Configurable virtual machines

• US 10,120,708 B1
• Filed: 01/18/2016
• Issued: 11/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Panchapakesan, Rajan
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Adam
• Application Number:
  US14/997,693
• Time in Patent Office: 1,023 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 2009/45595 Network integration; Enabling network access in virtual machine instances
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06315 Needs-based resource requirements planning or analysis

Abstract

Systems and methods for configuring a virtual machine provided by a remote computing system based on the availability of one or more remote computing resources and respective corresponding prices of the one or more remote computing resources.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

memory that stores computer-executable instructions;

a processor configured to access the memory, wherein the processor is configured to execute the computer-executable instructions to;

identify remote computing resources and a respective level of availability of each of the remote computing resources, wherein the remote computing resources are remote relative to the system;

determine a respective price of each of the remote computing resources based on the respective level of availability of each of the remote computing resources and a pricing model;

provide an indication of the respective corresponding availability of each of the remote computing resources and the respective corresponding price of each of the remote computing resources;

receive an indication of a selection of one of the remote computing resources, wherein the selection includes a configuration of the selected one of the remote computing resources for a virtual machine;

determine, responsive to the indication of the selection, that the configuration is a feasible configuration of the selected one of the remote computing resources for the virtual machine;

generate, responsive to the determination that a feasible configuration has been selected, configuration data indicative of a configuration of the virtual machine corresponding to the feasible configuration;

transmit the configuration data to the selected one of the remote computing resources; and

allocate the selected one of the remote computing resources to the virtual machine based at least in part on the configuration data, wherein the selected one of the remote computing resources configures the virtual machine using the configuration data.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the remote computing resources comprise:

a processor device;

a memory device;

a storage device;

a graphical processing unit;

a hard disk drive;

a solid state drive;

or

a networking device.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein one of the prices of each of the remote computing resources is valid for a predetermined period of time.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to update a remote computing resource database to modify the level of availability of each of the selected one of the remote computing resources.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the configuration data comprises an identifier of the selected one of the remote computing resources.

6. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a computer system, a selection of a remote computing resource from a user of the remote computing resource, wherein the remote computing resource is remote relative to the computer system and the selection includes a configuration of the remote computing resource for a virtual machine;

determining, by the computer system and responsive to the receiving, that the configuration is a feasible configuration of the remote computing resource for the virtual machine;

generating, using the computer system and responsive to the determining, configuration data indicative of a configuration of the virtual machine corresponding to the feasible configuration;

transmitting, by the computer system, the configuration data to the remote computing resource;

allocating, by the computer system, the identified remote computing resource to the virtual machine for use by the virtual machine based at least in part on the configuration data, wherein the remote computing resource configures the virtual machine using the configuration data; and

providing, by the computer system, the virtual machine to the user responsive to the allocating, wherein the user'"'"'s selection of the remote computing resource is made from a set of remote computing resources.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the remote computing resource comprises:

a processor device;

a memory device;

a storage device;

a graphical processing unit;

a hard disk drive;

a solid state drive;

or

a networking device.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the configuration data comprises a unique identifier of the identified remote computing resource.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising updating, by the computer system, a remote computing resource database to modify an availability level of the identified remote computing resource.

10. The method of claim 6, further comprising transmitting, by the computer system, a notification of the virtual machine to the user.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein the virtual machine is accessible via an application program interface (API).

12. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a computer system, execute a method comprising:

determining a price of a remote computing resource, wherein the remote computing resource is remote relative to the computer system;

providing to a user an indication of the remote computing resource and the price of the remote computing resource;

receiving from the user an indication of a selection of the remote computing resource for use with a virtual machine, wherein the selection includes a configuration of the remote computing resource for the virtual machine;

determining, responsive to the receiving, that the configuration is a feasible configuration of the remote computing resource for the virtual machine;

generating, responsive to the determining, configuration data indicative of a configuration of the virtual machine corresponding to the feasible configuration;

transmitting the configuration data to the selected remote computing resource; and

allocating the remote computing resource to the virtual machine based at least in part on the configuration data, wherein the remote computing resource configures the virtual machine using the configuration data.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the remote computing resource comprises:

a processor device;

a memory device;

a storage device;

a graphical processing unit;

a hard disk drive;

a solid state drive;

or

a networking device.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises determining a level of availability of the remote computing resource.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises determining that the remote computing resource can be used in a valid configuration with the virtual machine.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the configuration data indicates an identity of a consumer for whom the selection of the remote computing resource is made.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the configuration data comprises an identifier of the remote computing resource.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the remote computing resource comprises a combination of two types of computing resources.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the combination comprises a number of processor cores and an amount of memory.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises updating a remote computing resource database to modify an availability level of the remote computing resource.