Storage optimization selection within a virtualization environment

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9286087-B2
Application number	US-201313799776-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 13, 2013
Priority date	Mar 30, 2010
Publication date	Mar 15, 2016
Grant date	Mar 15, 2016

Abstract

Storage optimization selection for virtual disks of a virtualization environment, where the storage optimization can be selected based in part on the disk type of a virtual disk included in a virtual machine. The disk type of the virtual disk can be discovered by the virtualization environment which queries a database within the virtualization environment for metadata associated with the virtual disk. The metadata can be created when a virtual desktop infrastructure creates the virtual disk, and a virtual machine template that includes the at least one virtual disk. The virtual disk can be modified to either include or be associated with the metadata that describes a disk type of the virtual disk. Upon executing the virtual machine that includes the modified virtual disk, a storage subsystem of the virtualization environment can obtain the metadata of the virtual disk to discover the disk type of the virtual disk.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for modifying a virtual disk within a virtualization environment, the method comprising:
creating, by a virtual desktop infrastructure executing on a computing machine, a virtual machine template comprising at least one virtual disk;
modifying, by the virtual desktop infrastructure, the at least one virtual disk to comprise metadata describing a disk type of the at least one virtual disk, the at least one virtual disk specifying a storage location for the metadata, the metadata including a field for recording the disk type, the disk type being a characterization of the functions performed by the virtual disk;
selecting, by the virtual desktop infrastructure, the virtual machine template for a user using at least one of user performance metrics, virtual machine metrics, and a user request;
allocating, by the virtual desktop infrastructure, the virtual machine template to the user;
receiving, by a storage subsystem executing on the computing machine, the metadata for the at least one virtual disk from the storage location; and
selecting, by the storage subsystem, a storage optimization for the at least one virtual disk using the disk type.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising copying the virtual machine template to create a second virtual machine template comprising the at least one virtual disk comprising the metadata describing the disk type.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein modifying the virtual disk to comprise metadata describing the disk type further comprises modifying the virtual disk to comprise metadata describing an operating system image disk type.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein modifying the virtual disk to comprise metadata describing the disk type further comprises modifying the virtual disk to comprise metadata describing a non-persistent cache disk type.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein modifying the virtual disk to comprise metadata describing the disk type further comprises modifying the virtual disk to include metadata describing an image customization disk type.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising attaching, by the storage subsystem, optimized storage to an instance of a virtual machine using the selected storage optimization.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the storage optimization comprises at least one of creating a local in-memory cache of a common parent in a snapshot chain, re-ordering writes to the virtual disk, acknowledging writes before committing to the virtual disk, using local storage, and disabling other storage optimizations.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the disk type comprises at least one of an operating system image disk type, a non-persistent cache disk type, and an image customization disk type.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the storage optimization comprises at least one of creating a local in-memory cache of a common parent in a snapshot chain, re-ordering writes to the virtual disk, acknowledging writes before committing to the virtual disk, using local storage, and disabling other storage optimizations.

10. A system for modifying a virtual disk within a virtualization environment, the system comprising:
a virtual desktop infrastructure executing on a computing machine to:
create a virtual machine template comprising at least one virtual disk,
modify, responsive to creating the virtual machine template, the at least one virtual disk to comprise metadata describing a disk type of the at least one virtual disk, the at least one virtual disk specifying a storage location for the metadata, wherein the metadata is extended to include a field for recording the disk type, the disk type being a characterization of the functions performed by the virtual disk, the disk type identifying a storage location for the at least one virtual disk;
select the virtual machine template for a user using at least one of user performance metrics, virtual machine metrics, and a user request;
allocate the virtual machine template to the user; and

a storage subsystem executing on the computing machine to:
receive the metadata for the at least one virtual disk from the storage location; and
select a storage optimization for the at least one virtual disk using the disk type.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the virtual desktop infrastructure copies the virtual machine template to create a second virtual machine template comprising the at least one virtual disk comprising the metadata describing the disk type.

12. The system of claim 10 , wherein the metadata describes an operating system image disk type.

13. The system of claim 10 , wherein the metadata describes a non-persistent cache disk type.

14. The system of claim 10 , wherein the metadata describes an image customization disk type.

15. The system of claim 10 , wherein the storage subsystem attaches optimized storage optimized to an instance of a virtual machine using the selected storage optimization.

16. The system of claim 10 , wherein the storage optimization comprises at least one of creating a local in-memory cache of a common parent in a snapshot chain, re-ordering writes to the virtual disk, acknowledging writes before committing to the virtual disk, using local storage, and disabling other storage optimizations.

17. A method for selecting a storage optimization for a virtual disk within a virtualization environment, the method comprising:
booting, by a virtual desktop infrastructure executing on a computing machine, an instance of a virtual machine utilizing a virtual machine template comprising at least one virtual disk;
obtaining, by the virtual desktop infrastructure, metadata of the at least one virtual disk, the metadata describing a disk type, the disk type being a characterization of the functions performed by the virtual disk;
determining, by the virtual desktop infrastructure, the disk type using the metadata;
providing, by the virtual desktop infrastructure to a storage subsystem executing on the computing machine, the disk type for the at least one virtual disk;
selecting, by the storage subsystem, a storage optimization for the at least one virtual disk using the disk type; and
attaching, by the storage subsystem, optimized storage to the instance of the virtual machine using the selected storage optimization.

Assignees

• Citrix Systems Inc

Inventors

• Sharp Richard
• Scott David

Classifications

• G06F3/0605 Primary

  by facilitating the interaction with a user or administrator · CPC title

• G06F3/0664

  at device level, e.g. emulation of a storage device or system · CPC title

• G06F3/0689

  Disk arrays, e.g. RAID, JBOD · CPC title

• G06F9/455 Primary

  Emulation; Interpretation; Software simulation, e.g. virtualisation or emulation of application or operating system execution engines · CPC title

• G06F21/6218

  to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database · CPC title