Device discovery in a virtualized environment

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12260238-B2
Application number	US-202117153091-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 20, 2021
Priority date	Jan 20, 2021
Publication date	Mar 25, 2025
Grant date	Mar 25, 2025

Abstract

In one aspect, an example methodology implementing the disclosed techniques includes receiving, by a systems management console, a network address of a device in a virtual environment, and determining a network address associated with a virtual environment management console based on the received network address of the device in the virtual environment. The method also includes sending, by the systems management console via a systems management agent to the virtual environment management console using the determined network address associated with the virtual environment management console, a request for network addresses of virtual machine (VM) host servers and VMs in the virtual environment. The method also includes receiving, by the systems management console via the systems management agent from the virtual environment management console, the network addresses of the VM host servers and the VMs in the virtual environment and providing a notification of the discovered VM host servers and VMs.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer implemented method to discover reachable devices in a virtual environment, the method comprising:
providing a systems management console including a systems management agent configured to communicate with a virtual environment management console, the virtual environment management console hosted on a virtual management server and configured to manage a virtual environment;
receiving, by the systems management console, a network address of a device in the virtual environment;
determining, by the systems management console, a network address associated with the virtual environment management server from the received network address of the device in the virtual environment;
sending, by the systems management console via the systems management agent to the virtual environment management console using the determined network address associated with the virtual environment management server, a request for network addresses of virtual machine (VM) host servers and VMs in the virtual environment;
receiving, by the systems management console via the systems management agent from the virtual environment management console, the network addresses of the VM host servers and the VMs in the virtual environment; and
providing, by the systems management console, a notification of the VM host servers and the VMs discovered in the virtual environment.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the network address is an Internet Protocol (IP) address.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein receiving the network address of the device in the virtual environment comprises receiving a network address of a computing device that is hosting the virtual environment management console.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein receiving the network address of the device in the virtual environment comprises receiving a network address of a VM host server in the virtual environment, and wherein determining the network address associated with the virtual environment management server comprises initiating an internal command using the network address of the VM host server.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein receiving the network address of the device in the virtual environment comprises receiving a network address of a VM in the virtual environment, and wherein determining the network address associated with the virtual environment management server comprises receiving, from the VM, the network address associated with the virtual environment management server in response to sending to the VM a request for the network address associated with the virtual environment management console.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising, in response to the request for the network address associated with the virtual environment management server, initiating, by the VM, a software program to determine the network address associated with the virtual environment management server.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, in response to the request for network addresses of VM host servers and VMs in the virtual environment, obtaining, by the virtual environment management console via an operating system passthrough channel from individual VM host servers, the network addresses of the VMs being hosted by the individual VM host server.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein providing a notification comprises a notification of at least one VM host server or VM discovered in the virtual environment that is unreachable from the systems management console.

9. A system comprising:
one or more non-transitory machine-readable mediums configured to store instructions; and
one or more processors configured to execute the instructions stored on the one or more non-transitory machine-readable mediums, wherein execution of the instructions causes the one or more processors to,
receive a network address of a device in a virtual environment;
determine a network address associated with a virtual environment management server from the received network address of the device in the virtual environment, the virtual environment management server hosting a virtual environment management console configured to manage the virtual environment;
send, via a systems management agent configured to communicate with a virtual environment management console, a request for network addresses of virtual machine (VM) host servers and VMs in the virtual environment;
receive, via the systems management agent from the virtual environment management console, the network addresses of the VM host servers and the VMs in the virtual environment; and
provide a notification of the VM host servers and the VMs discovered in the virtual environment.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the network address is an Internet Protocol (IP) address.

11. The system of claim 9 , wherein the received network address of the device in the virtual environment is a network address of a computing device that is hosting the virtual environment management console.

12. The system of claim 9 , wherein the received network address of the device in the virtual environment is a network address of a VM host server in the virtual environment management console, and wherein the network address associated with the virtual environment management server is determined via initiation of an internal command using the network address of the VM host server.

13. The system of claim 9 , wherein the received network address of the device in the virtual environment is a network address of a VM in the virtual environment management console, and wherein the network address associated with the virtual environment management server is received from the VM in response to a request for the network address associated with the virtual environment management console sent to the VM.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the VM determines the network address associated with the virtual environment management server via initiation of a software program.

15. The system of claim 9 , wherein the virtual environment management console obtains from individual VM host servers, via an operating system passthrough channel, the network addresses of the VMs being hosted by the individual VM host server.

16. The system of claim 9 , wherein the notification comprises a notification of at least one VM host server or VM discovered in the virtual environment that is unreachable from the systems management console.

17. A computer program product including one or more non-transitory machine-readable mediums encoding instructions that when executed by one or more processors cause a process to be carried out for discovering reachable devices in a virtual environment, the process comprising:
receiving a network address of a device in a virtual environment;
determining a network address associated with a virtual environment management server from the received network address of the device in the virtual environment, the virtual environment management server hosting a virtual environment management console configured to manage the virtual environment;
sending, via a systems management agent configured to communicate with a virtual environment management console, a request for network addresses of virtual machine (VM) host servers and VMs in the virtual environment;
receiving, via the systems management agent from the virtual environment management console, the network addresses of the VM host servers and the VMs in the virtual environment; and
providing a notification of the VM host servers and the VMs discovered in the virtual environment.

18. The computer program product of claim 17 , wherein rece

Assignees

• Dell Products Lp

Inventors

• Sethi Parminder Singh
• Singh Durai
• Kumar Suren

Classifications

• H04L41/122

  of virtualised topologies, e.g. software-defined networks [SDN] or network function virtualisation [NFV] · CPC title

• H04L61/5007

  Internet protocol [IP] addresses · CPC title

• G06F2009/45595

  Network integration; Enabling network access in virtual machine instances · CPC title

• G06F2009/4557

  Distribution of virtual machine instances; Migration and load balancing · CPC title

• G06F9/45558 Primary

  Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects · CPC title