Evidence-Gated Migration to Vast.ai
Overview
Separate portability from cutover. First identify source-provider dependencies, then prove immutable image, storage, networking, secrets, GPU, and output behavior on a disposable Vast.ai canary before moving production work.
Prerequisites
- Source inventory covering images, accelerators, storage, network, identity, schedules, and cost
- Acceptance thresholds for correctness, throughput, latency, recovery, and total spend
- Versioned data/checkpoint transfer, dual-run or drain plan, and rollback owner
Instructions
Step 1: Freeze source truth
Record source release, image digest, GPU profile, command, secrets interfaces, ports, persistent data, checkpoints, SLOs, and representative outputs.
Step 2: Map Vast.ai equivalents
Choose offer or Serverless profiles, template, disk/volume/cloud-copy route, scoped keys, SSH/network mode, and lifecycle semantics.
Step 3: Prove artifact parity
Run the same image and input sample on one disposable Vast.ai target; verify CUDA, dependencies, output schema, checksums, and external checkpoint recovery.
Step 4: Compare production characteristics
Measure startup, throughput, latency, reliability, bandwidth, storage, interruption recovery, and cost per accepted unit.
Step 5: Cut over reversibly
Quiesce or dual-run according to data semantics, move only verified state, switch a bounded slice, and monitor explicit acceptance gates.
Step 6: Accept or roll back
Promote only if every gate passes. Otherwise restore source routing, reconcile writes and checkpoints, and destroy rejected Vast.ai resources.
Authentication
Translate identity to scoped Vast.ai keys and separate storage/registry credentials. Do not export source-provider credentials into images or long-lived Vast.ai environment variables.
Tool Discipline
Use Read and Grep to inspect manifests, configuration, provider output, and existing tests before proposing a mutation. Use Write or Edit only for the approved plan, implementation, test, or redacted receipt; do not create, update, destroy, or fund Vast.ai resources without explicit operator approval.
Output
- Source-to-Vast dependency and control map
- Canary parity, recovery, performance, and cost evidence
- Cutover or rollback timeline with reconciled data and resource cleanup
Return source/target releases, immutable identities, data checkpoint, acceptance deltas, decision, rollback point, and destroyed resources.
Examples
A Runpod training job keeps its container contract, moves checkpoints to a versioned cloud prefix, proves resume on one Vast.ai canary, then shifts scheduled jobs while the source environment remains available for one rollback window.
Error Handling
| Failure | Response |
|---|---|
| Source dependency has no target equivalent | Design and test an adapter before cutover. |
| Data or output checksums differ | Stop migration and reconcile the semantic difference. |
| Target capacity violates policy | Delay or approve a documented alternate; do not weaken constraints silently. |
| Rollback window closes early | Issue NO-GO until source restoration remains provable. |