Migration of a virtual machine from a first cloud computing environment to a second cloud computing environment in response to a resource or services in the second cloud computing environment becoming available

• US 10,372,490 B2
• Filed: 05/30/2008
• Issued: 08/06/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Ferris, James Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Huisman, David J.
• Application Number:
  US12/130,929
• Publication Number:
  US 20090300635A1
• Time in Patent Office: 4,085 Days
• 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: G06F 9/50 Allocation of resources, e.g. of the central processing unit [CPU]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5072 Grid computing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

A cloud marketplace system is configured to communicate with multiple cloud computing environments in order to ascertain the details for the resources and services provided by the cloud computing environments. The cloud marketplace system is configured to receive a request for information pertaining to the resources or services provided by or available in the cloud computing environments. The cloud marketplace system is configured to generate a marketplace report detailing the resource and service data matching the request. The cloud marketplace system is configured to utilize the resource and service data to provide migration services for virtual machines initiated in the cloud computing environments.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a processor, a first request, via an application programming interface (API) from an initiator, to instantiate a first virtual machine in a first cloud computing environment deploying a first plurality of instantiated virtual machines hosted on one or more machines;

sending, by the processor, an instantiation request over a public or private network to a cloud management system in the first cloud computing environment, the cloud management system to instantiate the first virtual machine in the first cloud computing environment in response to the instantiation request;

receiving, by the processor, a second request via the API from the initiator to monitor for an occurrence of an event and automatically migrate the first virtual machine from the first cloud computing environment to a second cloud computing environment in response to detecting the occurrence of the event, wherein the second request comprises data specifying the event as comprising a threshold value of a particular resource or service becoming available in the second cloud computing environment;

obtaining, by the processor, first data identifying a first set of currently available resources and services in the second cloud computing environment, wherein the threshold value of the particular resource or service is currently unavailable in the first set of currently available resources and services in the second cloud computing environment;

periodically obtaining, by the processor, second data identifying a second set of currently available resources and services in the second cloud computing environment;

storing, by the processor, the second data in a repository, wherein the second data stored in the repository is updated periodically responsive to the second data being periodically obtained;

monitoring, by the processor, for the occurrence of the event, wherein the monitoring comprises;

periodically searching the repository, by the processor, for currently available resources and services that satisfy the threshold value of the particular resource or service, wherein searching the repository is initiated upon receiving the second request;

identifying, by the processor, the occurrence of the event in response to one of the second set of currently available resources and services identified by the second data satisfying the threshold value of the particular resource or service; and

in response to identifying the occurrence of the event, sending, by the processor, an instruction over the public or private network to the cloud management system to migrate the first virtual machine from the first cloud computing environment to the second cloud computing environment.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the obtaining the first data comprises obtaining the first data from the cloud management system or from a first resource server in the first cloud computing environment or the second cloud computing environment, and wherein the obtaining the second data comprises obtaining the second data from the cloud management system in the first cloud computing environment or from a second resource server in at least one of the first cloud computing environment or the second cloud computing environment.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising periodically generating a report of cost information for currently available resources and services in the second cloud computing environment.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

storing the first data in the repository; and

retrieving the first data from the repository upon receiving the second request.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first data comprises timing information associated with the first set of currently available resources and services in the second cloud computing environment and cost information associated with the first set of currently available resources and services in the second cloud computing environment.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a third request for information pertaining to resources, services, or both, the information being provided by each of a plurality of cloud computing environments, and wherein the plurality of cloud computing environments comprises at least the first cloud computing environment and the second cloud computing environment; and

generating a report comprising the information.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the information comprises timing information and cost information.

8. A system comprising:

a memory; and

a processor operatively coupled to the memory to;

receive a first request, via an application programming interface (API) from an initiator, to instantiate a first virtual machine in a first cloud computing environment deploying a first plurality of instantiated virtual machines hosted on one or more machines;

send an instantiation request over a public or private network to a cloud management system, the cloud management system to instantiate the first virtual machine in the first cloud computing environment in response to the instantiation request;

receive a second request to monitor for an occurrence of an event and automatically migrate the first virtual machine from the first cloud computing environment to a second cloud computing environment in response to detecting the occurrence of the event, wherein the second request comprises data specifying the event as comprising a threshold value of a particular resource or service becoming available in the second cloud computing environment;

obtain first data identifying a first set of currently available resources and services in the second cloud computing environment, wherein the threshold value of the particular resource or service is currently unavailable in the first set of currently available resources and services in the second cloud computing environment;

periodically obtain second data identifying a second set of currently available resources and services in the second cloud computing environment;

store the second data in a repository, wherein the second data stored in the repository is updated periodically responsive to the second data being periodically obtained;

monitor for the occurrence of the event, wherein to monitor for the occurrence of the event, the processor is further to;

periodically search the repository for currently available resources and services that satisfy the threshold value of the particular resource or service, wherein searching the repository is initiated upon receiving the second request;

identify the occurrence of the event in response to one of the second set of currently available resources and services identified by the second data satisfying the threshold value of the particular resource or service in the second request; and

in response to identifying the occurrence of the event, send an instruction over the public or private network to the cloud management system to migrate the first virtual machine from the first cloud computing environment to the second cloud computing environment.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the processor is to:

obtain the first data from the cloud management system or from a first resource server in the first cloud computing environment; and

obtain the second data from the cloud management system or from a second resource server in at least one of the first cloud computing environment or the second cloud computing environment.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the processor is further to periodically generate a report of cost information for currently available resources and services in the second cloud computing environment.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the processor is to:

store the first data in the repository; and

retrieve the first data from the repository upon receiving the second request.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the first data comprises timing information associated with the first set of currently available resources and services in the second cloud computing environment and cost information associated with the first set of currently available resources and services in the second cloud computing environment.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the processor is to:

receive a third request for information pertaining to resources, services, or both, the information being provided by each of a plurality of cloud computing environments, and wherein the plurality of cloud computing environments comprises at least the first cloud computing environment and the second cloud computing environment; and

generate a report comprising the information.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the information comprises timing information and cost information.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:

receive a first request, via an application programming interface (API) from an initiator, to instantiate a first virtual machine in a first cloud computing environment deploying a first plurality of instantiated virtual machines hosted on one or more machines;

send an instantiation request over a public or private network to a cloud management system, the cloud management system to instantiate the first virtual machine in the first cloud computing environment in response to the instantiation request;

receive a second request to monitor for an occurrence of an event and automatically migrate the first virtual machine from the first cloud computing environment to a second cloud computing environment in response to detecting the occurrence of the event, wherein the second request comprises data specifying the event as comprising a threshold value of a particular resource or becoming available in the second cloud computing environment;

obtain first data identifying a first set of currently available resources and services in the second cloud computing environment, wherein the threshold value of the particular resource or service is currently unavailable in the currently available resources and services in the second cloud computing environment;

periodically obtain second data identifying a second set of currently available resources and services in the second cloud computing environment;

store the second data in a repository, wherein the second data stored in the repository is updated periodically in response to the second data being periodically obtained;

monitor for the occurrence of the event, wherein to monitor for the occurrence of the event, the processor is further to;

periodically search the repository for currently available resources and services that satisfy the threshold value of the particular resource or service, wherein searching the repository is initiated upon receiving the second request;

identify the occurrence of the event in response to one of the second set of currently available resources and services identified by the second data satisfying the threshold value of the particular resource or service in the second request; and

in response to identifying the occurrence of the event, send an instruction over the public or private network to the cloud management system to migrate the first virtual machine from the first cloud computing environment to the second cloud computing environment.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the processor is to:

obtain the first data from the cloud management system or from a first resource server in the first cloud computing environment; and

obtain the second data from the cloud management system or from a second resource server in at least one of the first cloud computing environment or the second cloud computing environment.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the processor is further to periodically generate a report of cost information for currently available resources and services in the second cloud computing environment.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the processor is to:

store the first data in the repository; and

retrieve the first data from the repository upon receiving the second request.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the first data comprises timing information associated with the first set of currently available resources and services in the second cloud computing environment and cost information associated with the first set of currently available resources and services in the second cloud computing environment.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the processor is to:

receive a third request for information pertaining to resources, services, or both, the information being provided by each of a plurality of cloud computing environments, and wherein the plurality of cloud computing environments comprises at least the first cloud computing environment and the second cloud computing environment; and

generate a report comprising the information.

21. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 20, wherein the information comprises timing information and cost information.