Balancing Server Load According To Availability Of Physical Resources

• US 20110106949A1
• Filed: 10/30/2009
• Published: 05/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Patel, Alpesh S., Dixon, Walter G., Albert, Mark, Mackie, Robert A., O'Rourke, Chris
• Granted Patent: US 9,122,537 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/226
• 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
• 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: G06F 9/5088 involving task migration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/046 comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1008 based on parameters of servers, e.g. available memory or workload monitoring of computer activity G06F11/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1012 based on compliance of requirements or conditions with available server resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1023 based on a hash applied to IP addresses or costs
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1029 using data related to the state of servers by a load balancer

Abstract

According to one embodiment, availability information describing virtual machines running on physical machines is accessed. The availability information associates each virtual machine with a physical resource used by the virtual machine. Use by the virtual machines is determined from the availability information. Availability of the physical resources is determined according to the use. Server load is balanced according to the availability of the physical resources. According to another embodiment, the following is performed until a load is accommodated: selecting a server having a load that is less than an expansion threshold; loading the server until the expansion threshold is reached; selecting a next server having a load that is less than a next expansion threshold; and loading the next server until the next expansion threshold is reached. Load of a low load server is determined to be below a contraction threshold, and the low load server is drained.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

accessing availability information describing a plurality of virtual machines running on one or more physical machines, the plurality of virtual machines using one or more physical resources, the availability information associating each virtual machine with a corresponding physical resource used by the each virtual machine;

determining use by the plurality of virtual machines from the availability information;

determining availability of the one or more physical resources according to the use by the plurality of virtual machines; and

balancing server load according to the availability of the one or more physical resources.

2. The method of claim 1:

the determining availability of the one or more physical resources further comprising;

determining that use by a set of first virtual machines running on a first physical machine is reaching capacity; and

the balancing server load according to the availability further comprising;

distributing load to one or more virtual machines running on a second physical machine distinct from the first physical machine.

3. The method of claim 1:

the determining availability of the one or more physical resources further comprising;

determining use by a set of first virtual machines running on a first physical machine is reaching capacity of a resource of the first physical machine; and

the balancing server load according to the availability further comprising;

distributing load to one or more virtual machines running on a second physical machine distinct from the first physical machine.

4. The method of claim 1:

the determining availability of the one or more physical resources further comprising;

establishing that a technology has been deployed on or removed from a physical machine; and

adjusting an estimate of the capacity of the physical machine to account for the deployed or removed technology.

5. The method of claim 1:

the determining availability of the one or more physical resources further comprising;

establishing that a virtual machine has been moved from a first physical machine to a second physical machine; and

adjusting a first estimate of the capacity of the first machine and a second estimate of the capacity of the second machine to account for the movement.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the availability information from a hypervisor.

7. An apparatus comprising:

a memory configured to store computer executable instructions; and

one or more processors coupled to the memory, the processors configured, when executing the instructions, to;

access availability information describing a plurality of virtual machines running on one or more physical machines, the plurality of virtual machines using one or more physical resources, the availability information associating each virtual machine with a corresponding physical resource used by the each virtual machine;

determine use by the plurality of virtual machines from the availability information;

determine availability of the one or more physical resources according to the use by the plurality of virtual machines; and

balance server load according to the availability of the one or more physical resources.

8. The apparatus of claim 7:

the determining availability of the one or more physical resources further comprising;

determining that use by a set of first virtual machines running on a first physical machine is reaching capacity; and

the balancing server load according to the availability further comprising;

distributing load to one or more virtual machines running on a second physical machine distinct from the first physical machine.

9. The apparatus of claim 7:

the determining availability of the one or more physical resources further comprising;

determining use by a set of first virtual machines running on a first physical machine is reaching capacity of a resource of the first physical machine; and

the balancing server load according to the availability further comprising;

distributing load to one or more virtual machines running on a second physical machine distinct from the first physical machine.

10. The apparatus of claim 7:

the determining availability of the one or more physical resources further comprising;

establishing that a technology has been deployed on or removed from a physical machine; and

adjusting an estimate of the capacity of the physical machine to account for the deployed or removed technology.

11. The apparatus of claim 7:

the determining availability of the one or more physical resources further comprising;

establishing that a virtual machine has been moved from a first physical machine to a second physical machine; and

adjusting a first estimate of the capacity of the first machine and a second estimate of the capacity of the second machine to account for the movement.

12. The apparatus of claim 7, one or more processors further configured to:

receive the availability information from a hypervisor.

13. A method comprising:

performing the following until a load is accommodated;

selecting a server from a set of servers, the selected server having a load that is less than an expansion threshold of the server;

loading the server until the expansion threshold of the server is reached;

selecting a next server from the set of servers, the next selected server having a load that is less than an expansion threshold of the next server; and

loading the next server until the expansion threshold of the next server is reached;

determining that load of a low load server of the set of servers is below a contraction threshold of the low load server; and

draining the low load server.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

identifying a physical machine having servers only in an idle mode; and

placing the physical machine in a power-saving mode.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

determining that the number of the servers in an idle mode is greater than a predetermined number; and

placing a physical machine of one or more of the servers in a power saving mode to reduce the number of the servers in an idle mode to the predetermined number.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

determining that the number of the servers in an idle mode is less than a predetermined number; and

powering up a physical machine of one or more of the servers to increase the number of the servers in an idle mode to the predetermined number.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

migrating one or more active servers of the set of servers from a first physical machine to a second physical machine; and

powering down the first physical machine.

18. An apparatus comprising:

a memory configured to store computer executable instructions; and

one or more processors coupled to the memory, the processors configured, when executing the instructions, to;

perform the following until a load is accommodated;

select a server from a set of servers, the selected server having a load that is less than an expansion threshold of the server;

load the server until the expansion threshold of the server is reached;

select a next server from the set of servers, the next selected server having a load that is less than an expansion threshold of the next server; and

load the next server until the expansion threshold of the next server is reached;

determine that load of a low load server of the set of servers is below a contraction threshold of the low load server; and

drain the low load server.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, the one or more processors further configured to:

identify a physical machine having servers only in an idle mode; and

place the physical machine in a power-saving mode.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, the one or more processors further configured to:

determine that the number of the servers in an idle mode is greater than a predetermined number; and

place a physical machine of one or more of the servers in a power saving mode to reduce the number of the servers in an idle mode to the predetermined number.

21. The apparatus of claim 18, the one or more processors further configured to:

determine that the number of the servers in an idle mode is less than a predetermined number; and

power up a physical machine of one or more of the servers to increase the number of the servers in an idle mode to the predetermined number.

22. The apparatus of claim 18, the one or more processors further configured to:

migrate one or more active servers of the set of servers from a first physical machine to a second physical machine; and

power down the first physical machine.