Feedback Control for Computer Systems
by Philipp K. Janert · first published 2013
82% recommend9% neutral9% critical
Why HN recommends it
An introductory guide to applying control theory, including PID, to software systems. It suits working engineers without formal control theory training who want practical feedback-loop ideas for services.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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I started reading the O'Reilly book "Feedback Control for Computer Systems" by Philipp K. Janert about applying feedback control to software systems, and I liked what I read so far a lot: http://shop.oreilly.com/product/0636920028970.do PID is in there, along with lots of other…
on “PID Theory Explained (2011)” ↗It's an excellent book for folks who haven't been exposed to this stuff [1] before, but it could be called "Cybernetics for Dummies" (I don't mean that in a bad way!) I can recommend "Feedback Control for Computer Systems" by Philipp Janert [2], but the real underlying treasure is understanding Cybernetics. For that, try "Introduction to Cybernetics" by W. Ross Ashby [3]. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Control_theory…
on “The Best Textbooks on Every Subject” ↗…up & down, but I have used it to regulate requests from a batch process to a production service, scaling the request rate up and down in order to avoid overloading the service. Philip Janert's book "Feedback Control for Computer Systems" had everything I needed to know to understand control theory & implement it for my particular scenario. Great book.
on “Microscaling containers to maintain queue length using control theory” ↗…actually-about-Knative material. So that whole section wound on the cutting room floor. Maybe another time. In terms of books I felt helped me the most down this road, here's a reasonable reading list I'd point to: Feedback Control for Computer Systems: Introducing Control Theory to Enterprise Programmers, by Philipp Janert. Short, to-the-point introduction to basic classical control theory using PID controllers. Matching Supply with Demand: An Introduction to Operations Management by Cachon and Terweisch.…
on “Observations on Observability” ↗I can recommend also "Feedback Control for Computer Systems, Introducing Control Theory to Enterprise Programmers" by Philipp Janert http://shop.oreilly.com/product/0636920028970.do
on “PID Without a PhD (2016) [pdf]” ↗I can recommend "Feedback Control for Computer Systems, Introducing Control Theory to Enterprise Programmers" by Philipp Janert
on “Control theory for fun and profit” ↗I also just finished Thinking in Systems and really liked it. I think Feedback Control for Computer Systems[0] is a bit more on the side of a working software engineer (python2 though). Probabilistic Robotics[1] is also an technical approach on control and feedback. [0]: https://www.amazon.com/Feedback-Control-Computer-Systems-Int...…
on “Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?” ↗Feedback Control for Computer Systems Philipp K. Janert https://janert.me/books/feedback-control-for-computer-system...
on “The Fundamentals of Control Theory” ↗oh most definitely yes. there is an introductory o'reilly book as well "feedback control for computer systems" which is pretty good.
on “PID Without a PhD (2016) [pdf]” ↗Feedback Control for Computer Systems: Introducing Control Theory to Enterprise Programmers May be something you want.
on “Ask HN: Best Books on Systems Theory?” ↗…comprehensive way on a board like this. It also depends on what tools you have available to you - some cloud tools make this easier than building your own. There's a great book that covers this in great detail - Feedback Control for Computer Systems: https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/feedback-control-for/97.... I've implemented many of the tactics here with great success.
on “Ask HN: Dealing with Back Pressure in Messaging System” ↗…textbooks on control theory. For how to apply control theory to software problems there seems to be much less material though. Glyn Normington recommended the following book in another comment thread: Feedback Control for Computer Systems Philipp K. Janert 330 pages O’Reilly (2013) ISBN: 978-1449361693
on “An experiment in elastically scaling a thread pool using a PID controller” ↗Thanks for the recommendation! It would never have occurred to me to look at robotics, but I can understand why that's very relevant. I read Feedback Control for Computer Systems not too long ago, which felt like yet another restatement of the same ideas; I guess that counts as "classic control theory".
on “Kalman Filter Explained Simply” ↗