A workstation is the top-level management unit in InferX. After a workstation is created, the system automatically generates a Base URL and API key as the unified entry point for all services in the workstation.
Create a workstation
A workstation is an LLM intelligent routing service bound to a group that shares its name. All services in the workstation belong to that group.
Log in to the PAI console. In the left navigation pane, choose Model Deployment > InferX.
If this is your first time, click Create Workstation on the welcome page.
If a workstation already exists, click the current workstation name in the upper-right corner and create a new one.
Configure the following parameters:
Parameter
Description
Workstation Name
Custom name. Use lowercase letters, digits, and underscores. The name must start with a lowercase letter and cannot be changed after creation.
Resource Type
Select Public Resource Group (pay-as-you-go, suitable for quick testing) or Resource Quota (pre-purchased resources, suitable for production).
Deployment Resources
Resources allocated to the intelligent routing component that receives and forwards requests. Default: 2 replicas, 4 CPU cores, and 8 GB of memory. For production workloads, increase the replica count to improve routing stability.
Scheduler Resource Configuration
Resources allocated to the scheduling management component. Default: 2 CPU cores and 4 GB of memory.
Gateway Selection
Select Shared Gateway or Dedicated Gateway:
Shared Gateway: Free, with no SLA guarantee. Suitable for development and testing.
Dedicated Gateway: Requires a paid subscription. Supports public network allowlists, VPC allowlists, and cross-region deployment. Recommended for production. For details, see Use a dedicated gateway.
VPC Configuration
Optional. Configure the VPC, vSwitch, and security group for the workstation.
NoteA VPC is required when using Redis.
Redis Configuration
Optional. When enabled, user data and usage statistics are persisted in Alibaba Cloud Tair (Redis-compatible). Without Redis, data is stored in local memory only and is lost when the service stops. We recommend that you configure Redis for production environments.
Choose a configuration method based on whether you already have a Redis instance:
Create a new Instance: Recommended when you need to create a new instance. The system automatically creates a Tair instance and configures the allowlist.
After you click Create a Tair instance, the Tair instance creation progress appears. Do not refresh the page during this process. If you refresh the page, go to the Tair console to complete the remaining steps. After creation, the Redis address, Redis username (default: default), and Redis password are displayed. Store this information securely.
Select Existing Instance: If you have an existing Tair or Redis instance in your account, select it to avoid creating a duplicate instance and incurring additional costs.
Manual Input: The Redis instance and the workstation must be in the same VPC; otherwise, the connection will fail.
Review the total cost at the bottom, then click Create Workstation.
View calling information
After the workstation is created, click Call Information in the upper-right corner to view the Base URL and API key for calling inference services.
Base URL: Provides both public and VPC access addresses. The VPC address offers lower latency and incurs no public traffic costs. Use the VPC address when the caller and the workstation are in the same VPC.
API Key: Used for request authentication. Include the API key in HTTP request headers as
Authorization: Bearer <API_KEY>. Click the copy icon to get the full key.
Delete a workstation
Before deleting the workstation, delete all Inference Service and KV Cache services in the workstation. Deletion cannot be undone. Make sure no important requests are being processed before you proceed.
Click Details in the upper-right corner to open the workstation details panel.
At the bottom of the details panel, click Delete Workstation, then click OK.
Upgrade the engine version
When a new version of the LLM intelligent routing engine is released, you can upgrade in one of the following ways without recreating the workstation.
Method 1: Quick upgrade from the workstation details panel
This method upgrades directly to the latest version without version selection. It is suitable when you only need the latest version and do not need to view release notes.
Click Details in the upper-right corner to open the workstation details panel.
In the Workstation Version area at the bottom of the panel, if the current version is not the latest, an Upgradable tag appears. Click Click here to upgrade.
In the confirmation dialog box, click Confirm Upgrade. The upgrade takes about 5 minutes. During this period, your service may be affected. We recommend that you perform the upgrade during off-peak hours.
Method 2: Select a version from the intelligent routing service list
This method allows you to select a target version (upgrade or downgrade) from a version list and view the release notes for each version.
In the left-side navigation pane of InferX, click Service to go to the intelligent routing service list.
Find the target service and click Upgrade Version in the Operation column.
In the version list that appears, view the release notes for each version, select a target version, and then click OK.
LLM intelligent routing engine release notes
The following table describes the changes in each version of the LLM intelligent routing engine.
Version | Changes |
v0.5.0 |
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v0.4.0 |
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v0.3.0 |
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v0.2.0 |
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