Application Load Balancer (ALB) supports subscription resource plans. After an ALB resource plan takes effect, it automatically offsets the Load Balancer Capacity Unit (LCU) fees and instance fees of ALB. ALB resource plans are more cost-effective than the pay-as-you-go billing method. You can specify the time when you want your resource plans to take effect. ALB resource plans are suitable for enterprises on a fixed budget.
Benefits
Ready to use
When you purchase an ALB resource plan, you can specify the time when the resource plan takes effect. After a resource plan takes effect, Alibaba Cloud automatically uses the resource plan to offset LCU fees and instance fees. You do not need to configure the resource plan.
Multiple sizes
ALB resource plans provide 1,000 to 100,000 LCUs to meet the business requirements of various enterprises. You can purchase multiple ALB resource plans to meet your business requirements.
Cost effective
ALB resource plans are more cost-effective than the pay-as-you-go billing method. ALB resource plans of larger sizes provide LCUs at lower unit prices. You can purchase ALB resource plans to reduce the networking costs of your ALB service.
Regions
Area | Region |
Chinese mainland | China (Qingdao), China (Beijing), China (Zhangjiakou), China (Ulanqab), China (Hangzhou), China (Shanghai), China (Shenzhen), China (Chengdu), China (Guangzhou), and China (Heyuan) |
Outside the Chinese mainland | China (Hong Kong), Japan (Tokyo), Singapore, Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur), Indonesia (Jakarta), US (Virginia), US (Silicon Valley), Germany (Frankfurt), UK (London), South Korea (Seoul), Philippines (Manila), Thailand (Bangkok), SAU (Riyadh - Partner Region), and Mexico |
Resource plan sizes and pricing
The prices listed in the following table are for reference only. The prices on the buy page shall prevail.
Size | Number of LCUs | Price (USD) |
Mini | 1,000 LCU | 7 |
Small | 10,000 LCU | 69 |
Medium | 50,000 LCU | 340 |
Large | 100,000 LCU | 665 |
Usage rules
Item | Description |
Purchase ALB resource plans |
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Fees that can be offset by ALB resource plans | Instance and LCU fees. Important ALB resource plans cannot be used to offset the Internet data transfer fees of ALB. |
Offset rules |
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Purchase a resource plan
Purchase guide
Select a resource plan based on the scale of your business, the region where your NLB instance resides, and the time when you want the resource plan to take effect.
Procedure
Log on to the ALB console.
In the left-side navigation pane, choose ALB > ALB Resource Plan.
On the ALB Resource Plan page, click Buy Now.
On the ALB Resource Plan (International Site) page, set the Regions, Service Plan Size, Quantity, and Activation Time parameters referring to the following table, click Buy Now, then complete the payment.
Parameter
Description
Regions
Select the area where the resource plan applies, either Mainland China or Outside Mainland China.
Service Plan Size
Select how many resource fees the resource plan can offset. Each option corresponds to a specific number of Load Balancer Capacity Units (LCUs), duration in days for instance fees, and data transfer size.
Quantity
Specify the number of resource plans you want to purchase.
Activation Time
Select when you want the resource plan to take effect: Immediately after Payment or at a Custom time you specify.
Select Custom Time
Specify the time for the resource plan to take effect. This parameter is available only when Activation Time is set to Custom.
Validity Period
Indicate the validity period for the resource plan, which is fixed at 1 Year.
View resource plan usage
Log on to the ALB console.
In the left-side navigation pane, choose ALB > ALB Resource Plan.
On the ALB Resource Plan page, click View Resource Plans.
On the Manage Reserved Instances page, view the resource plan instances you have and detailed resource plan usage.
On the Instances tab, check the resource plan name, instance ID, total capacity, remaining capacity, start time, and end time of each resource plan.
Set Effective At, Account, and Instance Name to query the resource plan records you want.
Click Customize Column Options in the upper-right corner to select which columns you want to display.
Click Export to export the displayed data. On the Export Record page, click Download to download the exported data.
Click the Details tab, and check detailed resource plan usage.
Set Start Time, Account, Instance Name, Deducted instance ID, and Billing Cycle of Deducted Product to query the resource plan usage records you want.
Click Customize Column Options in the upper-right corner to select which columns you want to display.
Click Export to export the displayed data. On the Export Record page, click Download to download the exported data.
Set an alert for your resource plan usage
With alerts set, when the resource plan usage threshold is reached, the system sends you notifications via text messages, emails, and/or internal messages.
Log on to the ALB console.
In the left-side navigation pane, choose ALB > ALB Resource Plan.
On the ALB Resource Plan page, click View Resource Plans.
On the Manage Reserved Instances page, click Set Remaining Quota Alert in the upper-right corner.
In the Set Remaining Quota Alert dialog box, set the resource plan usage threshold to trigger an alert referring to the following information, then click OK.
Set Remaining Quota Alert Uniformly: Turn on Enable Alert to set the same threshold for all your resource plans.
Remaining Quota Proportion: Specify the percentage of remaining resource plan capacity that, when reached, triggers an alert.
Resource Package Name: To set different alerts for resource plans, turn on Enable Alert for specific resource plans and specify Remaining Quota Proportion for them individually as either 5%, 10%, 20%, or 30%.
In the top navigation bar, hover your cursor over the
icon, then click Message Settings.On the Common Settings page, select Notifications of Product Expiration, then click Add Message Recipient at the bottom of the page.
In the Modify Contact dialog box, select contacts to receive notifications, then click Save.
FAQs
When does an ALB resource plan take effect?
If you select Immediately after Payment when you purchase an ALB resource plan, the ALB resource plan immediately takes effect after you complete the payment.
If you select Custom when you purchase an ALB resource plan, the ALB resource plan takes effect at the specified time.
Are ALB resource plans applied based on the purchase time?
If you purchase multiple ALB resource plans, ALB preferentially applies the ALB resource with the earliest expiration time.
Can I export the usage details of an ALB resource plan?
Yes, you can export the usage details of an ALB resource plan. You can view various information, such as the ID of the ALB instance to which the resource plan applies, the number of LCUs deducted by time, and the fees that are offset. For more information, see View the usage details of an ALB resource plan.
Can I request a refund after I purchase an ALB resource plan?
No, you cannot request a refund for an ALB resource plan. After an ALB resource plan expires, unused LCUs are automatically cleared. You cannot transfer the unused LCUs to another resource plan.
Are ALB resource plans more cost-effective than the pay-as-you-go billing method of ALB?
Except for the smallest size, ALB resource plans are more cost-effective than the pay-as-you-go billing method. Larger sizes provide LCUs at lower unit prices.
Can I purchase multiple ALB resource plans?
Yes, you can purchase multiple ALB resource plans. The resource plan with the earliest expiration time is preferentially applied.
Do I need to configure an ALB resource plan after I purchase it?
No, you do not need to configure an ALB resource plan after you purchase it. You only need to specify the time when an ALB resource plan takes effect when you purchase the resource plan.
How can I view the information about an ALB resource plan?
You can view the basic information and usage details about a resource plan in the Expenses and Costs console. You can search for resource plans by specifying parameters such as Effective Time and view the remaining LCUs and offset details about resource plans on the Instances page.