

Asgard: Web-based Cloud Management and Deployment from Netflix - pringles
http://techblog.netflix.com/2012/06/asgard-web-based-cloud-management-and.html

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grhino
It's cool to see a Grails app even if it's only used internally by netflix.

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ConstantineXVI
Wrote a (rough) clone of this design internally based off a slide deck[1]
Netflix put out a while back. Kind of (gladly) surprised they released their
tools.

[1] [http://www.slideshare.net/adrianco/netflix-velocity-
conferen...](http://www.slideshare.net/adrianco/netflix-velocity-
conference-2011)

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justinsb
I really like the approach of bringing up a second set of systems during an
upgrade, so rollback is easy: makes the most of virtual machines. I'll have to
add that to PlatformLayer!

Asgard looks to be very heavily tied to AWS though, which I guess explains why
NetFlix are always pleading with everyone else to stick with the AWS APIs.
With the cloud wars getting really interesting (Google's cloud this week, we
hope!), locking yourself in to the obscure features of Amazon's cloud seems
like a mis-step I wouldn't want to emulate.

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Terretta
> _the obscure features of Amazon's cloud_

Speaking as a company providing cloud streaming since before the term cloud
was popular (2001, and our name signifies a rolling cloud/fog bank), the so-
called "obscure features" tend to be a sign of customer maturity.

While "minimum viable product" applies to getting off the ground, as your
customers grow, eventually none of them will need only 80% type features. They
will need that last 20% of features that handle edge cases, unique
capabilities not offered elsewhere, and the sorts of things one can do in
one's own IT department but cannot usually do outsourced.

AWS "obscure" features, like ours, tend to be these capabilities: those things
that leading customers (the category driving quarter to quarter organic growth
independent of sales/marketing overhead) need to complete their own offerings.

If you want those customers, and to help your overhead you do, then you will
eventually have to develop and support those obscure features that through
your customer communication processes with your top 5% you've found keep you
competitive with "in house" IT.

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DanielRibeiro
Interesting. Not sure how it compares to Wealthfront's continuous
deployment[1] one though (which also includes automated rollback based on
business metrics).

[1] [http://eng.wealthfront.com/2010/05/deployment-
infrastructure...](http://eng.wealthfront.com/2010/05/deployment-
infrastructure-for.html)

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jsondow
Asgard's not yet as sophisticated as Wealthfront's continuous deployment
system. Stay tuned for more automation goodness later this year.

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charlieflowers
Dude, I have my doubts about the service, but I _really_ _love_ that name!

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heathkit
So I guess this is what Carl Quinn's been working on?

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jsondow
Carl's our boss, so yes.

