Offset scaling

[alpozcan]

Hi,
We would very much like to get benefits of ephemeral mode without the runner launch delays or capacity waste that would result if we were to keep a pool of N runners.

So my idea is, if the module simply allows a scaling offset (or buffer) of R runners at any given point.
For example, if the current number of concurrently running jobs and runners is two, and if the offset setting is +2, there would be 4 runners in total. When these two jobs finish and there's no more pending jobs in the queue, there would still be 2 runners kept idle (same as the current cron based idle runners config). If there were, say, 5 concurrent jobs at a time, the runner count would scale up to 7.

[npalm]

The runner support a so called pool. This is a set of runners you can keep active. Meant typically for ephemeral runners. Works only with a org deployment

[alpozcan]

Yes but it's a static size pool. What I am suggesting here is a dynamic size for the pool based on the current load.

[npalm]

Ideed, but it was build to support the ephemeral runners. So in that use case it is actually working as a kind of buffer (based on cron as trigger). It scales x extra runners to keep a couple of idle runners. Ready. But improments or other stragies for havig pools are welcome.