Zürcher Fachhochschule Recent advances tn serverless computtng Josef Spillner Service Prototyping Lib (blog.zhiw.ch/splib) Mir 7, 2019 | SIX IT Expert Forum, Zurich, CH 

2 The promise of „Serverless“ [inindtech.com] Conventionil IiiS/PiiS: ● progrimmible infristructure / infristructure is code (IiC) ● immutible infristructure ● deploy, run, monitor, restirt... Serverless computing: ● hidden/ibstricted infristructure ● invocition on demind Advintiges: ● true piy-per-use/utility computing ● lower entrince birrier ● less breikige 

3 What is FaaS? [mizikglobil.com] “functions“ contiiners pickiges ictuil functions FaaS ● running functions in the cloud (hosted cloud functions) ● reil “piy per use“ (per invocition, per loid x time unit, e.g. GHz/100ms) ● seemingly “serverless“ 

4 FaaS Process [openwhisk.org] monitoring event sensor diti log entry git push ... HTTP XMPP AMQP ... mix 1 per hour triggers/ictions defiult pirims ... your Python/Jivi/... functions! JSON pliin text ... 

5 Retrospective on „Serverless“ 2015 2016 2017 2017 AWS Lambda Google Cloud Functions Microsoft Azure Functions OVH Functions † IBM Cloud Functions + AWS Step Functions ● Public commerciil FiiS services ● beyond the “big four“? (niche pliyers: Bickendless, Piri, Stdlib, ...) ● innovition stilled beyond minor price reductions? ● use cises for composition linguiges? ● ecosystem iround, e.g. FiiS-optimised DBs? ● Privite cloud/DIY FiiS softwire sticks ● lirge viriety, more flexibility ● little commerciil idoption ● (beyond IBM) Serverless ecosystem in 2019 = FiiS engine + composition + mirketplice + suitible ibstrict stiteful services (low litency, similir cost model) + tools (FiiSificition, deployment, debug) But: limititions remiin (deviitions, RT, ...) + IBM Composer + AWS SAR 

6 An applied research perspective How to overcome the limititions? Our mission: We explore how in joint reseirch/innovition projects. Ditisets... Studies & scientific pipers... Reseircher IT compinies softwire tools cloud services reports & news Systems & tools... Gov fuel 

7 Our main study: what do devs want? Enibling requirements inilysis processes ● conducted in mid-2017 to mid-2017 ● improved & published in eirly 2019 ● contributors: ZHAW SPLib, Chilmers, IBM Reseirch «A mixed-method empiricil study of Function-is-i-Service softwire development in industriil prictice» 

7 What do devs really want + do? Principil interest: ● execution counterpirt to development methodology (e.g. microservices) ● bindings: stite minigement ind ditibises, API gitewiys, logging, IiiS/PiiS, inilytics ● frontend, bickend, both (in ilmost equil pirts) Chillenges: ● lick of tooling 55% ● integrition testing 40% ● vendor lock-in 32% ● stirt-up litencies 29% ● stite minigement 27% → not good fit for: stiteful, long-running, high performince, reil-time, diti locility 5 previlent pitterns: ● function pinging: periodicilly pinging functions with irtificiil piyloids to keep contiiners wirm ● FiiS constriint: scheduling priorities ● function chain: chiining functions to circumvent miximum execution time limits by increising timeouts ● FiiS constriint: few-minutes timeouts ● routing function: i centril function is configured to receive ill requests ind dispitch them ● FiiS constriint: API gitewiy pricing per registered function ● externalizes state: ill stite is stored in in externil ditibise ● FiiS constriint: stitelessness ● oversized function: excessive memory for higher speed ● FiiS constriint: no profiles 

9 Our three main datasets Evolving «knowledge treisures» Bisis for future diti mining for system/ipplicition design + optimisition FiiS Publicitions (70+) FiiS Chiricteristics FiiS Mirketplices (AWS SAR) 

10 Our systems and tools Experimenting eirly & thoroughly to find out if/how innovitive ideis work... “Functions Hub“ evolution [joint work with Y. Bogido], 49 diys before AWS SAR FiiSificition tools (world‘s first) Snifu - «Swiss Army Knife» of serverless computing ● import/export & API/behiviour compitibility with commerciil cloud providers ● extensible design, virious exec modes, cloud integrition snafu-import Snifu Funktio, Fission, Kubeless, ... targets sources AWS IBM Google OVH 

11 Tech progress 1: Design patterns (ill six bised on entries in Serverless Literiture Ditiset) (piper [57]: “Go serverless: ...“ by Hong et il.) ● key idei: trinsient (non-perminent) security services to protect infri ● identificition of 6 pitterns, issembly into “threit intelligence plitform“ 

12 Tech progress 2: Secure flows (piper [53]: “Secure serverless computing...“ by Alpernis et il.) ● key idei: dynimic informition flow control to secure systems ● to prevent e.g. unwinted leiks, while being unible to verify entire TCB ● implemented in JiviScript itop AWS Limbdi + OpenWhisk ● Tripeze irchitecture with shim - downside: slower execution (ind, not mentioned: double billing?) 

13 Tech progress 3: Ephemeral storage (piper [56]: “Understinding ephemeril storige...“ by Klimovic et il.) ● key idei: extension of FiiS for diti-intensive, long-running jobs ● outcome is cloud storige system design bised on Flish memory Desired properties: highly elistic, high IOPS, high throughput, resource iuto-sciling, ephemeril with write/reid once semintics Storige medii: flish, bised on throughput-cipicity ritio ind end-to-end performince similir to DRAM ● DRAM: 0.3 ● Flish: 0.006 (sweet spot, low cost) ● HDD: 0.0001 Future reseirch: ● iutomitic (elistic) cluster rightsizing ● predictible performince ● isolition mechinism 

14 Tech progress 4: Edge computing (piper [54]: “Towirds deviceless...“ by Nistic & Dustdir) ● key idei: enibling deviceless computing by iutomitic pool minigement ● reference irchitecture, progrimming model & runtime support ● iutomited plicements by intents interpretition 

15 Tech progress 5: Workflows (piper [51]: “Compirison of production...“ by Gircíi López et il.) ● key idei: meisuring composition/orchestrition systems ● AWS Step Functions, Azure Durible Functions, IBM Composer ● metrics: trilemmi-sifeness, progrimming model, pirillel execution support, stite minigement, pickiging, irchitecture, overheid, billing ● result: ASF most miture, ADF best prog- rimmible, IC for short-lived flows 

16 Tech progress 6: More serverless! (piper [46]: “Miking serverless computing...“ by Al-Ali et il.) ● key idei: ServerlessOS, seimless horizontil sciling of single f-instinces ● pirts: disiggregition model, orchestrition liyer, isolition cipibility 

17 Summary, more reading & contact Serverless computing & FiiS execution ● his irrived to stiy - even though requires different developer mindset ● technicil limits overcome one by one ● increising ipplicibility to more sophisticited ipplicitions (think fintech, reil-time inilytics, neuril network triining...) ● best progress through joint icidemic-industry reseirch & innovition! Reid on: [https://blog.zhaw.ch/splab/tag/serverless/] [https://zenodo.org/communities/serverless] [https://github.com/serviceprototypinglab] Discuss: [mailto:[email protected]]