Use Scale Now

Use Scale Now to ask a running Auto Scaling Group for a set number of VMs right away, instead of waiting for it to scale by itself, for example before a launch you expect traffic for.

Before you begin

You need a group in the Running state. To raise capacity for good instead, change Minimum VMs; see Scale on usage.

Change the number of VMs

1. Open the group’s details page and select Scale Now. It is also in the More actions menu of the group’s row in the list.
2. Set the number of VMs, between the group’s minimum and maximum.
3. Confirm. The group starts scaling to that number. If it cannot, TIR says “Unable to change the VM count”.

To go past the maximum, raise it from Edit first.

What a Usage-based group does next

On a Usage-based group, a count above the saved minimum is held for 180 seconds. Then the group removes the extra VMs if usage is below the target, and keeps them if usage is still over it.

To keep the VMs permanently, raise the minimum from Edit.

The group never runs below its saved minimum. To run fewer VMs, lower the minimum from Edit.

See the result

While a hold keeps the minimum above its saved value, the group list marks its capacity as held, with the minimum and maximum in force. If a schedule hold is active too, the highest minimum wins, and Scale Now changes only the minimum.

Scaling Activity records “Manually resized” with the name of the person who did it, and a manual add or remove when the count changes.

To plan capacity ahead of time, see Scale on a schedule.