Frequently Asked Questions about INVOKE

Can I use INVOKE to schedule start and stop EC2 instances?

Yes. You can schedule a group of servers to shut down and come up on-demand, when users need by typing the URL or by logging into INVOKE and clicking the “start” action at the scheduled time.

Can INVOKE handle multiple EC2 instances of the same application?

Yes. You can group EC2 instances per application and assign priority to bring them up and down.

Can INVOKE bring servers up in defined order?

Yes, while configuring the domains you can specify the order in which you would like the servers to come up.

Can INVOKE work with EC2 instances which run beyond Elastic Load Balancer (ELBs)?

Yes, INVOKE can bring up and down EC2 instances which are beyond ELBs.

How is INVOKE different from EC2 scheduler or other third-party schedulers?

INVOKE can do more than just starting and stopping EC2 instances as per schedule. It can bring up the whole environment associated with an application manually (on-demand) or automatically whenever an end user starts accessing the application.

How to automate shutting down the instance when it is not in use?

You can use CloudWatch alarm (CPU usage monitoring). You can configure CloudWatch alarm to stop the EC2 instance whenever CPU usage is below a certain percentage. One thing to remember is to ensure you select the right percentage for shutdown or use an internal script to check other live connections such as SSH/RDP before initiating the shutdown.

Can INVOKE manage RDS, if RDS is part of an application?

Yes. You can bring up RDS instances as part of your application.

Is INVOKE a SaaS Solution?

Currently, INVOKE is an IaaS solution that runs within your account. A SaaS version will be available soon.

Does INVOKE integrate with other tools/applications?

INVOKE has rich REST APIs available for other applications to interact.

How secure is INVOKE?

INVOKE instance itself is well secured with proper Security Group and IAM role policy. Our application is scanned for Java security vulnerabilities.

How many instances does INVOKE infrastructure need to run it?

INVOKE requires just one EC2 instance on a very small EC2 instance type such as t2.micro/small. It is a lightweight application that does not cost too much.

Is INVOKE available in HA environment?

Yes. You can configure a CloudWatch Alarm to auto-start the INVOKE EC2 instance.

Is INVOKE supported only in AWS?

Currently, it is supported only in AWS.

Is INVOKE a DevOps tool?

INVOKE is more than a DevOps tool. In DevOps, only infrastructure, security developers, QA testers, and application stakeholders work together to deliver agile functionality. Our tool does more than that. INVOKE not only facilitates collaboration among different role players but also includes the end users who will be using the applications. We call INVOKE a TeamOps tool.

We have multiple AWS accounts. Do I need to run INVOKE in each account?

No. You need just one INVOKE instance hosted from any one of your AWS accounts. With proper security controls, this single INVOKE EC2 instance can manage multiple application environments (EC2 and/or RDS) centrally in an AWS organization setup.

Do you have a mobile app to manage INVOKE?

Though there is no separate mobile app, the INVOKE UI is built using responsive design which renders well on mobile devices too.

Do you have detailed reporting on INVOKE Activity?

Yes, every activity within INVOKE Cloud is logged as an Alert, and super admins can access the activity log on an as-needed basis.

Do you have RBAC for managing INVOKE?

Yes. Multiple users can manage just the resources allocated to them.

How much would it cost to run INVOKE?

The cost depends on the type of EC2 machine used, with T2.medium being common for most installations; this requirement may change based on load.

What happens after my trial period ends?

You will need to purchase a license from us to continue using INVOKE Cloud within your account.

Can I use INVOKE for my production environment?

Yes, as long as the application is not needed 24x7. There may be cases where production applications are used from 8AM to 6PM Monday to Friday. You can use our scheduler feature in these scenarios. Alternatively, users can initiate the application on-demand by typing the application URL in their browser (note that users might experience a slight delay in accessing the application with this approach).

How does support work?

You receive basic email support. If you're looking for quicker turnaround time support, please reach out to us to discuss it.

Can I try your product for free for a while?

Yes, all our versions are free for the first 30 days.

Do I need to do anything if I want to continue after my trial period?

No. You do not need to redeploy the product from the marketplace. Your current product will be billed after the first month.