System and method for generating virtual networks

• US 20060155708A1
• Filed: 01/13/2005
• Published: 07/13/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Machado de Wright, Laura Delhy, Brown, S. Morris, Zilinskas, Adam E., Abinion, Erwin C., Huang, Danny, Feigner, Randall J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,730,183 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4679 Arrangements for the registration or de-registration of VLAN attribute values, e.g. VLAN identifiers, port VLAN membership
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0895 Configuration of virtualised networks or elements, e.g. virtualised network function or OpenFlow elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0897 by horizontal or vertical scaling of resources, or by migrating entities, e.g. virtual resources or entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/40 using virtualisation of network functions or resources, e.g. SDN or NFV entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5054 Automatic deployment of services triggered by the service manager, e.g. service implementation by automatic configuration of network components
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1008 based on parameters of servers, e.g. available memory or workload monitoring of computer activity G06F11/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066

Abstract

A system and method for generating and/or managing virtual network(s) is provided. The system provides an interface for end-user(s) to create a virtual network (e.g., on-demand). The virtual network comprises a plurality of servers that allow the user to, for example, develop and/or test software, migrate applications, apply tasks and/or troubleshoot scenarios in a simulated, distributed environment. A user can communicate with the system via an interface (e.g., web-based) to create and/or manage the virtual network. Additionally, the system can employ a common infrastructure to facilitate creation and/or management of a variety of virtual deployment configurations. The common infrastructure can be designed, for example, by administrator(s) having knowledge of hardware and/or software available for employment within the virtual network. The system can further provide a load-balancing mechanism to determine and/or distribute workload to computer(s) with available resource(s). Additionally, the system can expire virtual session(s) that are no longer in use thereby releasing resources for other user(s) and/or session(s).

Claims

1. A virtual network management system comprising:

a user interface component that receives information associated with a user'"'"'s requirement for a virtual network;

an identification component that identifies at least one server of a plurality of servers that fulfills the user'"'"'s requirement and is available for deployment; and

,

a creation component that creates a virtual server session associated with the virtual network based, at least in part, upon the server identified by the identification component.

2. The system of claim 1, the user'"'"'s requirement comprising at least one of an operating system, a processor, a memory quantity, a virtual storage quantity, a graphics requirement, a floppy drive, a port for a peripheral device and a device.

3. The system of claim 1, the user interface component further providing information associated with a life-time of the virtual network.

4. The system of claim 1, the user interface component employing a common infrastructure to facilitate creation and/or management of a variety of virtual deployment configurations.

5. The system of claim 1, the user interface component comprising a web-based interface that allows a user to configure the virtual network.

6. The system of claim 1, the user interface component generates an XML message comprising information associated with the user'"'"'s requirement.

7. The system of claim 1, identification of the server by the identification component being further based, at least in part, upon load-balancing across the plurality of servers.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising a server data store that stores configuration information for the plurality of servers.

9. The system of claim 8, identification of the server by the identification component based, at least in part, upon configuration information stored in the server data store.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising a configuration data store that stores configuration information for a desired deployment configuration.

11. The system of claim 10, identification of the server by the identification component based, at least in part, upon configuration information stored in the configuration data store.

12. The system of claim 1, the identification component provides a message to the creation component, the message comprising a target driver letter, job identifier and a server configuration.

13. The system of claim 1, the creation component creates a subdirectory to host the virtual server session, creates a differencing drive file that defines the deployment configuration, creates a virtual machine, attaches the differencing file to the virtual machine, creates a virtual network, attaches the virtual machine to the virtual network, and, starts the virtual network.

14. The system of claim 1 further comprising an expiration component that can expire a virtual session that is no longer in use by releasing resources associated with the session.

15. The system of claim 1, the user interface component further providing information that specifies at least one application to include and/or simulate in the virtual network.

16. A method of defining a configuration to simulate a virtual environment comprising:

receiving a user requirement associated with a virtual network;

creating a message based, at least in part, upon the user requirement; and

,

placing the message in a queue.

17. The method of claim 16, the user requirement received via a web-based interface.

18. A method for allocating system resources in a virtual environment comprising:

calculating a quantity of resources to fulfill a request for a virtual network;

identifying available servers of a plurality of servers, if any, that fulfill the request; and

,

providing a message comprising the identified servers.

19. The method of claim 18, identifying available servers further performing load-balancing of the plurality of servers.

20. A computer readable medium having stored thereon computer executable instructions for carrying out the method of claim 19.