METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR AUTOMATED MIGRATION OF CLOUD PROCESSES TO EXTERNAL CLOUDS

• US 20110055377A1
• Filed: 08/31/2009
• Published: 03/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: DEHAAN, Michael Paul
• Granted Patent: US 8,316,125 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4856 resumption being on a different machine, e.g. task migration, virtual machine migration G06F9/5088 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5072 Grid computing
• 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 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0816 the condition being an adaptation, e.g. in response to network events
• 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 41/40 using virtualisation of network functions or resources, e.g. SDN or NFV entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46

Abstract

A cloud management system can receive rules for altering the virtual machines based on demands on the virtual machines and/or computing resources supporting the virtual machines. The cloud management system can receive data from the internal monitoring agents and/or external monitoring agents and to determine when the conditions of the rules are met. Once the conditions are met, the cloud management system can migrate the virtual machines to an external cloud.

Claims

1. A method of managing a cloud computing environment, comprising:

receiving a rule to alter a virtual machine instantiated on a computing system in a cloud upon an occurrence of a condition;

monitoring for the occurrence of the condition; and

migrating the virtual machine to other computing systems of an external cloud upon the occurrence of the condition.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein migrating the virtual machine to the computing systems of the external cloud, comprises:

instantiating the virtual machine on the computing systems of the external cloud.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein migrating the virtual machine to the computing systems of the external cloud, comprises:

providing the virtual machine or details of the virtual machine to an independent cloud management system of the external cloud; and

providing a request to the independent cloud management system to instantiate the virtual machine on the computing systems of the external cloud.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the condition comprises at least one of demand on the virtual machine, usage of the virtual machine, demand on the computing system, and usage of the computing system.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein monitoring for the condition comprises receiving data indicating the occurrence of the condition.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating an interface to receive the rule.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the rule is formated in a text-based language.

18. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the condition comprises at least one of demand on the virtual machine, usage of the virtual machine, demand on the computing system, and usage of the computing system.

8. A system for managing a cloud computing environment, comprising:

a network interface to a set of computing systems in a cloud and a second set of computing systems in an external cloud; and

a processor communicating with the network interface and executing a cloud management system, the cloud management system being configured to—

receive a rule to alter a virtual machine instantiated on the set of computing systems upon an occurrence of a condition;

monitor for the occurrence of the condition; and

migrating the virtual machine to the second set of computing systems in the external cloud upon the occurrence of the condition.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein migrating the virtual machine to the second set of computing systems in the external cloud, comprises:

instantiating the virtual machine on the second set of computing systems in the external cloud.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein migrating the virtual machine to the second set of computing systems in the external cloud, comprises:

providing the virtual machine or details of the virtual machine to an independent cloud management system of the external cloud; and

providing a request to the independent cloud management system to instantiate the virtual machine on the second set of computing systems in the external cloud.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the condition comprises at least one of demand on the virtual machine, usage of the virtual machine, demand on the set of computing systems, and usage of the set of computing systems.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein monitoring for the condition comprises receiving data indicating the occurrence of the condition.

13. The system of claim 8, the cloud management system being further configured to—

generate an interface to receive the rule.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the rule is formated in a text-based language.

15. A computer readable storage medium comprising instructions for causing a processing system to perform a method comprising:

receiving a rule to alter a virtual machine instantiated on a computing system in a cloud upon an occurrence of a condition;

monitoring for the occurrence of the condition; and

migrating the virtual machine to other computing systems of an external cloud upon the occurrence of the condition.

16. The computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein migrating the virtual machine to the computing systems of the external cloud, comprises:

instantiating the virtual machine on the computing systems of the external cloud.

17. The computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein migrating the virtual machine to the computing systems of the external cloud, comprises:

providing the virtual machine or details of the virtual machine to an independent cloud management system of the external cloud; and

providing a request to the independent cloud management system to instantiate the virtual machine on the computing systems of the external cloud.

19. The computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein monitoring for the condition comprises receiving data indicating the occurrence of the condition.

20. The computer readable storage medium of claim 15, further comprising:

generating an interface to receive the rule.

21. The computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the rule is formated in a text-based language.