# US 2023/0069578 A1 · Cluster instance balancing of a database system across zones > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2023/0069578 A1 - Document ID: US20230069578A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 17/936,169 - Filed: 2022-09-28 - Published: 2023-03-02 - Earliest claimed: 2021-08-19 - Assignees: Snowflake Inc. - Applicants: Snowflake Inc. - Inventors: Johan Harjono; Daniel Geoffrey Karp; Rares Radut; Samir Rehmtulla; Arthur Kelvin Shi; Thanakul WATTANAWONG - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20230069578A1 ## CPC - G06F 16/1824: {implemented using Network-attached Storage [NAS] architecture (distributed or networked storage systems G06F3/067; protocols for distributed storage of data in a network H04L67/1097)} - G06F 16/256: {in federated or virtual databases} - G06F 9/5077: {Logical partitioning of resources; Management or configuration of virtualized resources (specific details on emulation or internal functioning of virtual machines G06F9/455)} - G06F 16/285: {Clustering or classification} - H04L 47/826: {Involving periods of time} - H04L 67/1031: Controlling of the operation of servers by a load balancer, e.g. adding or removing servers that serve requests - G06F 2209/505: Clust - H04L 41/0897: by horizontal or vertical scaling of resources, or by migrating entities, e.g. virtual resources or entities - H04L 41/5019: Ensuring fulfilment of SLA - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) ## Abstract The subject technology selects a particular zone among multiple zones based on a target skew to meet a global balancing of cluster instances. The subject technology deploys a particular type of cluster instance to the particular zone. The subject technology, for each zone from the multiple zones, determines a respective number of cluster instances. The subject technology identifies a second particular type of cluster instance to remove based on a total number of the second particular type of cluster instance in the multiple zones and a second total number of the particular type of cluster instance in the multiple zones. The subject technology removes the second particular type of cluster instance from a second particular zone to meet the global balancing of cluster instances in the multiple zones. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A network-based database system comprising: at least one hardware processor; and a memory storing instructions that cause the at least one hardware processor to perform operations comprising: selecting a particular zone among multiple zones based on a target skew to meet a global balancing of cluster instances; deploying a particular type of cluster instance to the particular zone; for each zone from the multiple zones, determining a respective number of cluster instances; identifying a second particular type of cluster instance to remove based on a total number of the second particular type of cluster instance in the multiple zones and a second total number of the particular type of cluster instance in the multiple zones; and removing the second particular type of cluster instance from a second particular zone to meet the global balancing of cluster instances in the multiple zones. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the second particular zone includes a particular number of cluster instances that is greater than each number of instances from each of the multiple zones. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein a difference between a first number of instances from a most loaded zone and a second number of cluster instances from the particular zone is below a third number associated with the target skew. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise: determining that a first particular total number of the particular type of cluster instance is less than a second particular total number of the second particular type of cluster instance in the multiple zones. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise: determining an availability zone skew among the multiple zones; and based on the availability zone skew, determining the target skew to meet the global balancing of cluster instances. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The system of claim 5, wherein the availability zone skew is based on a difference between a number of instances in a most loaded zone and a second number of instances in a least loaded zone among the multiple zones. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The system of claim 5, wherein the operations further comprise: prior to determining the availability zone skew among the multiple zones: determining, after a period of time elapses over a periodic segment of time, an imbalance of cluster instances deployed in multiple zones based on a threshold value, the cluster instances including different types of clusters associated with compute service manager instances. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The system of claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise: identifying the particular type of cluster instance to include in the particular zone from the multiple zones. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise: adding the particular type of cluster instance to the particular zone to meet the global balancing of cluster instances in the multiple zones; and determining, after a second period of time elapses over the periodic segment of time, that a number of cluster instances deployed in the multiple zones is below the threshold value indicating a current balance of cluster instances in the multiple zones. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise: identifying a first zone that includes a highest number of cluster instances based on the respective number of cluster instances from each zone; and identifying a second zone that includes a lowest number of cluster instances based on the respective number of cluster instances from each zone. ### Claim 11 A method comprising: selecting a particular zone among multiple zones based on a target skew to meet a global balancing of cluster instances; deploying a particular type of cluster instance to the particular zone; for each zone from the multiple zones, determining a respective number of cluster instances; identifying a second particular type of cluster instance to remove based on a total number of the second particular type of cluster instance in the multiple zones and a second total number of the particular type of cluster instance in the multiple zones; and removing the second particular type of cluster instance from a second particular zone to meet the global balancing of cluster instances in the multiple zones. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the second particular zone includes a particular number of cluster instances that is greater than each number of instances from each of the multiple zones. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein a difference between a first number of instances from a most loaded zone and a second number of cluster instances from the particular zone is below a third number associated with the target skew. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, further comprising: determining that a first particular total number of the particular type of cluster instance is less than a second particular total number of the second particular type of cluster instance in the multiple zones. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, further comprising: determining an availability zone skew among the multiple zones; and based on the availability zone skew, determining the target skew to meet the global balancing of cluster instances. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, wherein the availability zone skew is based on a difference between a number of instances in a most loaded zone and a second number of instances in a least loaded zone among the multiple zones. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, further comprising: prior to determining the availability zone skew among the multiple zones: determining, after a period of time elapses over a periodic segment of time, an imbalance of cluster instances deployed in multiple zones based on a threshold value, the cluster instances including different types of clusters associated with compute service manager instances. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, further comprising: identifying the particular type of cluster instance to include in the particular zone from the multiple zones. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18, further comprising: adding the particular type of cluster instance to the particular zone to meet the global balancing of cluster instances in the multiple zones; and determining, after a second period of time elapses over the periodic segment of time, that a number of cluster instances deployed in the multiple zones is below the threshold value indicating a current balance of cluster instances in the multiple zones. ### Claim 20 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, further comprising: identifying a first zone that includes a highest number of cluster instances based on the respective number of cluster instances from each zone; and identifying a second zone that includes a lowest number of cluster instances based on the respective number of cluster instances from each zone. ### Claim 21 A non-transitory computer-storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a machine, configure the machine to perform operations comprising: selecting a particular zone among multiple zones based on a target skew to meet a global balancing of cluster instances; deploying a particular type of cluster instance to the particular zone; for each zone from the multiple zones, determining a respective number of cluster instances; identifying a second particular type of cluster instance to remove based on a total number of the second particular type of cluster instance in the multiple zones and a second total number of the particular type of cluster instance in the multiple zones; and removing the second particular type of cluster instance from a second particular zone to meet the global balancing of cluster instances in the multiple zones. ### Claim 22 (depends on 21) The non-transitory computer-storage medium of claim 21, wherein the second particular zone includes a particular number of cluster instances that is greater than each number of instances from each of the multiple zones. ### Claim 23 (depends on 21) The non-transitory computer-storage medium of claim 21, wherein a difference between a first number of instances from a most loaded zone and a second number of cluster instances from the particular zone is below a third number associated with the target skew. ### Claim 24 (depends on 21) The non-transitory computer-storage medium of claim 21, wherein the operations further comprise: determining that a first particular total number of the particular type of cluster instance is less than a second particular total number of the second particular type of cluster instance in the multiple zones. ### Claim 25 (depends on 21) The non-transitory computer-storage medium of claim 21, wherein the operations further comprise: determining an availability zone skew among the multiple zones; and based on the availability zone skew, determining the target skew to meet the global balancing of cluster instances. ### Claim 26 (depends on 25) The non-transitory computer-storage medium of claim 25, wherein the availability zone skew is based on a difference between a number of instances in a most loaded zone and a second number of instances in a least loaded zone among the multiple zones. ### Claim 27 (depends on 25) The non-transitory computer-storage medium of claim 25, wherein the operations further comprise: prior to determining the availability zone skew among the multiple zones: determining, after a period of time elapses over a periodic segment of time, an imbalance of cluster instances deployed in multiple zones based on a threshold value, the cluster instances including different types of clusters associated with compute service manager instances. ### Claim 28 (depends on 27) The non-transitory computer-storage medium of claim 27, wherein the operations further comprise: identifying the particular type of cluster instance to include in the particular zone from the multiple zones. ### Claim 29 (depends on 28) The non-transitory computer-storage medium of claim 28, wherein the operations further comprise: adding the particular type of cluster instance to the particular zone to meet the global balancing of cluster instances in the multiple zones; and determining, after a second period of time elapses over the periodic segment of time, that a number of cluster instances deployed in the multiple zones is below the threshold value indicating a current balance of cluster instances in the multiple zones. ### Claim 30 (depends on 21) The non-transitory computer-storage medium of claim 21, wherein the operations further comprise: identifying a first zone that includes a highest number of cluster instances based on the respective number of cluster instances from each zone; and identifying a second zone that includes a lowest number of cluster instances based on the respective number of cluster instances from each zone.