Wake-on-LAN and instantiate-on-LAN in a cloud computing system

• US 10,078,529 B2
• Filed: 02/19/2016
• Issued: 09/18/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rackspace US Incorporated (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rackspace US Incorporated (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Voccio, Paul, Messerli, Antony Joel, Mick, Jason L., Walsh, Alexander
• Primary Examiner(s): Wai, Eric C
• Application Number:
  US15/048,060
• Publication Number:
  US 20160246639A1
• Time in Patent Office: 942 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/14 Error detection or correction of the data by redundancy in operation G06F11/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1484 involving virtual machines
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/4557 Distribution of virtual machine instances; Migration and load balancing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45575 Starting, stopping, suspending or resuming virtual machine instances
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45595 Network integration; Enabling network access in virtual machine instances
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0605 by facilitating the interaction with a user or administrator
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0617 in relation to availability
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0626 Reducing size or complexity of storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0647 Migration mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/065 Replication mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0664 at device level, e.g. emulation of a storage device or system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0665 at area level, e.g. provisioning of virtual or logical volumes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0673 Single storage device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0689 Disk arrays, e.g. RAID, JBOD
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45533 Hypervisors; Virtual machine monitors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/461 Saving or restoring of program or task context
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4856 resumption being on a different machine, e.g. task migration, virtual machine migration G06F9/5088 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/622 Layer-2 addresses, e.g. medium access control [MAC] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5007 : Internet protocol [IP] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 : in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 : Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

Several different embodiments of a flexible virtual machine management system are described. The virtual machine management system is used to instantiate, wake, move, sleep, and destroy individual operating environments in a cloud or cluster. In various embodiments, the virtual machine management system uses single messages to perform complex operations, allowing for flexible and scalable use of virtual resources in a cluster while still reducing energy consumption to the minimum possible level. In one preferred embodiment, Wake-on-LAN packets are used as the messages.

Claims

1. A system for computation, the system comprising:

a combination hardware/software platform, the hardware portion of the platform including a first network interface card (NIC), a processor, a memory, a computer-readable storage medium, and a power controller;

the software portion of the platform including a hypervisor, associated with a plurality of logical containers, each logical container including a virtual interface,

wherein each logical container is operable to host an operating environment;

wherein each logical container and each operating environment can be in one of a plurality of states, including an active state, an inactive state, and an unallocated state; and

wherein the hypervisor, the logical containers, and the operating environments can be manipulated by a sequence of computer-readable instructions;

wherein, responsive to a first message received at the first NIC, the first message identifying a first virtual interface associated with a first operating environment, the platform is operable to determine a message type of the first message and evaluate whether the identified first operating environment is active; and

take action thereon, wherein when the message type indicates that the identified first operating environment should be in an inactive state, using the processor to execute a sequence of computer-readable instructions that, when executed, when the first operating environment is active, place the first operating environment into the inactive state; and

wherein, responsive to a second message received at the first NIC, the second message identifying the first virtual interface associated with the first operating environment, the platform is operable to determine a message type of the second message and evaluate whether the identified first operating environment is in the inactive state; and

take action thereon, wherein when the message type indicates the first operating environment should be transferred from a first information processing system (IPS) to a second IPS on the platform, using the processor to execute a sequence of computer-readable instructions that, when executed, when the first operating environment is in the inactive state, transfer the first operating environment from the first IPS to the second IPS.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the hardware portion of the platform can be in one of a plurality of states including an active state and a low power state;

wherein the power controller is operable to change the state of the hardware portion of the platform; and

wherein the computer-readable instructions further comprise instructions that, when executed;

after placing the first operating environment into an inactive state, determine whether a second operating environment machine is active on the platform; and

when the second operating environment is not active, place the hardware portion of the platform into a low power state.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the first and second messages use a MAC address to identify the first virtual interface.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first and second messages use an interne protocol address to identify the first virtual interface.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the first and second messages are sent using the Ethernet protocol.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the first message further identifies a particular power state, and wherein placing the first operating environment into the inactive state includes placing the first operating environment into the inactive state indicated by the particular power state.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein placing the first operating environment into the inactive state includes transmitting, by the hypervisor, a plurality of messages to the first operating environment to place the first operating environment into the inactive state.

8. A method for remotely managing a hardware/software platform, the method comprising:

receiving, at a first location, using a network interface card (NIC) associated with a hardware portion of a hardware/software platform, a management packet identifying a first virtual machine associable with the platform, the virtual machine including a logical container and an operating environment;

evaluating said management packet via an instruction processor executing on said platform to determine a message type; and

when the message type is a power indicator message, then;

when the first virtual machine is active, identifying first instruction sequence from the management packet, the first instruction sequence suitable for placing the first virtual machine into an inactive state, and executing the first instruction sequence to place the first virtual machine into the inactive state; and

when the first virtual machine is not active, identifying a second instruction sequence from the management packet, the second instruction sequence suitable for transferring the first virtual machine from a first information processing system (IPS) to a second IPS on the platform; and

executing the second instruction sequence to transfer the first virtual machine from the first IPS to the second IPS.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising the steps of:

after placing the first virtual machine into the inactive state;

determining whether a second virtual machine is active on the same hardware portion of the platform; and

when the second virtual machine is not active, placing the hardware portion of the platform into a lower power state.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the management packet uses a MAC address to identify the first virtual interface.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the management packet uses an internet protocol address to identify the first virtual interface.

12. The method of claim 8 wherein the management packet is sent using the Ethernet protocol.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the first instruction sequence from the management packet further identifies a particular power state, and wherein placing the first operating environment into the inactive state includes placing the first operating environment into the inactive state indicated by the particular power state.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein placing the first operating environment into the inactive state includes transmitting, by the hypervisor, a plurality of messages to the first operating environment to place the first operating environment into the inactive state.

15. A system for computation, the system comprising:

a combination hardware/software platform, the hardware portion of the platform including a first network interface card (NIC), a processor, a memory, a computer-readable storage medium, and a power controller;

the software portion of the platform including a hypervisor associated with a plurality of logical containers, each logical container including a virtual interface;

wherein each logical container is operable to host an operating environment;

wherein each logical container and each operating environment can be in one of a plurality of states, including at least an active state and an inactive state; and

wherein the hypervisor, the logical containers, and the operating environments can be manipulated by a sequence of computer-readable instructions; and

wherein, responsive to a first message received at the first NIC, the first message identifying a first virtual interface associated with a first operating environment, the platform is operable to determine a message type of the first message and evaluate whether the identified first operating environment is active; and

take action thereon, wherein, when the message type indicates that the state of the identified first operating environment should be modified, using the processor to execute a sequence of computer-readable instructions that, when executed, when the first operating environment is active, modify the state of the identified first operating environment to a state indicated by the content of the message; and

wherein, responsive to a second message received at the first NIC, the second message identifying the first virtual interface associated with the first operating environment, the platform is operable to determine a message type of the second message and evaluate whether the identified first operating environment is in the inactive state; and

take action thereon, wherein when the message type indicates the first operating environment should be transferred from a first information processing system (IPS) to a second IPS in the platform, using the processor to execute a sequence of computer-readable instructions that, when executed, when the first operating environment is in the inactive state, transfer the first operating environment from the first IPS to the second IPS.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the hardware portion of the platform can be in one of a plurality of power states, wherein the power controller is operable to change the state of the hardware portion of the platform;

and wherein the computer-readable instructions further comprise instructions that, when executed;

after modifying the state of the identified first operating environment into an inactive state, determine whether a second operating environment machine is active on the platform; and

when the second operating environment is not active, place the hardware portion of the platform into a low power state.

17. The system of claim 15 wherein the first and second messages use a MAC address to identify the first virtual interface.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the first and second messages uses an internet protocol address to identify the first virtual interface.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the software portion further comprises one or more script processors, and wherein the computer-readable instructions further comprise instructions that, when executed, delay modification of the state of the identified first operating environment to satisfy prerequisites associated with the first message received at the first NIC.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the inactive state is one of a standby state, hibernation state, and soft off state.