Season 4, Episode 42: Planning, Pools, and Painful Deployments

LogiCast AWS News

In Season 4, Episode 42, Karl and Jon are joined by AWS Community Builder Sujal Shaw to discuss a range of new AWS developments. Topics include the New AWS Region Planner for easier regional planning and global deployments, EC2 Auto Scaling warm pool support for mixed instance policies, the AWS European Sovereign Cloud white paper, and the new underwater AWS Fastnet cable featuring robust armoring. They also explore the challenges younger developers face when deploying to AWS. The team was delighted to make it through the episode without any gremlins—despite Karl’s makeshift mobile studio setup in Madrid!

04:12 - AWS Region Planner

AWS introduced a new tool for centralized information on service and feature availability across regions. It helps architects avoid feature parity issues between regions and plan global deployments more efficiently. The tool shows availability status (available, planning, not expanding, or planned) for services and features in different regions.

11:34 - EC2 Auto Scaling Warm Pool Support

AWS announced warm pool support for auto scaling groups with mixed instance policies. This feature combines the benefits of warm pools (faster instance launch) with mixed instances (flexibility in instance types). It allows for both speed and cost savings by keeping a mix of pre-warmed instances ready to launch instantly using the most effective combination of on-demand, spot, or savings plan instances.

16:59 - AWS European Sovereign Cloud

AWS published a white paper detailing the upcoming European Sovereign Cloud. It will be operated by EU residents and citizens, with no critical dependencies on non-EU infrastructure. The cloud aims to address data residency and sovereignty concerns for European organizations, particularly government and regulated industries.

25:30 - AWS Fastnet Underwater Cable

Amazon is equipping a new underwater cable (AWS Fastnet) with robust armoring to prevent cuts. The cable will run from Maryland, US to Ireland, capable of transporting over 320 terabytes per second. The armoring aims to protect against potential threats like fishing anchors or intentional damage, improving durability and reducing maintenance downtime.

32:26 - Challenges of Deploying to AWS

Corey Quinn's article discusses the complexity of deploying to AWS, arguing that younger developers may not tolerate the steep learning curve. The article highlights the numerous steps and services (IAM, VPCs, etc.) required before actual development can begin. It suggests that easier deployment options like Vercel or Heroku, which abstract away complexity, may be more appealing to new developers.