Using virtual provisioning machines to provision devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9304800-B1
Application number	US-201213535496-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Jun 28, 2012
Priority date	Jun 28, 2012
Publication date	Apr 5, 2016
Grant date	Apr 5, 2016

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed for establishing a connection between a provisioning environment having one or more virtual provisioning machines associated therewith and a set of devices located remotely from the provisioning environment, and for facilitating establishment of a provisioned state for the set of remote devices based at least in part on a provisioning state associated with the virtual provisioning machines.

First claim

That which is claimed is:

1. A provisioning system, comprising:
a provisioning server comprising a virtual provisioning machine, wherein the provisioning server comprises:
at least one memory storing computer-executable instructions, and
at least one processor configured to access the at least one memory to execute the computer-executable instructions to:
establish a first connection between the provisioning server and a first remote device located remotely from the provisioning system,
receive from the first remote device and store in at least a portion of the at least one memory allocated to the virtual provisioning machine computer-executable provisioning instructions and provisioning data,
establish a temporary provisioning state of the virtual provisioning machine using the computer-executable provisioning instructions and the provisioning data,
terminate the first connection between the provisioning server and the first remote device,
establish a second connection between the provisioning server and a second remote device located remotely from the first remote device and from the provisioning system,
cause a provisioned state of the second remote device to be established using the temporary provisioning state of the virtual provisioning machine by, at least in part, executing a first portion of the computer-executable provisioning instructions to cause a second portion of the computer-executable provisioning instructions to be transmitted to the second remote device and executed by the second remote device to establish the provisioned state of the second remote device, and
transfer execution control to the second remote device to cause one or more additional remote devices to be provisioned based at least in part on the provisioned state of the second remote device.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the provisioned state established for the second remote device comprises an operational configuration of the second remote device.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is configured to cause the provisioned state of the second remote device to be established by executing the computer-executable instructions to:
store a snapshot representative of the temporary provisioning state of the virtual provisioning machine in one or more storage devices, wherein the snapshot comprises the computer-executable provisioning instructions and the provisioning data;
initiate establishment of the provisioned state of the second remote device based at least in part on the temporary provisioning state of the virtual provisioning machine;
terminate the second connection between the provisioning server and the second remote device prior to establishment of the provisioned state of the second remote device;
delete the virtual provisioning machine;
rebuild the virtual provisioning machine, wherein rebuilding the virtual provisioning machine comprises re-establishing the temporary provisioning state of the virtual provisioning machine using the snapshot;
establish a third connection between the provisioning device and the second remote device; and
cause the provisioned state of the second remote device to be established using the re-established temporary provisioning state of the virtual provisioning machine.

4. The system of claim 2 , wherein execution of the first portion of the computer-executable provisioning instructions further causes at least a portion of the provisioning data to be transmitted to the second remote device in order to establish the operational configuration of the second remote device.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to access the at least one memory to execute the computer-executable instructions to:
transmit the first portion of the computer-executable provisioning instructions to the second remote device,
wherein transfer of the execution control to the second remote device causes the first portion of the computer-executable provisioning instructions transmitted to the second remote device to be executed to cause a third remote device of the one or more additional remote devices to receive at least one of: the second portion of the computer-executable provisioning instructions or the at least a portion of the provisioning data from the second remote device.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein an operational configuration of the third remote device is established based at least in part on the operational configuration of the second remote device.

7. A method, comprising:
establishing a virtual provisioning machine on a provisioning device forming at least part of a provisioning system;
establishing a first connection between the provisioning device and a first remote device located remotely from the provisioning system;
receiving, by the provisioning device from the first remote device, computer-executable provisioning instructions and provisioning data;
storing the computer-executable provisioning instructions and the provisioning data in memory allocated to the virtual provisioning machine;
establishing, using the computer-executable provisioning instructions and the provisioning data, a temporary provisioning state of the virtual provisioning machine;
terminating the first connection between the provisioning device and the first remote device;
establishing a second connection between the provisioning device and a second remote device located remotely from the first remote device and the provisioning system;
causing a provisioned state of the remote device to be established using the temporary provisioning state of the virtual provisioning machine by, at least in part, executing a first portion of the computer-executable provisioning instructions to cause a second portion of the computer-executable provisioning instructions to be transmitted to the second remote device and executed by the second remote device to establish the provisioned state of the second remote device; and
transferring execution control to the remote device to cause one or more additional remote devices to be provisioned based at least in part on the provisioned state of the second remote device.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein causing the provisioned state of the remote device to be established further comprises:
storing a snapshot representative of the temporary provisioning state of the virtual provisioning machine in one or more storage devices, wherein the snapshot comprises the computer-executable provisioning instructions and the provisioning data;
initiating establishment of the provisioned state of the second remote device based at least in part on the temporary provisioning state of the virtual provisioning machine;
terminating the second connection between the provisioning device and the second remote device prior to establishment of the provisioned state of the second remote device;
deleting the virtual provisioning machine;
rebuilding the virtual provisioning machine, wherein rebuilding the virtual provisioning machine comprises re-establishing the temporary provisioning state of the virtual provisioning machine using the snapshot;
establishing a third connection between the provisioning device and the second remote device; and
causing the provisioned state of the second remote device to be established using the re-established temporary provisioning state of the virtual provisioning machine.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein causing the provisioned state of the second remote device to be established further comprises:
transmitting, to the second remote device, at least one of: the first portion of the computer-executable provisioning instructions or at least a portion of the provisioning data.

10. The metho

Assignees

• Scholl Thomas Bradley
• Brandwine Eric Jason
• Hansen Zachary J
• Lotz Richard M
• Amazon Tech Inc

Inventors

• Scholl Thomas Bradley
• Brandwine Eric Jason
• Hansen Zachary J
• Lotz Richard M

Classifications

• G06F2009/45562

  Creating, deleting, cloning virtual machine instances · CPC title

• G06F9/45537 Primary

  Provision of facilities of other operating environments, e.g. WINE (I/O emulation G06F13/105) · CPC title

• G06F9/45558

  Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects · CPC title

• G06F9/5077 Primary

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