METHOD AND A COMPUTING DEVICE

• US 20090249332A1
• Filed: 12/19/2008
• Published: 10/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Schmengler, Andreas, Schwarzer, Stephen, Hoehle, Marco, Kirsch, Christian
• Granted Patent: US 9,015,705 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 718/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/4557 Distribution of virtual machine instances; Migration and load balancing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and a computing device. A first computing device and a second computing device are connected, wherein the first computing device includes a first virtual machine monitor that hosts a first virtual machine. A boot image is provided on the first computing device, wherein the boot image includes a second virtual machine monitor that is adapted to host the first virtual machine. The second computing device is triggered to boot the boot image from the first computing device. A storage network is established between the first computing device and the second computing device, wherein the storage network includes storage space of the first computing device. Lastly, the first virtual machine is migrated from the first computing device to the second computing device, wherein the first virtual machine is executed by the second computing device but still located on the first virtual machine.

Claims

1. A method comprising the steps of:

providing a connection between a first computing device (and a second computing device, the first computing device comprising a first virtual machine monitor, the first virtual machine monitor being adapted to host a first virtual machine;

providing a boot image on the first computing device, the boot image comprising a second virtual machine monitor, the second virtual machine monitor being adapted to host the first virtual machine;

triggering the second computing device to boot the boot image from the first computing device;

establishing a storage network between the first computing device and the second computing device, the storage network comprising storage space of the first computing device; and

migrating the first virtual machine from the first computing device to the second computing device, wherein the first virtual machine is hosted by the second virtual machine monitor, wherein the first virtual machine is enabled via the storage network to access the storage space of the first computing device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first virtual machine is migrated from the first computing device to the second computing device by use of the live migration technique if the first virtual machine is hosted by the first virtual machine monitor on the first computing device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first virtual machine includes a main operating system, wherein the main operating system is executed by the second computing device when the first virtual machine is migrated to the second computing device, wherein read or write operations of the main operating system are performed via the storage network on the storage space of the first computing device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the first virtual machine further comprises user applications, wherein the main operating system is adapted to execute one or more of the user applications when the first virtual machine is migrated to the second computing device, wherein a user is enabled to use the main operating system and the user applications on the second computing device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the main operating system and the user applications relate to the user'"'"'s customized user environment on the first computing device, wherein the user environment is migrated due to the migration of the first virtual machine to the second virtual machine, wherein the hardware resources of the second virtual machine are employed, wherein the storage space of the first computing device is employed for accessing and for updating the user'"'"'s files.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the boot image further includes a second virtual machine, wherein the second virtual machine monitor is adapted to host the second virtual machine, wherein the second virtual machine is adapted to set up the storage network between the first computing device and the second computing device when the second virtual machine is run on the second computing device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first virtual machine monitor of the first computing device hosts a third virtual machine, wherein the third virtual machine is further adapted to set up the storage network through an interplay with the second virtual machine when the third virtual machine is run on the first computing device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first virtual machine is adapted to adjust the amount of hardware resources employed on the second computing device.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

migrating the first virtual machine back from the second computing device to the first computing device in response to the reception of a user command; and

releasing the storage network between the first computing device and the second computing device.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising signaling to the user that the first computing device and the second computing device can be disconnected from each other.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

providing information about the hardware resources of the first computing device to the first virtual machine prior to the migration of the first virtual machine from the second computing device to the first computing device; and

adjusting the first virtual machine according to the provided information prior to the migration of the first virtual machine from the second mobile device to the first mobile device, thereby ensuring that the first virtual machine will be executable by the first computing device, and wherein the first virtual machine is re-migrated from the second computing device to the first computing device by use of the live migration technique.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the storage network is a storage area network (SAN).

13. The method of claim 1, wherein at least the first computing device is a mobile computing device, wherein the second computing device provides better processor performance than the first computing device.

14. A computing device, the computing device being a first computing device comprising:

a first virtual machine monitor for hosting a first virtual machine,

a component for connecting the first computing device to a second computing device;

a component for providing a boot image to the second computing device, the boot image comprising a second virtual machine monitor, wherein the second virtual machine monitor is able to host the first virtual machine;

a component for triggering the second computing device to boot the boot image from the first computing device;

a component for establishing a storage network between the first computing device and the second computing device, wherein the storage network comprises storage space of the first computing device; and

a component for migrating the first virtual machine from the first computing device to the second virtual machine, when the second virtual machine monitor is hosted by the second computing device, wherein the storage network is adapted to provide access for the migrated first virtual machine.

15. The computing device of claim 14, wherein the boot image further includes a second virtual machine, wherein the second virtual machine is adapted to be hosted by the second virtual machine monitor, wherein the first virtual machine monitor further comprises a third virtual machine (140), wherein the second virtual machine and the third virtual machine are adapted to set up the storage network when the second virtual machine is run on the second computing device and when the third virtual machine is run on the first computing device.

16. The computing device of claim 14, comprising:

a component for migrating the first virtual machine back from the second computing device to the first computing device in response to the reception of a user command; and

a component for releasing the storage network between the first computing device and the second computing device.

17. A computer program product comprising a computer useable medium including a computer readable program, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a first computing device causes the first computing device to:

trigger a second computing device to boot a boot image the first computing device, wherein the first computing device comprises a first virtual machine monitor for hosting a first virtual machine, wherein the boot image comprises a second virtual machine monitor, wherein the second virtual machine monitor is adapted to host the first virtual machine;

establish a storage network between the first computing device and the second computing device, wherein the storage network includes storage space of the first computing device; and

migrate the first virtual machine from the first computing device to the second computing device.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the first virtual machine hosts a main operating system and user applications, wherein the computer readable program causes the first virtual machine to perform read or write operations of the main operating system or of the user applications on the storage space of the first computer device.

19. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the computer readable program when executed on the first computer device further causing the first computing device to:

migrate the first virtual machine from the second computing device back to the first computing device in response to the reception of a user command provided by a user to undo the connection between the first computing device and the second computing device; and

release the storage network between the first computing device and the second computing device.

20. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the computer readable program when executed on the first computer device further causing the first computing device to:

provide information about the hardware resources of the first computing device to the first virtual machine prior to the migration of the first virtual machine from the second computing device to the first computing device; and

adjust the first virtual machine according to the provided information prior to the migration of the first virtual machine from the second mobile device to the first mobile device, thereby ensuring that the first virtual machine will be executable by the first computing device, and wherein the first virtual machine is re-migrated from the second computing device to the first computing device by use of the live migration technique.