPU utilization reaches 80% for 1 minute. Create a scheduled action that starts EC2 instances once the usage spike occurs.

Correct Answer: Create a scheduled action that scales out the number of instances on Saturdays at 7:45 PM, then scales back in later.

Using scheduled scaling, you can set up actions that automatically adjust the size of an Auto Scaling group at recurring intervals or specific times. Creating a scheduled action to scale out prior to the usage spike and scale back down afterward would help accommodate the spike without overprovisioning or relying on manual intervention.

Question 2

A news organization experiences a traffic surge every day at 5 PM but only on weekdays. How can you set up scheduled scaling to automatically scale their Auto Scaling group during the traffic surge?

Permanently increase the number of EC2 instances to handle the surge. Create a recurring scheduled action that scales out every weekday at 4:45 PM and scales back in later. Configure a CloudWatch alarm to scale when the EC2 instances' memory usage exceeds 80%. Create a scheduled action that scales out every Monday at 5 PM.

Correct Answer: Create a recurring scheduled action that scales out every weekday at 4:45 PM and scales back in later.

A recurring scheduled scaling action can be created for weekdays to handle predictable traffic surges, scaling out prior to the surge and scaling back in once it has subsided. This ensures efficient resource utilization and reduces manual intervention.

Question 3

A software-as-a-service (SaaS) company has a usage pattern that varies based on a monthly subscription renewal cycle. The first week of the month experiences the highest user traffic. How can you set up scheduled scaling to handle this predictable increase?

Create a scheduled action to scale out instances every weekday. Create a scheduled action for scaling out on the first day of each month and another for scaling back in after the first week. Permanently increase the number of instances to match the first-week traffic. Trigger an Auto Scaling group based on network latency.

Correct Answer: Create a scheduled action for scaling out on the first day of each month and another for scaling back in after the first week.

To accommodate the monthly traffic increase, it's best to create a scheduled action to scale out on the first day of the month and then scale back in after the first week has ended. This ensures efficient resource utilization while handling the expected traffic patterns.

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