Hosting service providing platform system and method

• US 20020143906A1
• Filed: 10/26/2001
• Published: 10/03/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Virtuozzo International GmbH
• Original Assignee: Swsoft Holdings, Inc.
• Inventors: Tormasov, Alexander, Beloussov, Serguei, Lunev, Dennis, Protassov, Stanislav, Pudgorodsky, Yuri
• Granted Patent: US 7,076,633 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/10 File systems; File servers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45537 Provision of facilities of other operating environments, e.g. WINE I/O emulation G06F13/105

Abstract

The present invention is a system and method for utilization of computer clusters with automatic configuration and virtual environments integrated with a distributed file system as a hosting service providing platform. The virtual environment of the present invention emulates no hardware and is essentially a personal protected machine with an independent operating system that functions as a separate workstation or server.

Claims

1. A hosting service providing platform comprising;

an automated computer cluster, said automated computer cluster including a control center; and

a plurality of hardware-independent cluster nodes, whereby said control center coordinates the functions of said plurality of hardware-independent cluster nodes.

2. The platform as defined in claim 1, wherein said plurality of hardware-independent cluster nodes further comprises a specialized distributed file system.

3. The platform as defined in claim 2, wherein said specialized distributed file system is integrated and optimized for said automated computer cluster.

4. The platform as defined in claim 2, wherein said specialized distributed file system further comprises data for a plurality of virtual environments.

5. The platform as defined in claim 4, wherein each of said plurality of virtual environments further comprises:

software providing emulation of a full service computer with its own operating system;

a unique administrative root user for each member of said plurality of virtual environments;

a file system template and file tree; and

operating system parameter configuration; and

further wherein each of said plurality of virtual environments does not include dedicated physical memory or any other hardware resources.

6. The platform as defined in claim 4, wherein said specialized distributed file system further comprises:

means for making file transactions from any file system changes made in at least one of said plurality of virtual environments;

means for distributing said transactions to achieve the appropriate level of data accessibility; and

means for permitting access to data from each member of said plurality of cluster nodes.

7. A method for providing a hosting service providing platform comprising the steps of:

automating a computer cluster, further including

establishing a control center; and

operating a plurality of hardware-independent cluster nodes, whereby said control center coordinates the functions of said plurality of hardware-independent cluster nodes.

8. The method as defined in claim 7, wherein the step of operating said plurality of hardware-independent cluster nodes further includes the step of implementing a specialized distributed file system, further wherein said specialized distributed file system is integrated and optimized for each member of said plurality of hardware-independent cluster nodes.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of operating a plurality of hardware-independent cluster nodes further includes the step of operating a plurality of virtual environments.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of operating said plurality of virtual environments further includes the steps of:

installing software which emulates a full-service computer with its own operating system;

establishing a unique administrative root user for each member of said plurality of virtual environments;

establishing a file system template and file tree for each member of said plurality of virtual environments;

implementing the operating system parameter configuration for each member of said plurality of virtual environments; and

further wherein said step of operating said plurality of virtual environments does not include the step of dedicating physical memory or any other hardware resources.

11. The method as defined in claim 10, wherein the step of operating said plurality of virtual environments further includes the steps of:

making file transactions from any changes to said file system made in at least one of said plurality of virtual environments;

distributing said file transactions to achieve the appropriate level of data accessibility; and

permitting access to data from each member of said plurality of cluster nodes.

12. The method as defined in claim 10, wherein the step of operating each member of said plurality of hardware-independent cluster nodes further includes the steps of:

installing a base operating system and network connection;

providing access to the distributed file system containing the file system template for each virtual environment within said cluster node;

accessing the resources of said cluster node; and

utilizing said cluster node for launching new virtual environments.

13. The method as defined in claim 11, wherein the step of permitting access to data from each of the plurality of virtual environments at said plurality of hardware-independent cluster nodes further includes the step of:

restarting each virtual environment in a failed cluster node at another cluster node having appropriate resources available.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of operating said virtual environment further includes the step of:

installing any application of said operating system.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of operating said virtual environment further includes the step of:

configuring any application of said operating system.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of operating said virtual environment further includes the step of:

launching any application of said operating system from said virtual environment.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of operating said virtual environment further includes the step of:

repairing remotely any failed software configuration of said virtual environment.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of utilizing a specialized distributed file system further includes the step of:

achieving a corresponding fault tolerance level.

14. A method for utilizing a hosting service providing platform in an operating system comprising the steps of:

requesting a service in said operating system;

operating a virtual environment; and

utilizing a specialized distributed file system.