Method and cloud management node for enabling a virtual machine

• US 10,642,636 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2012
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Hellkvist, Stefan, Mangs, Jan-Erik, Halen, Joacim
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Duy Khuong T
• Assistant Examiner(s): Headly, Melissa A
• Application Number:
  US14/654,469
• Publication Number:
  US 20150331707A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,692 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 8/63 Image based installation; Cloning; Build to order
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/827 Aggregation of resource allocation or reservation requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]

Abstract

A method and a cloud management node for enabling usage of a virtual machine in a distributed cloud of resources for processing and storing of data. When receiving a VM image from a client with a set of files of an operating system for running the virtual machine, the cloud management node distributes the VM image to a plurality of local data centers forming the distributed cloud. In return, the cloud management node receives local identifications of the VM image from the local data centers, and creates a mapping between the received local identifications and a global identification of the VM image. The global identification is then returned to the client, thereby enabling the client to change the VM image in the local data centers by referring to the global identification in communication with the cloud management node.

Claims

1. A method performed by a cloud management node for enabling usage of a virtual machine (VM) in a distributed cloud of resources for processing and storing of data, the method comprising:

receiving a VM image from a client, the VM image comprising a set of files of an operating system for running the VM;

distributing the VM image to a plurality of local data centers forming the distributed cloud to install the VM image in the plurality of local data centers, in order for each of the local data centers to enable the VM, wherein each of the plurality of local data centers uses a respective local protocol to communicate and wherein the distributing of the VM image to the plurality of local data centers is via respective local image service agents that provide protocol translation between a global protocol used by the cloud management node and each respective local protocol used by each respective local data center;

receiving respective local identification of the VM image from each of the plurality of local data centers;

mapping a global identification of the VM image to the received local identifications of the VM image, wherein the global identification is a single global identification mapped to a plurality of the local identifications;

returning the global identification to the client, thereby enabling the client to change, via the cloud management node, the VM image installed in the plurality of local data centers by referring to the global identification, wherein the cloud management node uses mapping of the global identification to access the VM image in the plurality of local data centers;

receiving an adaptation block from the client, along with the global identification, to update the VM image in the plurality of local data centers; and

distributing the adaptation block to the plurality of local data centers based on the global identification to update the VM image.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the local image service agents being adapted to translate between a global protocol for Create, Read, Update and Delete (CRUD) operations on the VM image used by the cloud management node and a local protocol for the CRUD operations used by each respective local data center.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the VM image is distributed to the local image service agents which are situated in the respective local data centers or in the cloud management node.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the VM image is represented by a reference of a generic data block portion and at least one adaptation block portion and wherein the adaptation block updates the at least one adaptation block portion.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the generic data block portion comprises a read-only block and the at least one adaptation block portion comprises a writable block.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein the adaptation block updates the VM image by adding a new adaptation block.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the VM image is updated by adding a chain of successive new adaptation blocks.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the VM image is distributed based on a peer-to-peer download procedure where the cloud management node acts as a tracker by providing availability information to the plurality of local data centers about where the VM image or parts thereof can be found, enabling the plurality of local data centers to download the VM image or parts thereof based on the availability information.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the VM image is locked from reading and writing during periods when the VM image is being updated or installed.

10. A cloud management node configured to enable usage of a virtual machine (VM) in a distributed cloud of resources for processing and storing of data, the cloud management node comprising:

a processor; and

a memory containing instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the cloud management node to perform operations to;

receive a VM image from a client, the VM image comprising a set of files of an operating system for running the VM;

distribute the VM image to a plurality of local data centers forming the distributed cloud to install the VM image in the plurality of local data centers, in order for each of the local data centers to enable the VM, wherein each of the plurality of local data centers uses a respective local protocol to communicate and wherein distributing of the VM image to the plurality of local data centers is via respective local image service agents that provide protocol translation between a global protocol used by the cloud management node and each respective local protocol used by each respective local data center, and to receive respective local identification of the VM image from each of the plurality of local data centers via the respective local image service agent; and

map a global identification of the VM image to the received local identifications of the VM image,

wherein the global identification is a single global identification mapped to a plurality of the local identifications, wherein the global identification is to be returned to the client, thereby enabling the client to change, via the cloud management node, the VM image installed in the plurality of local data centers by referring to the global identification, wherein the cloud management node uses mapping of the global identification to access the VM image in the plurality of local data centers, in order to receive an adaptation block from the client, along with the global identification, to update the VM image in the plurality of local data centers, and to distribute the adaptation block to the plurality of local data centers based on the global identification to update the VM image.

11. The cloud management node according to claim 10, wherein the local image service agents being adapted to translate between a global protocol for Create, Read, Update and Delete (CRUD) operations on the VM image used by the cloud management node and a local protocol for the CRUD operations used by each respective local data center.

12. The cloud management node according to claim 11, further adapted to distribute the VM image to the local image service agents which are situated in the respective local data centers or in the cloud management node.

13. The cloud management node according to claim 10, wherein the VM image is represented by a reference of a generic data block portion and at least one adaptation block portion, and wherein the adaptation block updates the at least one adaptation block portion.

14. The cloud management node according to claim 13, wherein the generic data block portion comprises a read-only block and the at least one adaptation block portion comprises a writable block.

15. The cloud management node according to claim 13, wherein the adaptation block updates the VM image by adding a new adaptation block.

16. The cloud management node according to claim 15, further to update the VM image by adding a chain of successive new adaptation blocks.

17. The cloud management node according to claim 10, further to distribute the VM image based on a peer-to-peer download procedure where the cloud management node acts as a tracker by providing availability information to the plurality of local data centers about where the VM image or parts thereof can be found, enabling the plurality of local data centers to download the VM image or parts thereof based on the availability information.

18. The cloud management node according to claim 10, further to lock the VM image from reading and writing during periods when the VM image is being updated or installed.