Cloud Assistant can remotely run commands and upload files and provide plug-ins. You can use Cloud Assistant plug-ins to make complex configurations by running simple commands. This improves O&M efficiency.

Background information

Cloud Assistant plug-in Description
Running method
  • Log on to an Elastic Compute Service (ECS) instance by using SSH and run commands on the instance. This method is applicable only to Linux instances.

    For information about how to log on to an instance, see Connection methods.

  • Go to the Cloud Assistant page in the ECS console.
Usage
  • To query plug-ins, run the acs-plugin-manager --list command.
  • To run a specific plug-in, run the acs-plugin-manager --exec --plugin <Plug-in name> command.
Usage example

Configure kdump

Kdump is a feature of the Linux kernel to create core dumps when kernel errors occur. The ecs_dump_config plug-in can be used to enable and disable the kdump feature, and query the status of the feature.

  • Enable kdump.
    acs-plugin-manager --exec --plugin=ecs_dump_config --params --enable
  • Disable kdump.
    acs-plugin-manager --exec --plugin=ecs_dump_config --params --disable
  • Query the status of kdump.
    acs-plugin-manager --exec --plugin=ecs_dump_config --params --status

Automatically configure an ENI

Typically, you must manually make network configurations for an elastic network interface (ENI) after you add the ENI. The multi-nic-util plug-in can be used to automatically make network configurations for your ENI. 

acs-plugin-manager --exec --plugin=multi-nic-util

Configure IPv6 addresses

The ecs-util-ipv6 plug-in can be used to configure IPv6 addresses for ECS instances that have been assigned IPv6 addresses, or clear IPv6 configurations for ECS instances that have not been assigned IPv6 addresses. The ecs-util-ipv6 plug-in can be used to enable IPv6, disable IPv6, and automatically or manually configure IPv6 addresses for instances. By default, the plug-in automatically configures IPv6 addresses. For more information about the integrated ecs-util-ipv6 tool of the ecs-util-ipv6 plug-in, see Automatically configure an IPv6 address.

  • Enable IPv6.
    acs-plugin-manager --exec --plugin=ecs-utils-ipv6 --params --enable
  • Disable IPv6.
    acs-plugin-manager --exec --plugin=ecs-utils-ipv6 --params --disable
  • Automatically configure IPv6 addresses.
    acs-plugin-manager --exec --plugin=ecs-utils-ipv6
  • Manually configure IPv6 addresses.
    acs-plugin-manager --exec --plugin=ecs-utils-ipv6 --params --static,<dev>,<ip6s>,<prefix_len>,<gw6>
    Sample command: 
    acs-plugin-manager --exec --plugin=ecs-utils-ipv6 --params --static,eth0,fe80::216:3eff:****:****,64,2408:400a:108:8300:ffff:ffff:****:****

Configure NIC multi-queue

Network interface controller (NIC) multi-queue enables an ECS instance to use multiple NIC queues to improve network performance. Performance bottlenecks may occur when a single vCPU of an instance is used to process NIC interrupts. To solve this issue, you can use NIC multi-queue to distribute NIC interrupts across different vCPUs. You can run the ethtool -l ehtname command to query the current number of NIC queues and the supported number of NIC queues.

The ecs_tools_multiqueue plug-in can be used to set the number of queues to the supported maximum number of queues on all NICs. 

acs-plugin-manager --exec --plugin=ecs_tools_multiqueue

Manage Intel Hyper-Threading

ECS bare metal instances require Intel Hyper-Threading (HT) to be disabled for specific business scenarios. The ecs_disable_intel_hyper-threading plug-in can implement this feature.

To use this plug-in, you must add the nr_cpus kernel parameter to the grub file and set the parameter to half of the number of vCPUs of the instance type. Then, the nr_cpus parameter limits the maximum number of vCPUs supported by the kernel and disables HT.

After the kernel parameter is configured, you must restart the instance for the parameter to take effect. After the plug-in is run, the output prompts you to restart the instance.

Note This plug-in cannot be used to disable HT on ECS instances that are not ECS bare metal instances. If you run the plug-in on an instance that is not an ECS bare metal instance, the system prompts you that the instance is not an ECS bare metal instance and then exits the plug-in. 
acs-plugin-manager --exec --plugin=ecs_disable_intel_hyper-threading

Manage security patches

Security vulnerabilities on ECS instances must be fixed in a timely manner. Otherwise, serious security risks may arise. The patch_manager plug-in can be used to scan for and install security patches on ECS instances.

  • Scan for security patches.
    acs-plugin-manager --exec --plugin=patch_manager --params --operation,scan
  • Install the security patches and have the instance restarted if required.
    acs-plugin-manager --exec --plugin=patch_manager --params --operation,install,--reboot,ifneed
  • Install the security patches without restarting the instance.
    acs-plugin-manager --exec --plugin=patch_manager --params --operation,install,--reboot,no