Metadata service provisioning in a cloud environment

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11620147-B2
Application number	US-201916372530-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 2, 2019
Priority date	Apr 2, 2019
Publication date	Apr 4, 2023
Grant date	Apr 4, 2023

Abstract

In an approach a computer receives a first request from a metadata service to store metadata for a virtual machine (VM). The computer validates the metadata service. The computer stores the metadata for the VM in response to the validation being successful. The computer receives a second request from the VM for the metadata. The computer sends the metadata to the VM.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer implemented method for customizing a cloud based virtual machine, the method comprising:
receiving, by one or more processors, a first request from a metadata service to store metadata for a virtual machine (VM);
validating, by the one or more processors, the metadata service;
storing, by the one or more processors, the metadata for the VM in response to a validation of the metadata service being successful;
receiving, by the one or more processors, a first request from the VM for the metadata;
sending, by the one or more processors, the metadata to the VM;
receiving, by the one or more processors, a second request from the metadata service to store updated metadata for the VM;
revalidating, by the one or more processors, the metadata service;
storing, by the one or more processors, the updated metadata for the VM in response to the revalidation being successful;
receiving, by the one or more processors, a second request from the VM for the updated metadata; and
sending, by the one or more processors, the updated metadata to the VM.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first request from the VM is received through an inner security channel, and the sending the metadata to the VM comprises: sending, by the one or more processors, the metadata to the VM via the inner security channel.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the inner security channel comprises a shared memory for a hypervisor.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second request from the VM is sent by the VM in response to the updated metadata being detected by the VM, and wherein the updated metadata is consumed by the VM to support a live metadata update in the VM.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the updated metadata is detected by the VM based on a comparison between the stored metadata in the VM and the updated metadata, wherein the comparison is a selection from a group consisting of: a timestamp comparison, a version number comparison, and a digest comparison.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein validating the metadata service comprises:
determining, by the one or more processors, whether the metadata service is registered as a valid service based on a selection from a group consisting of: a record, an XML file, and an access control list database within a hypervisor; and
responsive to determining the metadata service is registered as the valid service, determining, by the one or more processors, whether the metadata service results in a validation of the metadata based on a selection from a group consisting of: a token, symmetric encryption, and an asymmetric encryption.

7. A computer system for customizing a cloud based virtual machine, the computer system comprising:
one or more computer processors;
one or more computer readable storage media;
program instructions stored on the one or more computer readable storage media for execution by at least one of the one or more computer processors, the program instructions comprising:
the program instructions to receive a first request from a metadata service to store metadata for a virtual machine (VM);
the program instructions to validate the metadata service;
the program instructions to store the metadata for the VM in response to the validation of the metadata service being successful;
the program instructions to receive a first request from the VM for the metadata;
the program instructions to send the metadata to the VM;
the program instructions to receive a second request from the metadata service to store updated metadata for the VM;
the program instructions to revalidate the metadata service;
the program instructions to store the updated metadata for the VM in response to the revalidation being successful;
the program instructions to receive a second request from the VM for the updated metadata; and
the program instructions to send the updated metadata to the VM.

8. The computer system of claim 7 , wherein the first request from the VM is received through an inner security channel, and the sending the metadata to the VM comprises: the program instructions to send the metadata to the VM via the inner security channel.

9. The computer system of claim 8 , wherein the inner security channel comprises a shared memory for a hypervisor.

10. The computer system of claim 7 , wherein the second request from the VM is sent by the VM in response to the updated metadata being detected by the VM, and wherein the updated metadata is consumed by the VM to support a live metadata update in the VM.

11. The computer system of claim 10 , wherein the updated metadata is detected by the VM based on a comparison between the stored metadata in the VM and the updated metadata, wherein the comparison is a selection from a group consisting of: a timestamp comparison, a version number comparison, and a digest comparison.

12. The computer system of claim 7 , wherein the validating the metadata service further comprises the program instructions, stored on the one or more computer readable storage media, to:
determine whether the metadata service is registered as a valid service based on a selection from a group consisting of: a record, an XML file, and an access control list database within a hypervisor; and
responsive to determining the metadata service is registered as the valid service, determine whether the metadata service results in a validation of the metadata based on a selection from a group consisting of: a token, symmetric encryption, and an asymmetric encryption.

13. A computer program product for customizing a cloud based virtual machine, the computer program product comprising:
one or more computer readable storage media and program instructions stored on the one or more computer readable storage media, the program instructions comprising:
program instructions to receive a first request from a metadata service to store metadata for a virtual machine (VM);
program instructions to validate the metadata service;
program instructions to store the metadata for the VM in response to the validation of the metadata service being successful;
program instructions to receive a first request from the VM for the metadata;
program instructions to send the metadata to the VM;
program instructions to receive a second request from the metadata service to store updated metadata for the VM;
program instructions to revalidate the metadata service;
program instructions to store the updated metadata for the VM in response to the revalidation being successful;
program instructions to receive a second request from the VM for the updated metadata; and
program instructions to send the updated metadata to the VM.

14. The computer program product of claim 13 , wherein the first request from the VM is received through an inner security channel, and the sending the metadata to the VM comprises: sending the metadata to the VM via the inner security channel.

15. The computer program product of claim 14 , wherein the inner security channel comprises a shared memory for a hypervisor.

16. The computer program product of claim 13 , wherein the second request from the VM is sent by the VM in response to the updated metadata being detected by the VM, and wherein the updated metadata is consumed by the VM to support a live metadata update in the VM.

17. The computer program product of claim 16 , wherein the updated metadata is detected by the VM based on a comparison between the stored metadata in the VM and the updated metadata, wherein the comparison is a selection from a group consisting of: a timestamp comparison, a ver

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Yang Na Fei
• Ji Chen
• Rui Huang
• Zheng Xiao Mei
• Meng Xian Dong

Classifications

• G06F2009/45587

  Isolation or security of virtual machine instances · CPC title

• G06F2009/45583

  Memory management, e.g. access or allocation · CPC title

• H04L67/10 Primary

  in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network (software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46) · CPC title

• G06F9/45558 Primary

  Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects · CPC title

• H04L67/51

  Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services · CPC title