Glossary
Key terms used in the Rackspace Spot documentation.
Auction (Open Market Auction) : The dynamic, real-time market mechanism used by Rackspace Spot to allocate available spare compute capacity (Spot Instances). Users bid for capacity, and the market price is determined by supply and demand. Open Market Auction
Bid (Max Bid Price) : The maximum price per hour a user is willing to pay for a Spot Instance. If the market price exceeds this bid, the instance is at high risk of pre-emption.
Cloudspace : Your fully managed Kubernetes cluster environment provided by Rackspace Spot. It includes the Kubernetes control plane and one or more Node Pools containing worker nodes (Spot or On-Demand).
High Availability (HA) : A configuration option for the Cloudspace control plane that replicates its components across multiple nodes for increased resilience against failures. Recommended for production workloads. (Link Removed)
Hybrid Cluster/Cloudspace : A Cloudspace that contains both Spot Instance node pools and On-Demand Instance node pools, allowing a mix of cost-optimized and stability-focused nodes within the same cluster.
Load Balancer (Kubernetes Service Type) : A Kubernetes Service type that automatically provisions an external cloud load balancer to distribute traffic from the internet to Pods within the cluster. Rackspace Spot manages this integration. Load Balancers
Managed Kubernetes : A service where the provider (Rackspace Spot) handles the setup, operation, maintenance, scaling, and patching of the Kubernetes control plane, allowing users to focus on their applications.
Server : A Rackspace worker node (virtual server) in a Cloudspace cluster where containers (within Pods) are run. Servers in Rackspace Spot can be either Spot Instances or On-Demand Instances.
Server Pool : A group of nodes within a Cloudspace that share the same configuration (e.g., instance type, size, Spot/On-Demand designation, labels). A Cloudspace can have multiple server pools. Adding Servers
On-Demand Instance : A Kubernetes worker node type offered by Rackspace Spot with guaranteed availability and fixed, predictable monthly pricing. On-Demand instances are not subject to pre-emption. Spot vs On-Demand
Pre-emption : The process where a Spot Instance is terminated by Rackspace Spot, usually because the market price exceeded the user's bid or the underlying capacity was needed elsewhere. Applications running on Spot Instances should be designed to handle pre-emption gracefully. Pre-emption Explained
Spot Instance : A Kubernetes worker node type acquired through the Rackspace Spot open market auction at potentially significant discounts compared to On-Demand Instances. Spot Instances utilize spare capacity and carry a risk of pre-emption. Spot vs On-Demand
Spot Market : The dynamic marketplace where spare compute capacity is auctioned off by Rackspace Spot. Prices fluctuate based on supply and demand.