Architecture for managing I/O and storage for a virtualization environment using executable containers and virtual machines

• US 10,721,290 B2
• Filed: 06/03/2016
• Issued: 07/21/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nutanix Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Nutanix Incorporated
• Inventors: Gill, Binny Sher, Gupta, Karan, Cui, Miao
• Primary Examiner(s): Keller, Michael A
• Application Number:
  US15/173,577
• Publication Number:
  US 20160359955A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,509 Days
• 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: H04L 61/2514 between local and global IP addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2525 Translation at a client
• 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: 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

Systems for high-performance computing. A storage control architecture is implemented by a plurality of nodes, where a node comprises combinations of executable containers that execute in cooperation with virtual machines running above a hypervisor. The containers run in a virtual machine above a hypervisor, and/or can be integrated directly into the operating system of a host node. Sensitive information such as credit card information may be isolated from the containers in a separate virtual machine that is configured to be threat resistant, and which can be accessed through a threat resistant interface module. One of the virtual machines of the node may be a node-specific control virtual machine that is configured to operate as a dedicated storage controller for a node. One of the virtual machines of the node may be a node-specific container service machine that is configured to provide storage-related and other support to a hosted executable container.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining a deployment location for an executable container, the deployment location comprising a node of a plurality of nodes forming a hyper-converged environment having a virtualized storage resource, the deployment location being determined using a container service at a control virtual machine, by;

determining a container type of the executable container, and

mapping the container type to the deployment location;

deploying the executable container to a container service machine at the deployment location, wherein the executable container initiates a storage access input/output (IO) command; and

processing, the storage access input/output (IO) command initiated by the executable container at the deployment location to access the virtualized storage resource of the hyper-converged environment.

2. The method of claim 1, in which the control virtual machine manages a virtual disk accessible using the storage access IO command initiated by the executable container.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein a virtual disk managed by the control virtual machine corresponds to a block device or a server target.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a request for storage managed by a second control virtual machine on a second node is sent from the control virtual machine on the node to the second node to be processed by the second control virtual machine.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a plurality of control virtual machines for each of the plurality of nodes corresponds to a same IP address, a same fully-qualified domain name, or a same hostname that is isolated by an internal VLAN.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the control virtual machine formats the storage access IO command into a virtual disk request.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the control virtual machine maintains metadata for virtual disks managed by the control virtual machine.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the executable container comprises an operating system component.

9. A system comprising:

a storage medium having stored thereon a sequence of instructions; and

a processor that executes the sequence of instructions to perform a set of acts comprising;

determining a deployment location for an executable container, the deployment location comprising a node of a plurality of nodes forming a hyper-converged environment having a virtualized storage resource, the deployment location being determined using a container service at a control virtual machine, by;

determining a container type of the executable container, and

mapping the container type to the deployment location;

deploying the executable container to a container service machine at the deployment location, wherein the executable container initiates a storage access input/output (IO) command; and

processing, the storage access input/output (IO) command initiated by the executable container at the deployment location to access the virtualized storage resource of the hyper-converged environment.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the control virtual machine manages a virtual disk accessible using the storage access IO command initiated by the executable container.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein a virtual disk managed by the control virtual machine corresponds to a block device or a server target.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein a request for storage managed by a second control virtual machine on a second node is sent from the control virtual machine on the node to the second node to be processed by the second control virtual machine.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein a plurality of control virtual machines for each of the plurality of nodes corresponds to a same IP address, a same fully-qualified domain name, or a same hostname that is isolated by an internal VLAN.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the control virtual machine formats the storage access IO command into a virtual disk request.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the control virtual machine maintains metadata for virtual disks managed by the control virtual machine.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein the executable container comprises an operating system component.

17. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon a sequence of instructions which, when execute a processor causes the processor to perform a set of acts comprising:

determining a deployment location for an executable container, the deployment location comprising a node of a plurality of nodes forming a hyper-converged environment having a virtualized storage resource, the deployment location being determined using a container service at a control virtual machine, by;

determining a container type of the executable container, and

mapping the container type to the deployment location;

deploying the executable container to a container service machine at the deployment location, wherein the executable container initiates a storage access input/output (IO) command; and

processing, the storage access input/output (IO) command initiated by the executable container at the deployment location to access the virtualized storage resource of the hyper-converged environment.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the control virtual machine manages a virtual disk accessible using the storage access IO command initiated by the executable container.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein a virtual disk managed by the control virtual machine corresponds to a block device or a server target.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein a request for storage managed by a second control virtual machine on a second node is sent from the control virtual machine on the node to the second node to be processed by the second control virtual machine.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein a plurality of control virtual machines for each of the plurality of nodes corresponds to a same IP address, a same fully-qualified domain name, or a same hostname that is isolated by an internal VLAN.

22. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the control virtual machine formats the storage access IO command into a virtual disk request.

23. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the control virtual machine maintains metadata for virtual disks managed by the control virtual machine.

24. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the executable container comprises an operating system component.

25. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the storage access input/output (IO) command initiated by the executable container is forwarded by the control virtual machine without modification.