VIRTUAL RESOURCE TEMPLATES

• US 20080163171A1
• Filed: 01/02/2007
• Published: 07/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/02/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Yin, Jian, Giammaria, Alberto, Shaikh, Hidayatullah Habeebullah, Orr, Robert Lee, Hanson, James Edwin, Chess, David Michael
• Granted Patent: US 8,327,350 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/120
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5077 Logical partitioning of resources; Management or configuration of virtualized resources specific details on emulation or internal functioning of virtual machines G06F9/455

Abstract

A computer implemented method, data processing system, and computer usable program code are provided for creating a set of virtual machine image for software. A virtual software resource template is retrieved. Metadata associated with the virtual software resource template is copied and the copy of the metadata is modified to generate personalized metadata for each virtual machine image in the set of virtual machine images. Then, the set of virtual machine images is deployed using the personalized metadata.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for creating a set of virtual machine images for software, the computer implemented method comprising:

retrieving a virtual software resource template;

copying metadata associated with the virtual software resource template;

modifying a copy of the metadata to generate personalized metadata for each virtual machine image in the set of virtual machine images; and

deploying the set of virtual machine images using the personalized metadata.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the personalized metadata associated with each virtual machine image describes dependencies and configuration parameters associated with the dependencies.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 2, wherein the dependencies are dependencies between the set of virtual machine images.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 2, wherein the dependencies are dependencies between a virtual machine image and external system components.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein each virtual machine image is a virtual machine image with software stacks installed.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein modifying the copy of the metadata to generate the personalized metadata further comprises:

selecting a virtual machine name for each virtual machine image in the set of virtual machine images;

adding an IP address for each virtual machine image in the set of virtual machine images;

selecting a physical server for each virtual machine image in the set of virtual machine images; and

specifying initial resource allocations for each virtual machine image in the set of virtual machine images.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing the personalized metadata for each virtual machine image in the set of virtual machine images as the virtual software resource template.

8. A data processing system comprising:

a bus system;

a communications system connected to the bus system;

a memory connected to the bus system, wherein the memory includes a set of instructions; and

a processing unit connected to the bus system, wherein the processing unit executes the set of instructions to retrieve a virtual software resource template;

copy metadata associated with the virtual software resource template;

modify a copy of the metadata to generate personalized metadata for each virtual machine image in the set of virtual machine images; and

deploy the set of virtual machine images using the personalized metadata.

9. The data processing system of claim 8, wherein the personalized metadata associated with each virtual machine image describes dependencies and configuration parameters associated with the dependencies.

10. The data processing system of claim 9, wherein the dependencies are dependencies between at least one of virtual machine images or a virtual machine image and external system components.

11. The data processing system of claim 8, wherein each virtual machine image is a virtual machine image with software stacks installed.

12. The data processing system of claim 8, wherein the processing unit executing the set of instructions to modify the copy of the metadata to generate the personalized metadata executes the set of instructions to select a virtual machine name for each virtual machine image in the set of virtual machine images;

add an IP address for each virtual machine image in the set of virtual machine images;

select a physical server for each virtual machine image in the set of virtual machine images; and

specify initial resource allocations for each virtual machine image in the set of virtual machine images.

13. The data processing system of claim 8, wherein the processing unit executes the set of instructions to store the personalized metadata for each virtual machine image in the set of virtual machine images as the virtual software resource template.

14. A computer program product comprising:

a computer usable medium including computer usable program code for creating a set of virtual machine images for software, the computer program product including;

computer usable program code for retrieving a virtual software resource template;

computer usable program code for copying metadata associated with the virtual software resource template;

computer usable program code for modifying a copy of the metadata to generate personalized metadata for each virtual machine image in the set of virtual machine images; and

computer usable program code for deploying the set of virtual machine images using the personalized metadata.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the personalized metadata associated with each virtual machine image describes dependencies and configuration parameters associated with the dependencies.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the dependencies are dependencies between the set of virtual machine images.

17. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the dependencies are dependencies between a virtual machine image and external system components.

18. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein each virtual machine image is a virtual machine image with software stacks installed.

19. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the computer usable program code for modifying the copy of the metadata to generate the personalized metadata further includes:

computer usable program code for selecting a virtual machine name for each virtual machine image in the set of virtual machine images;

computer usable program code for adding an IP address for each virtual machine image in the set of virtual machine images;

computer usable program code for selecting a physical server for each virtual machine image in the set of virtual machine images; and

computer usable program code for specifying initial resource allocations for each virtual machine image in the set of virtual machine images.

20. The computer program product of claim 14, further including:

computer usable program code for storing the personalized metadata for each virtual machine image in the set of virtual machine images as the virtual software resource template.