Globally distributed utility computing cloud

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9578088-B2
Application number	US-201313866621-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 19, 2013
Priority date	Sep 15, 2005
Publication date	Feb 21, 2017
Grant date	Feb 21, 2017

Abstract

Teachings of this application include a computing network that may include multiple different data centers and/or server grids which are deployed in different geographic locations. In at least one embodiment, at least some of the server grids may be operable to provide on-demand, grid and/or utility computing resources for hosting various types of distributed applications. In at least one embodiment, a distributed application may be characterized as an application made up of distinct components (e.g., virtual appliances, virtual machines, virtual interfaces, virtual volumes, virtual network connections, etc.) in separate runtime environments. In at least one embodiment, different ones of the distinct components of the distributed application may be hosted or deployed on different platforms (e.g., different servers) connected via a network. In some embodiments, a distributed application may be characterized as an application that runs on two or more networked computers.

First claim

It is claimed:

1. A method for migrating a virtual appliance from a first server grid to a second server grid via a communication network, the method comprising:
running a first instance of the virtual appliance at the first server grid, wherein the first server grid has associated therewith a first portion of virtualized computing resources representing computing resources associated with a first plurality of physical servers, wherein the first instance of the virtual appliance has associated therewith a first instance of a virtual machine and a first instance of a virtual volume;
identifying a first portion of updated or modified data relating to a first disk image stored at the first instance of the virtual volume, for use by the first instance of the virtual appliance;
establishing a connection over the communication network from the first server grid to the second server grid;
transferring, to the second server grid, information relating to the first portion of updated or modified data relating to the first disk image;
modifying, using the first portion of updated or modified data, a second disk image for use by a second instance of the virtual appliance at the second server grid; and
starting, using the modified second disk image, the second instance of the virtual appliance at the second server grid;
wherein the second instance of the virtual appliance includes a second instance of the virtual machine and a second instance of the virtual volume.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the first instance of the virtual appliance has associated therewith current virtual appliance state information representing a current state of the first instance of the virtual appliance as of a specific time T, the method further comprising:
storing the first disk image at the first instance of the virtual volume; and
starting, using the modified second disk image, the second instance of the virtual appliance at the second server grid at a first state corresponding to the current state of the first instance of the virtual appliance as of the specific time T.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the first instance of the virtual appliance has associated therewith current virtual appliance state information representing a current state of the first instance of the virtual appliance as of a specific time T, wherein the first instance of the virtual appliance includes a first virtual machine having associated therewith current virtual appliance state information representing a current state of the first instance of the virtual appliance as of a specific time T the method further comprising:
starting, using the modified second disk image, the second instance of the virtual appliance at the second server grid at a first state corresponding to the current state of the first instance of the virtual appliance as of the specific time T;
wherein the starting of the second instance of the virtual appliance at the second server grid includes starting, at the second server grid, an instance of the first virtual machine at a state corresponding to the current state of the first virtual machine as of the specific time T.

4. A method for migrating a virtual appliance from a first server grid to a second server grid via a communication network, the method comprising:
running a first instance of the virtual appliance at the first server grid, wherein the first server grid has associated therewith a first portion of virtualized computing resources representing computing resources associated with a first plurality of physical servers, wherein the first instance of the virtual appliance has associated therewith a first instance of a virtual machine and a first instance of a virtual volume;
establishing a connection over the communication network from the first server grid to the second server grid;
transferring, to the second server grid, first virtual appliance information relating to the first instance of the virtual appliance, wherein the first virtual appliance information includes virtual appliance descriptor information and virtual appliance configuration information;
starting, using the first virtual appliance information, the second instance of the virtual appliance at the second server grid; and
wherein the second instance of the virtual appliance includes a second instance of the virtual machine.

5. The method of claim 1 :
wherein the first instance of the virtual appliance has associated therewith current virtual appliance state information representing a current state of the first instance of the virtual appliance as of a specific time T;
wherein said identifying further comprises identifying, while the first instance of the virtual appliance is running on the first server grid, the first portion of updated or modified data relating to the first disk image;
wherein said transferring further comprises transferring, to the second server grid while the first instance of the virtual appliance is running at the first server grid, the first disk image;
wherein said modifying further comprises modifying, using the first disk image transferred to the second server grid and using the first portion of updated or modified data, the second disk image to thereby generate the modified second disk image; and
wherein said starting further comprises starting, using the modified second disk image, the second instance of the virtual appliance at the second server grid at a first state corresponding to the current state of the first instance of the virtual appliance as of the specific time T.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
identifying a first geographic location where the first server grid is deployed; and
identifying a second geographic location where the second server grid is deployed;
wherein the second geographic location is different than the first geographic location.

7. A system for migrating a virtual appliance from a first server grid of computer network to a second server grid of the computer network, the system comprising:
at least one processor;
at least one interface operable to provide a communication link to at least one network device; and
memory;
the system being operable to:
run a first instance of the virtual appliance at the first server grid, wherein the first server grid has associated therewith a first portion of virtualized computing resources representing computing resources associated with a first plurality of physical servers, wherein the first instance of the virtual appliance has associated therewith a first instance of a virtual machine and a first instance of a virtual volume;
store, at the first instance of the virtual volume, a first disk image for use by the first instance of the virtual appliance;
identify a first portion of updated or modified data relating to the first disk image;
establish a connection over the communication network from the first server grid to the second server grid;
transfer, to the second server grid, information relating to the first portion of updated or modified data relating to the first disk image;
modify, using the first portion of updated or modified data, a second disk image for use by a second instance of the virtual appliance at the second server grid; and
start, using the modified second disk image, the second instance of the virtual appliance at the second server grid; wherein the second instance of the virtual appliance includes a second instance of the virtual machine and a second instance of the virtual volume.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the first instance of the virtual appliance has associated therewith current virtual appliance state information representing a current state of the first instance of the virtual appliance as of a specific time T, the system being furthe

Assignees

• Ca Inc

Inventors

• Nickolov Peter
• Armijo Bert
• Miloushev Vladimir

Classifications

• G06F9/5072

  Grid computing · CPC title

• H04L67/34

  involving the movement of software or configuration parameters  (network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416) · CPC title

• H04L67/1031

  Controlling of the operation of servers by a load balancer, e.g. adding or removing servers that serve requests · CPC title

• H04L69/32

  Architecture of open systems interconnection [OSI] 7-layer type protocol stacks, e.g. the interfaces between the data link level and the physical level · CPC title

• H04L67/10 Primary

  in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network (software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46) · CPC title