Managing Virtual Machines According to Network Bandwidth

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016170787-A1
Application number	US-201414570185-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 15, 2014
Priority date	Dec 15, 2014
Publication date	Jun 16, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A server cloud contains multiple physical servers. A NIC controller device is on a first physical server in the server cloud. The NIC controller device establishes a maximum network bandwidth percentage for the first physical server in the server cloud. The maximum network bandwidth percentage is a percentage of a total network bandwidth capability designed for the first physical server. Response time for operational requests to one or more virtual machines on the first physical server changes beyond a predefined differential in response to the maximum network bandwidth percentage being reached. In response to the NIC controller device on the first physical server determining that the maximum network bandwidth percentage for the first physical server is exceeded, a cloud service hypervisor device moves one or more virtual machines on the first physical server to a second physical server in the server cloud.

First claim

1 - 7 . (canceled)

8 . A computer program product for managing virtual machines that execute on physical servers in a server cloud, wherein said computer program product comprises a computer readable storage medium having program code embodied therewith, wherein said computer readable storage medium is not a transitory signal per se, and wherein said program code is readable and executable by a processor to perform a method comprising:
establishing a first maximum network bandwidth percentage for a first physical server in the server cloud, wherein the first maximum network bandwidth percentage is a percentage of a total network bandwidth capability designed for the first physical server, and wherein response time for operational requests to one or more virtual machines on the first physical server changes beyond a predefined differential in response to the first maximum network bandwidth percentage being reached; determining, by a network interface card (NIC) controller device on the first physical server, that the first maximum network bandwidth percentage for the first physical server is exceeded; and in response to the NIC controller device on the first physical server determining that the first maximum network bandwidth percentage for the first physical server is exceeded, moving, by a cloud service hypervisor device, one or more virtual machines on the first physical server to a second physical server in the server cloud.

9 . The computer program product of claim 8 , wherein the first physical server supports a first set of virtual machines and a second set of virtual machines, and wherein the method further comprises:
prioritizing the first set of virtual machines over the second set of virtual machines; and moving, by the server cloud hypervisor device, the virtual machines from the second set of virtual machines to the second physical server until a network bandwidth percentage for the first physical server drops below the first maximum network bandwidth percentage, wherein virtual machines from the first set of virtual machines remain on the first physical server.

10 . The computer program product of claim 9 , wherein the method further comprises:
prioritizing the first set of virtual machines over the second set of virtual machines according to a length of time that applications have been continuously executing on the virtual machines.

11 . The computer program product of claim 9 , wherein the method further comprises:
prioritizing the first set of virtual machines over the second set of virtual machines according to a dependency on the virtual machines by other virtual machines.

12 . The computer program product of claim 9 , wherein the method further comprises:
predicting future demands on the first physical server based on a quantity of virtual machines in the first set of virtual machines.

13 . The computer program product of claim 8 , wherein the method further comprises:
determining that the maximum network bandwidth percentage is reached in response to the response time changing asymptotically.

14 . The computer program product of claim 8 , wherein the method further comprises:
summing network bandwidth requirements for all virtual machines executing in the first physical server; and determining that the first maximum network bandwidth percentage for the first physical server is exceeded based on summed network bandwidth requirements for all virtual machines executing in the first physical server.

15 . A system comprising:
a server cloud, wherein the server cloud comprises multiple physical servers; a network interface card (NIC) controller device on a first physical server in the server cloud, wherein the NIC controller device:
establishes a first maximum network bandwidth percentage for the first physical server in the server cloud, wherein the first maximum network bandwidth percentage is a percentage of a total network bandwidth capability designed for the first physical server, and wherein response time for operational requests to one or more virtual machines on the first physical server changes beyond a predefined differential in response to the first maximum network bandwidth percentage being reached; and
determines that the first maximum network bandwidth percentage for the first physical server is exceeded; and
a cloud service hypervisor device that, in response to the NIC controller device on the first physical server determining that the first maximum network bandwidth percentage for the first physical server is exceeded, moves one or more virtual machines on the first physical server to a second physical server in the server cloud.

16 . The system of claim 15 , wherein the first physical server supports a first set of virtual machines and a second set of virtual machines, and wherein the cloud service hypervisor device further:
prioritizes the first set of virtual machines over the second set of virtual machines; and moves the virtual machines from the second set of virtual machines to the second physical server until a network bandwidth percentage for the first physical server drops below the first maximum network bandwidth percentage, wherein virtual machines from the first set of virtual machines remain on the first physical server.

17 . The system of claim 16 , wherein the cloud service hypervisor device further:
prioritizes the first set of virtual machines over the second set of virtual machines according to a length of time that applications have been continuously executing on the virtual machines.

18 . The system of claim 16 , wherein the cloud service hypervisor device further:
prioritizes the first set of virtual machines over the second set of virtual machines according to a dependency on the virtual machines by other virtual machines.

19 . The system of claim 16 , wherein the cloud service hypervisor device further:
predicts future demands on the first physical server based on a quantity of virtual machines in the first set of virtual machines.

20 . The system of claim 16 , wherein the cloud service hypervisor device further:
sums network bandwidth requirements for all virtual machines executing in the first physical server; and determines that the first maximum network bandwidth percentage for the first physical server is exceeded based on summed network bandwidth requirements for all virtual machines executing in the first physical server.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Decusatis Casimer M
• Suffern Edward S
• Weaver Laura A

Classifications

• H04L41/0896

  Bandwidth or capacity management, i.e. automatically increasing or decreasing capacities (flow or congestion control using dynamic resource allocation, e.g. in-call renegotiation, H04L47/76) · CPC title

• H04L41/122

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

• G06F9/45558 Primary

  Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects · CPC title

• H04L47/821

  Prioritising resource allocation or reservation requests · CPC title

• G06F9/5077

  Logical partitioning of resources; Management or configuration of virtualized resources (specific details on emulation or internal functioning of virtual machines G06F9/455) · CPC title