Management and Implementation of Enclosed Local Networks in a Virtual Lab

• US 20110022695A1
• Filed: 07/27/2009
• Published: 01/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vmware LLC (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: VMware, Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: LAI, Min-Ken, BHARDWAJ, Aastha, DALAL, Anupam
• Granted Patent: US 8,838,756 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/222
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0803 Configuration setting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0895 Configuration of virtualised networks or elements, e.g. virtualised network function or OpenFlow elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/14 Multichannel or multilink protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/32 Architecture of open systems interconnection [OSI] 7-layer type protocol stacks, e.g. the interfaces between the data link level and the physical level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/324 in the data link layer [OSI layer 2], e.g. HDLC
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/325 in the network layer [OSI layer 3], e.g. X.25 H04L69/16 takes precedence

Abstract

Methods, systems, and computer programs for creating isolated environments that include virtual machines (VM) and networks in a virtual infrastructure are presented. The method includes an operation to define a configuration of a virtual system which includes VMs, virtual network interface cards (VNIC) in the VMs, and configuration local networks (CLN). Further, the method associates each VNIC with one of the CLNs and transmits instructions to the virtual infrastructure for deploying the configuration. Deploying the configuration includes instantiating VMs and CLNs in the virtual infrastructure. Each VM is instantiated in a host monitored by a virtual lab server, and the CLNs are instantiated in the same hosts where the VMs have been instantiated. Only VMs from the configuration can connect to the instantiated CLNs. The method further transmits instructions to the virtual infrastructure to customize the VMs by executing the customization instructions in the guest operating systems of the VMs to configure the VMs'"'"' VNICs.

Claims

1. A method for creating isolated environments that include virtual machines (VM) and networks in a virtual infrastructure, the method comprising:

defining a configuration of a virtual system which includes VMs, virtual network interface cards (VNIC) in the VMs, and configuration local networks (CLN);

associating each VNIC with one of the CLNs;

transmitting instructions to the virtual infrastructure for deploying the configuration to obtain a deployed configuration, the deploying including,

instantiating in the virtual infrastructure the VMs of the configuration, each VM being instantiated in a host monitored by a virtual lab server; and

instantiating the CLNs in the hosts where the VMs have been instantiated, wherein only VMs from the configuration can connect to the instantiated CLNs; and

transmitting customization instructions to the virtual infrastructure for each VM, the customization instructions being executed by a guest operating system (GOS) in the each VM to configure the VNICs in the VM.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, further including:

connecting one of the CLNs to a shared network via a virtual router to provide connectivity to networks external to the deployed configuration.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the virtual router performs network address translations between the connected CLN and the shared network, wherein each VNIC with a network address from the connected CLN gets assigned a different network address in the shared network.

4. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the connected CLN and the shared network have separate layer 2 and layer 3 addressing, wherein the virtual router is implemented as a VM with a VNIC connected to the connected CLN and a VNIC connected to the shared network.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, further including:

capturing the deployed configuration;

archiving in storage the captured deployed configuration;

retrieving from storage the captured deployed configuration; and

redeploying the retrieved captured deployed configuration.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, further including:

detecting an external VM not belonging to the deployed configuration connected to one of the CLNs; and

disconnecting the VMs in the deployed configuration from the CLNs when the external VM is detected.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, further including:

deploying a second configuration to obtain a second deployment, wherein the deployed configuration and the second configuration have a CLN with a same network address;

reserving a pool of network addresses for each of the CLNs in the deployed configurations with the same network address.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the deployed configuration further includes a shared network with external connectivity, wherein defining the configuration further includes designating a VNIC as a primary NIC, the VNIC being in a VM connected to the shared network and to one or more CLNs.

9. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the network connected to the primary NIC is used to provide default gateway and network settings.

10. A system for creating isolated environments that include virtual machines (VM) and networks in a virtual infrastructure, the system comprising:

a database for storing configurations of virtual systems and virtual lab networks created, wherein each configuration includes VMs, virtual lab networks, virtual network interface cards (VNIC) in the VMs, and connections from the VMs to the virtual lab networks; and

an application module for transmitting instructions to the virtual infrastructure to deploy the configuration resulting in a deployed configuration, the deployment including,

instantiating in the virtual infrastructure the VMs of the configuration, each VM being instantiated in a host monitored by a virtual lab server;

instantiating the virtual lab networks in the hosts where the VMs have been instantiated;

performing customization instructions at each VM, the customization instructions being executed by a guest operating system (GOS) in the each VM to configure the VNICs in the VM.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein each virtual lab network is one of a CLN or a shared network, wherein only VMs from the deployed configuration can connect to the instantiated CLNs, wherein the CLN is isolated within the deployed configuration, wherein the shared network is available to VMs outside the deployed configuration.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the virtual infrastructure has deployed a plurality of additional configurations, wherein two or more shared networks have been instantiated by the plurality of additional configurations, the two or more shared networks coexisting over a same physical network.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the application module,

tracks network addresses assigned in the deployed configurations, and

manages the instantiating of VMs and virtual lab networks in order to avoid network conflicts when performing the customization instructions at the VMs.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the shared network is part of a Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN).

15. The system of claim 10, wherein a none network is initially created for each VM during the deployment, the none network being available in virtual infrastructure hosts associated with the virtual lab server.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the VMs connected to the none network cannot migrate to a virtual infrastructure host not associated with the virtual lab server.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the none network is used as a default network for VMs without any network configured.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein the VMs in the deployed configuration are bound to virtual infrastructure hosts associated with a virtual lab server.

19. The system of claim 10, further including:

a user interface module for interaction with a user, wherein the application module collects information on the virtual switches and hosts where the virtual switches are located;

wherein the user interface provides network hints to an administrator by presenting the collected information in order to connect the shared networks to a physical network.

20. A computer program embedded in a computer-readable storage medium, when executed by one or more processors, for creating isolated environments that include virtual machines (VM) and networks in a virtual infrastructure, the computer program comprising:

program instructions for defining a configuration of a virtual system which includes VMs, virtual network interface cards (VNIC) in the VMs, and configuration local networks (CLN);

program instructions for associating each VNIC with one of the CLNs;

program instructions for transmitting instructions to the virtual infrastructure for deploying the configuration to obtain a deployed configuration, the deploying including,

instantiating in the virtual infrastructure the VMs of the configuration, each VM being instantiated in a host monitored by a virtual lab server; and

instantiating the CLNs in the hosts where the VMs have been instantiated, wherein only VMs from the configuration can connect to the instantiated CLNs; and

program instructions for transmitting customization instructions to the virtual infrastructure for each VM, the customization instructions being executed by a guest operating system (GOS) in the each VM to configure the VNICs in the VM.

21. The computer program as recited in claim 20, further including:

program instructions for reserving network addresses for the VNICs in the deployed configuration.

22. The computer program as recited in claim 20, further including:

program instructions for saving the reserved network addresses of the VMs in the deployed configuration;

program instructions for undeploying the deployed configuration; and

program instructions for redeploying the configuration a second time using the saved reserved network addresses.

23. The computer program as recited in claim 22, further including:

program instructions for detecting if network specifications of the configuration were changed before the redeploying; and

program instructions for reconfiguring NICs affected by the changes to the network specifications of the configuration when the change is detected.

24. The computer program as recited in claim 22, further including:

program instructions for recycling the saved network addresses when the configuration is erased, wherein the recycled network addresses are not re-used until a predetermined period of time ends.