Methods and Systems for Dynamically Switching Between Communications Protocols

• US 20100199276A1
• Filed: 09/10/2009
• Published: 08/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Citrix Systems, Inc. (Cloud Software Group)
• Original Assignee: Citrix Systems, Inc. (Cloud Software Group)
• Inventors: Umbehocker, Steven Michael
• Granted Patent: US 8,775,544 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 718/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24564 Applying rules; Deductive queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45579 I/O management, e.g. providing access to device drivers or storage
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0604 Improving or facilitating administration, e.g. storage management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0622 in relation to access
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0631 by allocating resources to storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0661 Format or protocol conversion arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0665 at area level, e.g. provisioning of virtual or logical volumes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5011 the resources being hardware resources other than CPUs, Servers and Terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5016 the resource being the memory
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5072 Grid computing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/645 Fibre channel identifiers
• 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]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/148 Migration or transfer of sessions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/18 Multiprotocol handlers, e.g. single devices capable of handling multiple protocols

Abstract

A method for dynamically switching between communications protocols used in communicating with each of a plurality of physical computing devices includes configuring, by a storage delivery management service, a storage system in a storage area network, to communicate, according to a first communications protocol with a first physical computing device executing a virtual machine, the storage system providing, to the virtual machine, access to a virtual storage resource. The storage delivery management service receives a request to migrate the virtual machine from the first physical computing device to a second physical computing device. The storage delivery management service configures the storage system to communicate with the second physical computing device according to a second communications protocol. The storage delivery management service transmits, to the second physical computing device, an identification of the storage system providing access to the virtual storage resource for the virtual machine.

Claims

1. A method for dynamically switching between communications protocols used in communicating with each of a plurality of physical computing devices, the method comprising:

configuring, by a storage delivery management service, a storage system in a storage area network, to communicate, according to a first communications protocol with a first physical computing device executing a virtual machine, the storage system providing, to the virtual machine, access to a virtual storage resource;

receiving, by the storage delivery management service, a request to migrate the virtual machine from the first physical computing device to a second physical computing device;

configuring, by the storage delivery management service, the storage system to communicate with the second physical computing device according to a second communications protocol; and

transmitting, by the storage delivery management service, to the second physical computing device, an identification of the storage system providing access to the virtual storage resource for the virtual machine.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising requesting, by the storage delivery management service, from the second physical computing device, an identification of at least one communications protocol supported by the second physical computing device.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising requesting, by the storage delivery management service, from the storage system, an identification of at least one communications protocol supported by the storage system.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising migrating, by the storage delivery management service, to the second physical computing device, the virtual machine during execution of the virtual machine.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising storing a state of execution of the virtual machine.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising terminating execution of the virtual machine.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising migrating, by the storage delivery management service, to the second physical computing device, the stored state of execution of the virtual machine and a virtual machine image associated with the terminated virtual machine.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising configuring, by the storage delivery management service, the storage system, to communicate, according to a first storage protocol with the first physical computing device.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising configuring, by the storage delivery management service, the storage system to communicate with the second physical computing device according to a second storage protocol.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising disabling, by the storage delivery management service, access, by the first physical computing device, to the virtual drive provided by the storage system.

11. A system for dynamically switching between communications protocols used in communicating with each of a plurality of physical computing devices comprising:

a host computing device communication component, executed by a storage delivery management service, receiving a request for migration of the virtual machine to a second physical computing device; and

a storage system communication component executed by the storage delivery management service and i) configuring a storage system in a storage area network to communicate, according to a first communications protocol with the first physical computing device, the storage system providing, to the virtual machine, access to a virtual storage resource, ii) receiving a notification, from the host computing device communication component, of a migration of the virtual machine to the second physical computing device, and iii) configuring the storage system to communicate according to a second communications protocol with the second physical computing device.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the host computing device communication component further comprises a receiver for receiving, from a first physical computing device executing a virtual machine, a request for migration of the virtual machine to a second physical computing device.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the host computing device communication component further comprises a receiver for receiving, from a third physical computing device, a request for migration of the virtual machine to a second physical computing device.

14. The system of claim 11 further comprising a migration management component, in communication with the host computing device communication component, migrating the virtual machine from the first physical computing device to the second physical computing device.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the host computing device communication component further comprises means for communicating, via an applications programming interface, with at least one of the first physical computing device and the second physical computing device.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the host computing device communication component further comprises means for communicating with a control operating system executing within the virtual machine executing on at least one of the first physical computing device and the second physical computing device.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the host computing device communication component further comprises means for communicating with a control operating system executing within a second virtual machine executing on at least one of the first physical computing device and the second physical computing device.

18. A system for dynamically switching between communications protocols used in communicating with each of a plurality of physical computing devices comprising:

means for configuring, by a storage delivery management service, a storage system in a storage area network, to communicate, according to a first communications protocol with a first physical computing device executing a virtual machine, the storage system providing, to the virtual machine, access to a virtual storage resource;

means for receiving, by the storage delivery management service, a request to migrate the virtual machine from the first physical computing device to a second physical computing device;

means for configuring, by the storage delivery management service, the storage system to communicate with the second physical computing device according to a second communications protocol; and

means for transmitting, by the storage delivery management service, to the second physical computing device, an identification of the storage system providing access to the virtual storage resource for the virtual machine.

19. The system of claim 18 further comprising means for requesting, by the storage delivery management service, from the second physical computing device, an identification of at least one communications protocol supported by the second physical computing device.

20. The system of claim 18 further comprising means for requesting, by the storage delivery management service, from the storage system, an identification of at least one communications protocol supported by the storage system.

21. The system of claim 18 further comprising means for migrating, by the storage delivery management service, to the second physical computing device, the virtual machine during execution of the virtual machine.

22. The system of claim 18 further comprising means for storing a state of execution of the virtual machine.

23. The system of claim 22 further comprising means for terminating execution of the virtual machine.

24. The system of claim 23 further comprising means for migrating, by the storage delivery management service, to the second physical computing device, the stored state of execution of the virtual machine and a virtual machine image associated with the terminated virtual machine.

25. The system of claim 18 further comprising means for configuring, by the storage delivery management service, the storage system, to communicate, according to a first storage protocol with the first physical computing device.

26. The system of claim 18 further comprising means for configuring, by the storage delivery management service, the storage system to communicate with the second physical computing device according to a second storage protocol.

27. The system of claim 18 further comprising means for disabling, by the storage delivery management service, access, by the first physical computing device, to the virtual drive provided by the storage system.