SpringOne Platform 2019 Session Title: Using Apache Geode: Lessons Learned at Southwest Airlines Speakers: Brian Dunlap, Solutions Architect, Southwest Airlines Youtube: https://youtu.be/CONUVArul0A

1. Using Apache Geode:
Lessons Learned at Southwest Airlines
1
Brian Dunlap – Solutions Architect
@brianwdunlap

2. About my current
Southwest focus…
Data strategy, governance, and tools
Integrated data initiatives
Architectural patterns
Proof of concepts
DATA ARCHITECTURE

3. About my GemFire
experience…
Flight scheduling modernization
Optimization and data integration
Reactive and streaming data patterns
SYSTEM MODERNIZATION

4. Thank you!

5. At Southwest, we’ve
used GemFire for
several years…

6. If we could go back in time,
what tips would we share
with ourselves?

7. GemFire

8. Tip #1: Set Expectations
For GemFire cloud migrations, set
team expectations early.

9. Tip #1: Set Expectations
Align GemFire infrastructure goals
with your cloud thinking.

10. Tip #1: Set Expectations
How will managing your GemFire
services be like managing your
other cloud services?

12. • Documentation
• Multiple environment configs
• Right sizing components
• GitOps
• Monitoring
• Observability
• Repeatability
• Economics
• Increase deployment velocity
• Reduce deployment risk
• High availability
• Self healing
• Security
• Network topology
• On-prem integration
• Manage cattle not pets
• Configure block storage
• Clean up un-used disk storage
• Dynamic DNS
• Transient servers
• Containerization
• Containing failure impact
• Immutable infrastructure
• Infrastructure as code
• Image provisioning
• CI/CD
• Process management
• Pipeline repeatability
• Automated configuration
• Automated testing
• Automation tooling
• No direct server access
• Cloud security controls
• Security groups
• Cloud training

13. Tip #2: Learning and Time
You’ll be consuming from the
knowledge firehose. Work will take
longer than you think.

14. Tip #2: Learning and Time
Don’t forget to share what you
learn with the right people.

15. Tip #3: Team requirements
GemFire teams need cross-
functional players and coaches.

16. App Team
Cloud Team
Network Team
Monitoring Team
Architecture Team
GemFire Platform Team

17. Tip #4: Team shape
Think about your team shape.
Should you spread out or get
close? Based on what’s happening,
it should change a lot.

18. “I wish we had all
worked together
sooner.”

19. Tip #5: Grid shape
Your cloud grid shape
will probably look
different from on-
prem.

20. 20
VPC
AWS Cloud
Availability Zone 1 Availability Zone 3
Instance Instance
Instance Instance
Availability Zone 2
Instance
Instance
Instance Instance Instance

21. Tip #6: Ask questions
Ask lots of questions.

22. Tip #6: Ask questions
How are cloud servers different from
your on-prem servers?

23. Tip #6: Ask questions
How are cloud availability zones
different from your on-prem
availability zones?

24. Tip #7: Experiment
Experiment with options.
Does each AZ need X or Y
cache nodes?
Test it!

25. Tip #8: Understand Capacity
Understand your I/O bandwidth.
It’s very tricky.

26. Always read
the ‘*’s.

27. Tip #8: Understand Capacity
How is your cloud network different
from your on-prem network?
Hint, hint… It’s probably very different.

28. AWS Transit Gateway vs.
AWS Transit VPC vs.
AWS VPC Peering vs.
AWS Direct Connect

29. Tip #9: Reduce Spend
How are cloud economics
different from on-prem
datacenter economics?
Turn off the lights!

30. Tip #10: Embrace cloud differences
Different players.
Different strengths.
Different fields.
Different architecture!

31. Tip #11: Respect cloud differences
GemFire components make frequent
security calls.
Make sure your environment is
prepared for them.

32. Tip #12: Ask Why?
Why use GemFire?

33. Tip #12: Ask Why?
Why use caching?

34. Tip #13: Quantify data flow
Observability is important.
How often? How much? What kind of
data flow profile?

35. Tip #13: Quantify data flow
GemFire metrics.
Application metrics.
Tools.
Tell a data flow story.

36. Tip #14: Beware of
“because it’s there”
Why are you using
GemFire for caching
XYZ?
Because
it’s there.

37. Tip #15: Beware of the
“too many” problem
Too many GemFire CQs.
Too many things in a single cluster.
Too many complex queries.
Too many apps coupled to a region.

38. Tip #16: Balanced Planning
Balance between tech debt, features,
and creating your tech future.
Plan for creating the right place for
the right data.

39. Tip #16: Balanced Planning
You want to be good at the short,
medium, and long term game.
Some “lifts” are heavy!

40. Tip #17: Upgrades
Take advantage of cloud capabilities
that benefit GemFire upgrades.

41. Tip #18: Performance testing
Automate performance testing.
Catch “order by” version upgrades.

42. Tip #19: Skills Development
Cache development skills are unique.
Intentional learning.
Be aware of old habits.

43. Tip #20: Automation
“If I did it twice, I automated it.”
On-prem scripts will get integrated
into your cloud perspective.

44. Tip #21: It’s OK
It’s OK to simplify which GemFire
features you use.

45. Questions?
Brian Dunlap
Solutions Architect
@brianwdunlap
45