Methods and apparatus to manage inter-virtual disk relations in a modularized virtualization topology using virtual hard disks

• US 10,101,915 B2
• Filed: 06/24/2015
• Issued: 10/16/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vmware LLC (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: VMware, Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Uriel, Ilan
• Primary Examiner(s): Rojas, Midys
• Assistant Examiner(s): Doan, Khoa D
• Application Number:
  US14/749,475
• Publication Number:
  US 20160378348A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,210 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45562 Creating, deleting, cloning virtual machine instances
• 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 2009/45579 I/O management, e.g. providing access to device drivers or storage
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5027 the resource being a machine, e.g. CPUs, Servers, Terminals

Abstract

Methods, apparatus and articles of manufacture are disclosed to manage inter-virtual disk relations in a modularized virtualization topology using virtual hard disks. An example method includes, in response to a request to access a first virtual hard disk in a virtual computing environment, determining, with a machine, whether an inter-virtual hard disk rule associated with a second virtual hard disk is invoked and whether a condition of the inter-virtual hard disk rule is satisfied. The example method also includes identifying, with the machine, a response action if the inter-virtual hard disk rule is invoked and the condition is satisfied, and executing the response action with the machine.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

in response to a request to mount or dismount a first virtual hard disk in a virtual computing environment, determining, with a machine, whether an inter-virtual hard disk dependency rule associated with a second virtual hard disk is invoked and whether a condition of the inter-virtual hard disk dependency rule is satisfied;

identifying, with the machine, a response action associated with the inter-virtual hard disk dependency rule if the inter-virtual hard disk dependency rule is invoked and the condition is satisfied; and

executing the response action associated with the inter-virtual hard disk dependency rule with the machine, the response action including mounting the second virtual hard disk to a second virtual machine prior to mounting the first virtual hard disk to a first virtual machine.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the inter-virtual hard disk dependency rule defines the dependency as between the first virtual hard disk and the second virtual hard disk.

3. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first virtual hard disk is mounted to a container.

4. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the inter-virtual hard disk dependency rule is a service associated with a functionality encapsulated in the first virtual hard disk.

5. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the inter-virtual hard disk dependency rule applies to a third virtual hard disk different than the first virtual hard disk.

6. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the request is to mount the first virtual hard disk to the first virtual machine deployed by a first hypervisor, and the response action includes, prior to mounting the first virtual hard disk, deploying the second virtual machine.

7. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the request is to mount the first virtual hard disk to a first container deployed by an operating system, and the response action includes, prior to mounting the first virtual hard disk, (1) deploying a second container and (2) mounting the second virtual hard disk to the second container.

8. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the inter-virtual hard disk dependency rule defines a relationship between the first virtual hard disk and a third virtual hard disk.

9. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein when the first virtual hard disk and the second virtual hard disk are to be mounted to a same virtual machine, the response action including, prior to mounting the first virtual hard disk:

mounting the second virtual hard; and

executing a script stored on the second virtual hard disk and dismounting the second virtual hard disk.

10. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the response action is based on the request corresponding to the first virtual hard disk to be mounted to the first virtual machine and the second virtual hard disk to be mounted to the second virtual machine.

11. An apparatus, comprising:

a request collector to detect a request to mount or dismount a first virtual hard disk in a virtual computing environment; and

a virtual hard disk manager to;

determine whether an inter-virtual hard disk dependency rule associated with a second virtual hard disk is invoked;

determine whether a condition of the invoked inter-virtual hard disk dependency rule is satisfied; and

execute a response action associated with the inter-virtual hard disk dependency rule based on whether the condition is satisfied, the response action including mounting the second virtual hard disk to a second virtual machine prior to mounting the first virtual hard disk to a first virtual machine, the request collector and the virtual hard disk manager implemented by a hardware logic circuit.

12. An apparatus as defined in claim 11, wherein the inter-virtual hard disk dependency rule defines the dependency as between the first virtual hard disk and the second virtual hard disk.

13. An apparatus as defined in claim 11, wherein the inter-virtual hard disk dependency rule is associated with a functionality encapsulated in the first virtual hard disk.

14. An apparatus as defined in claim 11, wherein the inter-virtual hard disk dependency rule is an inter-virtual hard disk dependency rule of a third virtual hard disk different than the first virtual hard disk.

15. An apparatus as defined in claim 11, wherein the request is a request to mount the first virtual hard disk to the first virtual machine deployed by a first hypervisor, and the virtual hard disk manager is to execute the response action by initiating deployment of the second virtual machine.

16. An apparatus as defined in claim 11, wherein the request is a request to mount the first virtual hard disk to a first container deployed by an operating system and the virtual hard disk manager is to execute the response action by (1) initiating deployment of a second container, and (2) mounting the second virtual hard disk to the second container.

17. An apparatus as defined in claim 11, wherein the inter-virtual hard disk dependency rule defines a relationship between the first virtual hard disk and the second virtual hard disk.

18. An apparatus as defined in claim 11, wherein the virtual hard disk manager is to:

determine that the condition associated with the rule is satisfied when the second virtual hard disk is mounted to a virtual machine or a container specified in the request; and

disregard the request, as part of the response action, when the condition is satisfied.

19. An apparatus as defined in claim 11, wherein when the first virtual hard disk and the second virtual hard disk are to be mounted to a same virtual machine, the virtual hard disk manager to execute the response action by, prior to mounting the first virtual hard disk:

mounting the second virtual hard disk; and

executing a script stored on the second virtual hard disk and dismounting the second virtual hard disk.

20. An apparatus as defined in claim 11, wherein the response action is based on the request corresponding to the first virtual hard disk to be mounted to the first virtual machine and the second virtual hard disk to be mounted to the second virtual machine.

21. A tangible machine readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed, cause at least one processor to at least:

detect a request to mount or dismount a first virtual hard disk in a virtual computing environment;

determine whether an inter-virtual hard disk dependency rule associated with a second virtual hard disk is invoked and whether a condition of the inter-virtual hard disk dependency rule is satisfied;

identify a response action if the inter-virtual hard disk dependency rule is invoked and the condition is satisfied; and

execute the response action to mount the second virtual hard disk to a second virtual machine prior to mounting the first virtual hard disk to a first virtual machine.

22. A tangible machine readable medium as defined in claim 21, wherein the inter-virtual hard disk dependency rule defines the dependency as between the first virtual hard disk and the second virtual hard disk.

23. A tangible machine readable medium as defined in claim 21, wherein the first virtual hard disk is mounted to a container.

24. A tangible machine readable medium as defined in claim 21, wherein the inter-virtual hard disk dependency rule is a service associated with a functionality encapsulated in the first virtual hard disk.

25. A tangible machine readable medium as defined in claim 21, wherein the inter-virtual hard disk dependency rule is an inter-virtual hard disk dependency rule of a third virtual hard disk different than the first virtual hard disk.

26. A tangible machine readable medium as defined in claim 21, wherein the instructions further cause the at least one processor to execute the response action by (1) deploying a container, and (2) mounting the second virtual hard disk to the container prior to mounting the first virtual hard disk to the container.

27. A tangible machine readable medium as defined in claim 21, wherein the request is to mount the first virtual hard disk to the first virtual machine deployed by a first hypervisor, and the instructions further cause the at least one processor to, prior to mounting the first virtual hard disk, deploy the second virtual machine.

28. A tangible machine readable medium as defined in claim 21, wherein the request is to mount the first virtual hard disk to a first container deployed by an operating system, and the instructions further cause the at least one processor to, prior to mounting the first virtual hard disk, (1) deploy a second container, and (2) mount the second virtual hard disk to the second container.

29. A tangible machine readable medium as defined in claim 21, wherein the inter-virtual hard disk dependency rule defines a relationship between the first virtual hard disk and a third virtual hard disk.

30. A tangible machine readable medium as defined in claim 21, wherein when the first virtual hard disk and the second virtual hard disk are to be mounted to a same virtual machine, the instructions are to further cause the at least on processor to execute the response action by, prior to mounting the first virtual hard disk:

mounting the second virtual hard disk; and

executing a script stored on the second virtual hard disk and dismounting the second virtual hard disk.