Frequently Asked Questions - Utilify Platform for EC2

The Utilify Platform is a set of tools that consists of a developer framework and an associated runtime to develop distributed/Grid applications using the .NET Framework. It enables developers to split compute intensive application workload into independent tasks that are scheduled, managed and executed on a network of computers.

The Utilify Platform for EC2 extends the core platform to use Amazon's EC2 cloud infrastructure and allows developers and IT professionals to leverage the inherent benefits of a cloud infrastructure - low management overhead, no capital expenditure, dynamic scalability, ability to handle peak workloads and so on.

Both the products are fully compatible with the Utilify Framework API which is used to develop client applications that run on the platform.

For more information see the FAQ for the base Utilify Platform

The EC2 version of the platform allows developers to take advantage of the flexibility of a cloud infrastructure while developing using a familiar and easy-to-use application framework. In addition, the Utilify Platform for EC2 uses a pay-as-you-go model common in most cloud offerings - avoiding a large up-front cost in software and hardware.

Yes. To develop applications locally, download the SDK for Utilify Platform. To test applications locally before using the cloud, install one instance of a Manager and one instance of an Executor on the developer machine. These components are available for free from the downloads page.

Yes. Existing Amazon EC2 users can use their EC2 account to sign up for the Utilify Platform for EC2. The platform is offered as a paid AMI.

Getting started with the Utilify Platform for EC2 is very easy:

1. Sign up for the service using an Amazon EC2 account. (Payment and billing is handled by Amazon Payments)
2. Download the SDK
3. Learn how to use the APIs and go through the documentation
4. Develop an application using the Utilify Framework API
5. Use the free Utilify Management Dashboard tool which is part of the SDK, to launch a cloud a specified number of machines
6. Configure your application to point to the Utilify Manager running on the cloud started in the previous step, and launch your application.
7. Post any questions on the user forums

The Utilify Platform SDK and EC2 services are provided under a proprietary license - however the terms are very fair. There is no license key / activation process. There is no restriction on number of developers / development machines that can use the SDK. The SDK and tools provided in version 1.0 are free of charge.
However, using the EC2 service incurs a charge based on usage and the pricing for the Utilify Platform for EC2 is available on the pricing page.

Requirements for client machines (that run your application):

• Windows XP SP3 / Vista SP1 or higher / Server 2003 SP1 or higher / Windows 7 / Server 2008
• .NET Framework v.3.0 or higher

The requirements for developer machines are the same, and in addition you may want to install development tools such as Visual Studio.

The way Utilify Platform for EC2 works very similar to the Utilify Platform. There is a Manager component that runs in the cloud and is publicly accessible (via an authenticated web service end-point) over the internet. The Manager has control over a set of Executors, also in the cloud. The client application submits tasks (using the API) to the Manager which are distributed to the Executors and managed by the Manager. The results of execution are returned by the Manager to the client. The framework API provides classes and methods to handle the entire process of communication between the Manager and the client application.

Please visit the documentation pages for detailed documentation on the framework APIs.

At present the product is supported free of charge via the user forums and email support. We will provide a higher level of support with various pricing options for those who require it - for more information please contact us directly.

Your application data in the cloud is stored on the EC2 instances where the Manager and Executors are running. It stays available as long as your application is running and your cloud network is active. Once you shutdown the cloud network on EC2 via the Management Dashboard or via other EC2 tools, all data generated/transferred to the running instances will be lost. If the data generated by the applications is required for future use, it is your responsibility to include code in your application tasks to transfer it to reliable storage. For small amounts of data, you can design the application to return it along with the job to the client machine. For larger files, it is a good idea to move it at the end of the task, to a location such as Amazon S3 or a corporate FTP server accessible from an EC2 instance.

All data transferred between the client application and the Manager, and the Manager and Executors is secured using WS-Security standards. In addition, access to the Manager from outside EC2, is limited to the machine running your client application. The Manager also requires a basic level of authentication based on a username and password which is linked to your Amazon EC2 access key.

Please ask your question in the user forums and we will answer it. If we find that the same types of questions come up often, we will also post it on this FAQ.