Universal Storage Capacity Package GSCP

Product Introduction

The general storage capacity package (GSCP) is a prepaid storage capacity sales format derived from general storage capacity (GSC):

• General storage capacity (GSC): Measured in GB, it is a virtual storage capacity measurement method applicable to all cloud disk types, and serves as the benchmark unit for measuring the size of GSCP;
• GSC is a product-level capacity measurement that can be used to offset the costs of both CDS cloud disks and snapshot capacity;
• There is an offset coefficient between the general capacity and each billing item of the product. Using the offset coefficient, GSC can be adjusted into cloud disk capacity and snapshot capacity.

GSCP can offset post-payment invoices for various types of cloud disks and snapshots simultaneously. Unlike existing prepaid and postpaid billing models, GSCP maintains long-term prepaid discounts (e.g., 17% off for 1 year, 50% off for 3 years) and integrates flexibly with pay-as-you-go cloud disks, allowing you to modify cloud disk capacity and quantity anytime as needed. This achieves a combination of cost-efficiency from prepaid storage and the scalability of post-payment cloud disk creation.

Application scenarios

Typical application scenarios of GSCP:

• Frequent collaboration and adjustments are required between different operating environments (e.g., development, testing, and production environments), such as in DevOps or microservices scenarios.
• Multiple projects are incubated concurrently, requiring frequent application delivery and release based on project lifecycles, such as in container cloud-native environments or mobile gaming scenarios.

In these scenarios, a user’s account may need to manage multiple cloud disks, with uncertain creation dates and service durations for each disk. In the context of utilizing:

• Drawbacks of prepayment: Fixed purchase duration and configurations may result in unused disk time, and refund limitations for prepaid cloud disks could lead to unnecessary financial expenses.
• Drawbacks of post-payment: While each disk offers flexibility in usage time, the cost can become significant when using large-capacity disks for extended periods. Additionally, post-payment makes it difficult to assess or plan actual usage requirements, leading to high labor costs for enterprises and complex financial processes.

Attributes of GSCP

• Single region: GSCP has a regional attribute. Only post-payment bills of cloud disks and snapshots in all availability zones of the region can be directly offset by the purchased GSCP. For cloud disks in other regions, you need to purchase GSCP in the corresponding regions;
• Limited capacity: (1) If the total capacity of all post-payment cloud disks + total capacity of snapshot chains in the current region ≤ the purchased GSCP capacity, the costs of cloud disks or snapshots can be directly offset by GSCP, with no additional post-payment bills generated; if the total capacity of all post-payment cloud disks + total capacity of snapshot chains in the current region > the purchased GSCP capacity, the excess part will incur additional post-payment bills;
• Limited validity period: GSCP can only offset post-payment cloud disk costs in the region when it is active and within its validity period. After the GSCP expires, it can no longer offset the costs of in-use post-payment cloud disks or snapshots in the region, and the corresponding cloud disks or snapshots will start generating post-payment bills;
• Automatic offset: GSCP starts offsetting costs immediately after activation. All CDS post-payment resources in the region are automatically offset by GSCP without manual operation. To view offset capacity and billing information, go to the console’s Finance > Consumption Center > Billing Details to check CDS billing data;
• Stackable usage: If you purchase multiple GSCPs, they can be used in a stacked manner to offset costs cumulatively in bills. Please reasonably plan the capacity of post-payment resources and purchase GSCPs of appropriate specifications before use;
• Activation at the top of the hour: Currently, GSCP only supports activation at the top of the hour. If you select “activate immediately at the next top of the hour” during purchase, the GSCP will be automatically activated at the next top of the hour after successful purchase. If you specify an activation time during purchase, you can set any future top-of-the-hour time.

Offset coefficients

• Base UNIT PRICE: 1 GB GSC / month = RMB 1
• The offset coefficient is the conversion factor between GSC and each billing item of CDS cloud disks;
• The offset coefficient table is key data for GSCP, and coefficients will be adjusted in sync with product pricing.

For CDS, the offset coefficients between GSC and each billing item are as follows:

Offset examples

If you purchase a 100 GB GSCP, the combinations of post-payment disks it can offset are as follows:

Description:

• Offset capacity is retained to three decimal places;
• The following examples include only post-payment cloud disks, excluding snapshots. Snapshot costs will apply if snapshots are created.

GSCP specifications and pricing

• GSCP offers three validity options: 6 months, 1 year, and 3 years;
• The 1-year GSCP is 15% off the post-payment price, and the 3-year GSCP is 50% off the post-payment price;
• Currently, GSCP is available for purchase in North China - Beijing, North China - Baoding, East China - Suzhou, and South China - Guangzhou. Purchases in other regions are temporarily unavailable.

For detailed prices, see Cloud Disk Service (CDS) Pricing Instructions.

Expiration reminders

• When a general storage capacity package (GSCP) expires, its service will be suspended immediately, and it will no longer be used for deducting resource bill fees;
• After expiration, the capacity package will be retained for 7 days and will be automatically deleted 7 days after expiration;
• The system will send you reminder messages 7/3/1 days before the expiration date. Please pay close attention;
• Renewing capacity packages is not currently supported. If a capacity package expires, please purchase a new one promptly and set its effective time.