System and method for providing a dynamic cloud with subnet administration (sa) query caching

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016127495-A1
Application number	US-201514924281-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 27, 2015
Priority date	Oct 30, 2014
Publication date	May 5, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A system and method support can subnet management in a cloud environment. During a virtual machine migration in a cloud environment, a subnet manager can become a bottleneck point that delays efficient service. A system and method can alleviate this bottleneck point by ensuring a virtual machine retains a plurality of addresses after migration. The system and method can further allow for each host node within the cloud environment to be associated with a local cache that virtual machines can utilize when re-establishing communication with a migrated virtual machine.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method for supporting subnet management in a cloud environment, comprising:
providing, within the cloud environment, a plurality of host nodes including a first host node, the first host node being associated with at least a first hypervisor and a first host channel adapter; providing, on the first host node, a first virtual machine, the first virtual machine being associated with a plurality of addresses; and migrating the first virtual machine from the first host node to a provided second host node of the plurality of host nodes within the cloud environment, the second host node being associated with at least a second hypervisor and a second host channel adapter; wherein each of the plurality of host nodes comprise a local cache; each local cache comprising one or more path records.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the migrating the first virtual machine from the first host node to the provided second host node within the cloud environment comprises:
detaching the first virtual machine from the first hypervisor, the detaching the first virtual machine from the first hypervisor comprising detaching a first virtual function associated with the first virtual machine from the first virtual machine; providing the plurality of addresses associated with the first virtual machine to the second host node; assigning the plurality of addresses to a second virtual function, the second virtual function being associated with the second hypervisor; migrating the first virtual machine from the first host node to a second virtual machine on the second host node; and exposing the second virtual machine to the plurality of addresses associated with the first virtual machine.

3 . The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
after migrating the first virtual machine from the first host node to the provided second host node within the cloud environment, establishing communication between the second virtual machine and a third virtual machine, the third virtual machine being provided on a third host node of the plurality of host nodes; wherein the first virtual machine and the third virtual machine were in communication prior to the first virtual machine migrating from the first host node to the provided second host node within the cloud environment.

4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein establishing communication between the second virtual machine and a third virtual machine comprises:
storing, within a local cache associated with the third host node, a first path record, the first path record comprising at least the plurality of addresses associated with the first virtual machine; detecting, by the third host node, a break in communication when the first virtual machine migrates from the first host node to the provided second host node; looking up, by the third host node, the first path record in the local cache associated with the third host node; and based at least upon the first path record, establishing communication between the second virtual machine and a third virtual machine.

5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the first path record is created based upon a query regarding the plurality of addresses associated with the first virtual machine sent by the third host node to a subnet manager, the subnet manager being associated with the cloud environment.

6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein after the first path record is created, no further queries regarding the plurality of addresses associated with the first virtual machine are sent by the third host node to the subnet manager.

7 . The method of claim 5 , wherein in response to the query regarding the plurality of addresses associated with the first virtual machine sent by the third host node to the subnet manager, the subnet manager returns a marked path record, the marked path record comprising a path caching enabled mark, the path caching enabled mark indicating that the first path record persists across the break in communication.

8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein in response to another query to the subnet manager regarding another plurality of addresses associated with another virtual machine provided on another host of the plurality of host nodes, the subnet manager returns another marked path record, the another marked path record comprising a path caching enabled mark, the path caching enabled mark indicating that the another path record persists across another break in communication.

9 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the communication between the second virtual machine and the third virtual machine is based on the InfiniBand protocol.

10 . The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
after migrating the first virtual machine from the first host node to the provided second host node within the cloud environment, establishing communication between the second virtual machine and a third entity, the third entity being one of a physical host, a storage device, or another entity previously communicating over the InfiniBand protocol with migrated first virtual machine; storing, within a local cache associated with the third entity, a first path record, the first path record comprising at least the plurality of addresses associated with the first virtual machine; detecting, by the third entity, a break in communication when the first virtual machine migrates from the first host node to the provided second host node; looking up, by the third entity, the first path record in the local cache associated with the third entity; and based at least upon the first path record, establishing communication between the second virtual machine and the third entity, wherein the first virtual machine and the third entity were in communication prior to the first virtual machine migrating from the first host node to the provided second host node within the cloud environment.

11 . A system supporting subnet management in a cloud environment, the system comprising:
one or more microprocessors; and a processor, running on the one or more microprocessors, wherein the processor operates to perform steps comprising:
providing, within the cloud environment, a plurality of host nodes including a first host node, the first host node being associated with at least a first hypervisor and a first host channel adapter;
providing, on the first host node, a first virtual machine, the first virtual machine being associated with a plurality of addresses; and
migrating the first virtual machine from the first host node to a provided second host node of the plurality of host nodes within the cloud environment, the second host node being associated with at least a second hypervisor and a second host channel adapter;
wherein each of the plurality of host nodes comprise a local cache; each local cache comprising one or more path records.

12 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the processor operates to perform further steps comprising:
detaching the first virtual machine from the first hypervisor, the detaching the first virtual machine from the first hypervisor comprising detaching a first virtual function associated with the first virtual machine from the first virtual machine; providing the plurality of addresses associated with the first virtual machine to the second host node; assigning the plurality of addresses to a second virtual function, the second virtual function being associated with the second hypervisor; migrating the first virtual machine from the first host node to a second virtual machine on the second host node; and exposing the second virtual machine to the plurality of addresses associated with the first virtual machine.

13 . The system of claim 12

Assignees

• Oracle Int Corp

Inventors

• Tasoulas Evangelos
• Johnsen Bjørn Dag
• Gran Ernst Gunnar

Classifications

• G06F9/4856

  resumption being on a different machine, e.g. task migration, virtual machine migration (G06F9/5088 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H04W4/60

  Subscription-based services using application servers or record carriers, e.g. SIM application toolkits · CPC title

• H04L67/34

  involving the movement of software or configuration parameters  (network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416) · CPC title

• H04L67/1097 Primary

  for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS] · CPC title

• H04L49/351

  for local area network [LAN], e.g. Ethernet switches · CPC title