Using Diversity to Provide Redundancy of Virtual Machines

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016299772-A1
Application number	US-201514684411-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 12, 2015
Priority date	Apr 12, 2015
Publication date	Oct 13, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Concepts and technologies are disclosed herein for using diversity to provide redundancy of virtual machines. A server computer that executes an orchestrator application can receive a virtual machine instantiation request. The server computer can analyze the request to determine needs associated with a virtual machine (including a redundancy requirement). The server computer can obtain resource availability data that indicates availability of resources and includes diversity data used to provide diversity-based redundancy of the virtual machine. The server computer can identify a pool of resources and identify, among the pool, two or more resources. The two or more resources can include a most diverse group of resources of the pool of resources and can be identified based upon the diversity data. The server computer can trigger instantiation of the virtual machine and a copy of the virtual machine on the resources.

First claim

We claim:

1 . A method comprising:
receiving, at a server computer that executes an orchestrator application, a virtual machine instantiation request from a requestor; analyzing, by the server computer, the virtual machine instantiation request to determine needs associated with a virtual machine, the needs comprising a redundancy requirement; obtaining, by the server computer, resource availability data that indicates availability of resources and comprises diversity data that is used to provide diversity-based redundancy of the virtual machine; identifying, by the server computer, a pool of resources capable of providing the needs associated with the virtual machine; identifying, by the server computer, a plurality of resources of the pool of resources, wherein the plurality of resources comprises a most diverse group of resources of the pool of resources, and wherein the plurality of resources is identified based upon the diversity data; and triggering, by the server computer, instantiation of a plurality of virtual machines on the plurality of resources, wherein the plurality of virtual machines comprises the virtual machine and a copy of the virtual machine.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the diversity data comprises data selected from a group of data consisting of vendor information, geographic location information, building information, rack information, row information, virtualization environment information, and power feed information.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the resource availability data is provided by a resource monitor that monitors the resources.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the resource availability data is provided by the resources.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein triggering the instantiation comprises issuing, by the server computer, a plurality of commands to the plurality of resources, wherein the plurality of commands cause the plurality of resources to instantiate the plurality of virtual machines.

6 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
detecting a failure of one of the plurality of virtual machines; determining that a failed virtual machine should be replaced; determining that enhanced redundancy is to be provided for the failed virtual machine; determining a number of new virtual machines to be instantiated to provide the enhanced redundancy; identifying a further pool of resources that are capable of providing the needs associated with the new virtual machines; identifying a further plurality of resources of the further pool of resources, wherein the further plurality of resources comprises a most diverse group of the further pool of resources; and triggering instantiation of the new virtual machines on the further plurality of resources.

7 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
detecting a failure of one of the plurality of virtual machines; determining that a failed virtual machine should not be replaced; and repairing the failed virtual machine.

8 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
detecting a failure of one of the plurality of virtual machines; determining that a failed virtual machine should be replaced; determining that enhanced redundancy is not to be provided for the failed virtual machine; and replacing the failed virtual machine with a single new virtual machine.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of resources are located at a single data center.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of resources are located at a plurality of data centers.

11 . A system comprising:
a processor; and a memory that stores computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising
receiving a virtual machine instantiation request from a requestor,
analyzing the virtual machine instantiation request to determine needs associated with a virtual machine, the needs comprising a redundancy requirement,
obtaining resource availability data that indicates availability of resources and comprises diversity data that is used to provide diversity-based redundancy of the virtual machine,
identifying a pool of resources capable of providing the needs associated with the virtual machine,
identifying a plurality of resources of the pool of resources, wherein the plurality of resources comprises a most diverse group of resources of the pool of resources, and wherein the plurality of resources is identified based upon the diversity data, and
triggering instantiation of a plurality of virtual machines on the plurality of resources, wherein the plurality of virtual machines comprises the virtual machine and a copy of the virtual machine.

12 . The system of claim 11 , wherein identifying the plurality of resources comprises analyzing a plurality of host names for the plurality of resources to determine diversity between the plurality of resources, wherein the plurality of host names are formatted in a dotted string format that comprises the diversity data.

13 . The system 11 , wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations further comprising:
detecting a failure of one of the plurality of virtual machines; determining that a failed virtual machine should not be replaced; and repairing the failed virtual machine.

14 . The system 11 , wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations further comprising:
detecting a failure of one of the plurality of virtual machines; determining that a failed virtual machine should be replaced; determining that enhanced redundancy is not to be provided for the failed virtual machine; and replacing the failed virtual machine with a single new virtual machine.

15 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations further comprising:
detecting a failure of one of the plurality of virtual machines; determining that a failed virtual machine should be replaced; determining that enhanced redundancy is to be provided for the failed virtual machine; determining a number of new virtual machines to be instantiated to provide the enhanced redundancy; identifying a further pool of resources that are capable of providing the needs associated with the new virtual machines; identifying a further plurality of resources of the further pool of resources, wherein the further plurality of resources comprises a most diverse group of the further pool of resources; and triggering instantiation of the new virtual machines on the further plurality of resources.

16 . A computer storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:
receiving a virtual machine instantiation request from a requestor; analyzing the virtual machine instantiation request to determine needs associated with a virtual machine, the needs comprising a redundancy requirement; obtaining resource availability data that indicates availability of resources and comprises diversity data that is used to provide diversity-based redundancy of the virtual machine; identifying a pool of resources capable of providing the needs associated with the virtual machine; identifying a plurality of resources of the pool of resources, wherein the plurality of resources comprises a most diverse group of resources of the pool of resources, and wherein the plurality

Assignees

• At & T Ip I Lp

Inventors

• Seenappa Vikram
• Mhatre Vivek

Classifications

• G06F2201/815

  Virtual · CPC title

• G06F2009/45591

  Monitoring or debugging support · CPC title

• H04L41/0654

  using network fault recovery (ring fault isolation or reconfiguration in loop networks without recovery actions by a network management system H04L12/437) · CPC title

• H04L41/0806

  for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play · CPC title

• G06F11/202

  where processing functionality is redundant (redundant communication control functionality G06F11/2005, redundant storage control functionality G06F11/2089) · CPC title