Minimizing guest operating system licensing costs in a processor based licensing model in a virtual datacenter

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016147553-A1
Application number	US-201514609435-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 30, 2015
Priority date	Nov 26, 2014
Publication date	May 26, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Techniques for optimizing guest operating system (OS) utilization cost in a processor based licensing model in a virtual datacenter are described. In one example embodiment, a virtual machine (VM) that has or is scheduled to have an instance of an operating system (OS) that requires a license is identified. Availability of a physical processor of a first host computing system that is licensed to execute the OS based on the computing resource requirements of the VM, the physical processor based license, author assigned affinity to physical processors in the first host computing. system is determined. The VM is then migrated/placed to/on the physical processor of the first host computing system or migrated/placed to/on a physical processor of a second host computing system based on the outcome of the determination.

First claim

1 . A method for minimizing OS licensing costs in a processor based licensing model in a virtual datacenter, comprising:
identifying a virtual machine (VM) that has or is scheduled to have an instance of an operating system (OS) that requires a license; determining whether a physical processor of a first host computing system exists that is licensed to execute the OS based on the computing resource requirements of the VM, the physical processor based license, and/or assigned affinity to physical processors of the first host computing system; and if the first host computing system exists, migrating/placing the VM to/on to a physical processor of the first host computing system.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
if the first host computing system does not exist, migrating/placing the VM to/on a physical processor of a second host computing system by assigning a physical processor based license.

3 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving a request to migrate/place the VM that has or is scheduled to have the instance of the OS that requires license in the virtual datacenter.

4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein receiving the request to migrate/place the VM that has or is scheduled to have the instance of the OS that requires license, comprises:
receiving the request to migrate/place the VM that has or is scheduled to have the instance of the OS that requires license in the virtual datacenter upon virtual datacenter startup/provisioning, upon generating a recommendation for manually placing a VM during runtime, and/or from a dynamic resource scheduler (DRS)/a dynamic power management (DPM) during runtime.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the computing: resource requirements are compute requirements, storage requirements and/or network requirements.

6 . A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including instructions that are configured, when executed by a computing system, to perform a method for minimizing guest OS licensing costs in a processor based licensing model in a virtual datacenter, the method comprising:
identifying a virtual machine (VM) that has or is scheduled to have an instance of an operating system (OS) that requires a license; determining whether a physical processor of a first host computing system exists that is licensed to execute the OS based on the computing resource requirements of the VM, the physical processor based license, and/or assigned affinity to physical processors in the first host computing system; and if the first host computing system exists, migrating/placing the VM to/on to a physical processor of the first host computing system.

7 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 6 , further comprising:
if the first host computing system does not exist, migrating/placing the VM to/on a physical processor of a second host computing system by assigning a physical processor based license.

8 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 6 , further comprising:
receiving a request to migrate/place the VM that has or is scheduled to have the instance of the OS that requires license in the virtual datacenter.

9 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 , wherein receiving the request to migrate/place the VM that has or is scheduled to have the instance of the OS that requires license, comprises:
receiving the request to migrate/place the VM that has or is scheduled to have the instance of the OS that requires license in the virtual datacenter upon virtual datacenter startup/provisioning, upon generating a recommendation for manually placing a VM during runtime, and/or from a dynamic resource scheduler (DRS)/a dynamic power management (DPM) during runtime.

10 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 6 , wherein the computing resource requirements are compute requirements, storage requirements and/or network requirements.

11 . A computing system for minimizing guest OS licensing costs in a processor based guest operating system (OS) licensing model in a virtual datacenter, the system comprising:
multiple host computing systems, wherein each host computing system hosting multiple VMs; a guest OS license server; and a management server communicatively coupled to the multiple host computing systems and the guest OS license server, wherein the management server comprising virtual management software (VMS), and wherein the VMS includes a guest OS cost optimization module, and they are configured to:
identify a virtual machine (VM) that has or is scheduled to have an instance of an operating system (OS) that requires a license;
determine whether a physical processor of a first host computing system exists that is licensed to execute the OS based on the computing resource requirements of the VM, the physical processor based license, and/or assigned affinity to physical processors of the first host computing system; and
if the first host computing system exists, migrate/place the VM to/on a physical processor of the first host computing system.

12 . The computing system of claim 11 , further configured to
if the first host computing system does not exist, migrating/placing the VM to/on physical processor of a second host computing, system by assigning a physical processor based license.

13 . The computing system of claim 11 , further configured to:
receiving a request to migrate/place the VM that has or is scheduled to have the instance of the OS that requires license in the virtual datacenter.

14 . The computing system of claim 10 , wherein receiving the request to migrate/place the VM that has or is scheduled to have the instance of the OS that requires license, comprises:
receiving the request to migrate/place the VM that has or is scheduled to have the instance of the OS that requires license in the virtual datacenter upon virtual datacenter startup/provisioning, upon generating a recommendation for manually placing a VM during runtime, and/or front a dynamic resource scheduler (ORS)/a dynamic power management (PPM) during runtime.

15 . The computing system of claim 11 , wherein the computing resource requirements are compute requirements, storage requirements and/or network requirements.

Assignees

• Vmware Inc

Inventors

• Palavalli Amarnath
• Gaurav Kumar
• Kumar T N Ravi

Classifications

• G06Q10/06

  Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling · CPC title

• G06F21/53

  by executing in a restricted environment, e.g. sandbox or secure virtual machine · CPC title

• G06F21/121

  Restricting unauthorised execution of programs · CPC title

• G06Q30/06

  Buying, selling or leasing transactions · CPC title

• G06F9/45545

  Guest-host, i.e. hypervisor is an application program itself, e.g. VirtualBox · CPC title