Ruby
Poolparty - Jump In The Pool, Get In The Clouds
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Poolparty - Jump In The Pool, Get In The Clouds

by Ari Lerner and Michael Fairchild

The video titled 'Poolparty - Jump In The Pool, Get In The Clouds' is a technical presentation by Ari Lerner and Michael Fairchild during the LA RubyConf 2009. The primary focus of the talk is on Poolparty, an open-source software project designed for engineers and developers who are working with interactive software and cloud resources. The presenters discuss various aspects of Poolparty, including its decentralized architecture, configuration management using Chef, and specific functionalities that enhance the deployment and scaling of applications in cloud environments.

Key Points Discussed:
- Introduction to Poolparty: A software designed to run in cloud environments, which facilitates as a tool to manage distributed resources efficiently.
- Decentralized Server Architecture: Every instance acts like a master, and they communicate to ensure the system is homogenous and can easily update configurations seamlessly.
- Configuration Management: Emphasizes the use of Chef for managing server configurations through recipes, allowing for rich customization and efficient updates.
- Cloud Configuration: The presenters explain how to set up a cloud environment and provide commands for users to easily manage their clouds using a simple 'cloud.rb' file.
- Scaling and Metrics: Discuss the importance of managing resources effectively, especially during peak loads, and how to scale up or down based on user demand, utilizing multiple clouds for different applications, such as database management.
- Future Directions: Mention plans to expand Poolparty’s integration capabilities including support for VMware and enhanced feature sets that allow easier deployments.
- Community Engagement: Highlight the role of community in developing and improving Poolparty, fostering collaboration especially with tools like Chef.

Throughout the talk, the speakers also touch upon practical examples such as deploying an application using various cloud infrastructures and the significance of load balancing through DNS improvements. They conclude by encouraging audience participation and sharing knowledge through their community channels.

Main Takeaways:
- Poolparty is a robust tool designed for efficient management of cloud resources, promoting decentralization and flexibility in deployment.
- Utilizing configuration management tools such as Chef can vastly improve the deployment process and provide significant customization options.
- Collaboration with the community is essential for the continued development and enhancement of Poolparty functionalities.
- The future of Poolparty will include expanded capabilities and increased ease of use across different cloud services.

00:00:12.160 All right, this is a talk about engineers and interactive software, particularly a piece of software known as Poolparty.
00:00:29.199 We are working on this project with some open-source software called Poolparty.
00:00:42.320 That's a great idea! Oh yeah, I think it's on your site. Unless you message your friends, there's no way.
00:00:49.520 Yeah, and they can follow you. No way. Yeah, I don't know.
00:01:16.000 Installing software is going to be popular, so we're going to need to scale them up. Hold on, because...
00:01:22.240 On the day it opens, there are going to be like four billion hits!
00:01:33.200 We want to change the messages to include videos instead of just text.
00:01:53.680 That’s a drag. I mean, the rest of it is kind of fun, it's just a lot of configuring.
00:01:59.520 So it would be nice if we could have just one file here to define our infrastructure.
00:02:06.079 We can check it into version control and run tests against it. That would be awesome!
00:02:11.840 Yeah, that’s something beautiful to do every year.
00:02:34.000 We should probably instantiate some servers to limit expenses.
00:02:39.680 We don’t want to pay for too many in case there are four billion, but we also don’t want them to be zero.
00:03:00.239 I think I've heard about that. Okay, let’s do it.
00:03:06.879 Oh, you know what? We should keep it all in one place, absolutely.
00:03:16.080 Let’s tell that.
00:03:30.959 We can put a file on our cloud. And by 'cloud', we mean a homogeneous set of resources.
00:03:37.280 It doesn't matter how many instances you have; our view is that a cloud is just a collection of resources that you can use.
00:03:42.560 The work unit in our case is an EC2 instance.
00:03:49.519 The important thing when designing is to think of a cloud as a set of services. It’s got HTTP, of course - 80 or 480, and maybe XMPP, you know, whatever we want.
00:04:00.560 But we don’t want to be designing our servers specifically on Ubuntu or Yellow.
00:04:22.880 So, let’s go!
00:04:29.120 So, let's write this application, configure our servers, scale them up, and let everyone in this room hit it quickly.
00:04:36.000 Then, let it scale down when nobody is hitting it.
00:04:46.800 Oh God, that is so much nicer, isn’t it?
00:04:52.240 That's right. This is our live pairing session.
00:05:10.880 So, actually, I did a cloud start already because it takes a little while to set up.
00:05:16.160 But I promise you it’s there; I can show you if you really want to see it.
00:05:22.000 However, we want to reserve some space to show you some of the cool features.
00:05:28.960 So, yes, Cloud Start was initiated, and I took a screenshot, so you can see it.
00:05:35.120 That’s not entirely true; I copied against the text.
00:05:41.199 What it does is launch our servers, picking up EC2 instances.
00:05:47.520 If you have the defaults in that EC2 directory, it will use them. You can specify your keys.
00:05:53.039 Everything's configurable, but this will instantiate instances and return food scraps.
00:05:58.400 This way, we have all the software that we need for the Poolparty to run on it.
00:06:17.440 It will also configure based on your settings, which is another nice thing about the bootstrap process.
00:06:22.479 That will package up any local dependencies you have on your machine.
00:06:29.120 This is great in case you change some of the gems you want to use.
00:06:34.400 Now that our Cloud Start has been initiated, let’s actually go look at it.
00:06:48.000 If you don’t follow the Poolparty conventions, you can just pass your clouds.rb file to every command line.
00:06:54.880 Yes, okay, but we are using the Ruby convention or the Poolparty convention.
00:07:00.960 Keep your clouds.rb file in a subdirectory of the current working directory.
00:07:07.360 You can also set it as an environment variable so you never have to remember where it’s at.
00:07:14.080 The other default location is where Poolparty expects you to put your cloud setup.
00:07:19.599 So, we can run a command to list the clouds.
00:07:31.840 That’s right! We can also associate all of it together.
00:08:13.360 Now, we're going to dive deeper into Poolparty.
00:08:19.120 Poolparty is pretty much completely decentralized. We don’t have a master server.
00:08:24.479 Every instance or node is treated equally, which is part of our principle that clouds are homogenous.
00:08:30.400 You can connect to any of them, update your configuration, and they will broadcast updates to the rest.
00:08:42.640 In our setup, we have a file that serves as a message of the day for anyone logged into a server.
00:08:49.399 This cloud will only show the Chef cookbook, and we'll get to that in a minute.
00:08:56.160 Then we'll update the message of the day on any of the servers when we log in.
00:09:03.680 Using the default AMI, we are using the Ubuntu Elastic 8.1, an Amazon Machine Image.
00:09:09.519 I haven't even started the template, sorry guys!
00:09:16.160 Poolparty has some basic resources, including a patch file.
00:09:23.040 It also has a directory where you can run command executions on any of the servers.
00:09:30.160 You should know that some of these problems have already been addressed by others.
00:09:37.760 A great example is Google’s use of desktop computers.
00:09:44.720 But another tool I am excited about is Chef.
00:09:50.960 Chef is a configuration management engine where you write recipes to define how your server should look.
00:09:58.560 Chef actually parallels Poolparty closely.
00:10:05.360 This is a basic Chef recipe. Chef is outside the scope of this talk, but I want to show how you include it in Poolparty.
00:10:12.000 Just create a Chef block and specify what recipe you want.
00:10:19.680 Now that our cloud is set up, let’s go through the configuration quickly.
00:10:26.240 You can simply type 'cloud configure' as the command to update.
00:10:32.160 What’s neat is that if you define a deployment in your clouds.rb file, each time "cloud configure" is used, it will update resources.
00:10:39.840 This way, you will not forget about dependencies or miss installations.
00:10:45.440 Poolparty doesn’t require you to use a given repository; you can still use Flat or Capistrano.
00:10:50.400 We provide a basic deployment bootstrapper as well as Capistrano deployment options.
00:10:57.600 However, we felt Capistrano was a bit more than we needed for our purposes.
00:11:05.000 The way configure will look can be switched back and forth quickly.
00:11:08.240 Cloudwise means unchanged by itself.
00:11:14.399 In simpler words, run it a bunch, and it won’t change anything unless it really needs to.
00:11:20.960 This is a big reason we switched over to using Chef, allowing for support of many cookbooks.
00:11:28.320 We’ll be diving into the Opscode repository shortly.
00:11:35.600 They have a cornucopia of recipes available, with much more being developed.
00:11:42.400 I just heard Twitter Club was mentioned on Oprah! We better expand fast.
00:11:51.120 How do we do that? With twelve actors, that’s how!
00:11:57.680 When you load greater than 0.8, it would be a nice baseline to consider.
00:12:05.440 The next slide clarifies that these metrics are not just per instance, but averages across the entire block.
00:12:11.760 The challenge we face in cloud resource usage is variability based on specific usages.
00:12:18.560 Resource consumption can differ significantly depending on the load.
00:12:24.960 For example, a Rails site may function smoothly, but the database might be overworked.
00:12:30.560 But how do we solve that problem? With multiple clouds!
00:12:36.080 We’ll place our database server in one cloud.
00:12:41.120 Based on availability and distribution, that will work effectively.
00:12:46.960 As we mentioned earlier, Poolparty is decentralized.
00:12:53.360 Any instance can act as a sort of master, and they function equally.
00:13:02.480 Poolparty itself does not create applications; it's just a tool to facilitate that.
00:13:10.080 Poolparty is built in Ruby because Ruby is beautiful.
00:13:17.120 But if you want some sort of particle simulation, Poolparty can accommodate that as well.
00:13:23.919 It’s flexible for various applications, just like a video sharing site.
00:13:30.639 You can manage a web front end while using different clouds for advanced processing.
00:13:38.880 Maybe you'll need a separate cloud for sending emails or updates.
00:13:45.360 Looking ahead, we aim for more remote resources.
00:13:52.080 Currently, we support EC2, but we are also planning to add VMware functionality.
00:13:58.400 In addition, if you have VMware on a Mac, you'll be able to instantiate servers using command line.
00:14:05.280 The goal is to make it cheaper and easier for instantiating servers.
00:14:12.480 Many people have services they’re using, which means they’re racking up credit.
00:14:18.560 So, you can easily implement your instances using port parties.
00:14:23.840 Just four methods are needed to add additional instances, requiring a valid ID.
00:14:31.520 You must also return a hash providing a way to access it.
00:14:37.440 In terms of VM introductions, VM-based and EC2 services will handle them slightly differently.
00:14:44.880 The scripted automated deployment can also adapt to these changes.
00:14:52.359 We are currently also working on performance testing, and it’s in the works.
00:14:59.760 This aids deployment to VMware by allowing for configuration changes.
00:15:05.120 We want to ensure those ports open properly, making sure everything runs smoothly.
00:15:11.520 Additionally, Poolparty is undergoing extensive modularization.
00:15:18.080 You’ll notice several gems available on GitHub, with many more coming soon.
00:15:24.120 This modularization will allow you to use functionalities outside of Poolparty itself.
00:15:30.720 This flexibility allows Poolparty updates without affecting the gem functionality.
00:15:38.080 The latest addition from earlier today looks to harness HTTP for solid intercommunication.
00:15:44.720 Butterfly is a great example; you can send data over HTTP efficiently.
00:15:50.960 We store the state and update the necessary load information with the cloud.
00:15:57.760 Utilizing a cloud.json file, we determine the current state and refresh the information.
00:16:03.840 As you access endpoints, you’ll acquire relevant data in real time.
00:16:09.480 The goal is for nodes to update their own states and share information across the cloud.
00:16:15.440 This method eliminates redundant data pulling, making it very efficient!
00:16:21.760 Tighter integration with DNS is the next objective.
00:16:28.720 Instead of relying entirely on Hypoxia, we’ll leverage DNS for load balancing.
00:16:35.280 This creates a smarter way to handle traffic across your cloud.
00:16:41.360 DNS is a cornerstone in network communication, vital for long-term success.
00:16:48.080 When you launch a cloud, we’ll leverage these DNS capabilities automatically.
00:16:53.920 You'll enjoy effective load balancing and quick deployments.
00:17:01.440 Also, we can explore various alternatives.
00:17:06.560 Heroku is a great platform for rapid deployments.
00:17:12.560 But it might lack sufficient power for certain requirements, like transcoding.
00:17:18.320 Executing a cloud for transcoding operations can fulfill those needs.
00:17:24.800 Connecting these systems through Poolparty can enhance efficiency.
00:17:30.160 Once your development cloud is ready, you can easily switch to production settings.
00:17:36.320 When it’s time, you can cloud terminate and push to other environments.
00:17:41.760 Alternatives provide flexibility in how and where you deploy.
00:17:45.760 We’re generally very active in our IRC channel called Poolparty RB.
00:17:51.120 Additionally, Poolparty has been relaunched with much more content.
00:17:54.320 Feel free to reach us through email or our platform.
00:17:59.840 Thanks to everyone here, as well as to AT&T and HTTP Interactive for their support.
00:18:05.120 I have VMware mounted on the back, indicating progress for practice deployments.
00:18:10.560 The goal is to deploy applications using VMware with eventual moves to EC2.
00:18:15.480 Yes, you will be able to tweak files, switching from VMware to EC2.
00:18:19.760 The answer is yes; however, that feature is in the branch not officially released.
00:18:25.600 Current test cases verify compatibility across systems.
00:18:31.760 Booting with other Linux distributions is possible, but supportive configurations are preferred.
00:18:37.600 We can install Chef or Puppet to assist with those deployments.
00:18:43.200 It’s important to consider available recipes when configuring your environment.
00:18:50.000 The instances we configured will inherit properties set in the parent nodes.
00:18:55.680 If you’re unsure what that means, I encourage you to look it up.
00:19:01.200 Looking forward, we see the community wholeheartedly responding.
00:19:06.880 There are discussions surrounding remote bases for specialized deployments.
00:19:12.880 Keep an eye on our roadmap through the Poolparty Lighthouse platform.
00:19:20.320 Community involvement has yielded fruitful collaborations, especially with Chef developers.
00:19:25.760 It's been an engaging experience, and we appreciate all the support.
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