Deploying A Virtual Machine For Disaster Recovery In A Cloud Computing Environment

• US 20110258481A1
• Filed: 04/14/2010
• Published: 10/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kern, Eric R.
• Application Number:
  US12/759,976
• Publication Number:
  US 20110258481A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/4.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1484 involving virtual machines
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/20 using active fault-masking, e.g. by switching out faulty elements or by switching in spare elements

Abstract

Deploying a virtual machine in a cloud computing environment, the cloud computing environment including one or more virtual machines (‘VMs’), the VMs being modules of automated computing machinery installed upon cloud computers disposed within data centers, the cloud computing environment also including a cloud operating system and data center administration servers operably coupled to the VMs, including deploying, by the cloud operating system in a local data center, a VM, including flagging the VM for disaster recovery; storing, by the cloud operating system in computer memory in a remote data center, a copy of the flagged VM; and configuring, by the cloud operating system, the remote data center to replace data processing operations of the flagged VM in the local data center with data processing operations of the copy in the remote data center when the flagged VM in the local data center is lost through disaster.

Claims

1. A method of deploying a virtual machine in a cloud computing environment, the cloud computing environment comprising one or more virtual machines (‘

VMs’

), the VMs comprising modules of automated computing machinery installed upon cloud computers disposed within data centers, the cloud computing environment further comprising a cloud operating system and data center administration servers operably coupled to the VMs, the method comprising;

deploying, by the cloud operating system in a local data center, a VM, including flagging the VM for disaster recovery;

storing, by the cloud operating system in computer memory in a remote data center, a copy of the flagged VM; and

configuring, by the cloud operating system, the remote data center to replace data processing operations of the flagged VM in the local data center with data processing operations of the copy in the remote data center when the flagged VM in the local data center is lost through disaster.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the cloud operating system comprises a module of automated computing machinery, further comprising a self service portal and a deployment engine;

the method further comprises receiving, through a user interface exposed by the self service portal, user specifications of the VM, the user specifications including specifications of computer processors, random access memory, hard disk storage, input/output resources, application programs, and a requirement for disaster recovery; and

deploying the VM further comprises deploying, by the deployment engine, the VM in accordance with the received user specifications.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein storing a copy of the flagged VM further comprises storing periodically a copy of the flagged VM.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein configuring the remote data center further comprises configuring the remote data center to recover the copy from computer memory and deploy the copy as a VM in the remote data center.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein:

deploying a VM further comprises establishing a heartbeat signal between the cloud operating system and the remote data center; and

configuring the remote data center further comprises configuring the remote data center to recover the copy from computer memory and deploy the copy as a VM in the remote data center when the heartbeat signal ceases.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein:

deploying a VM further comprises establishing a heartbeat signal between the flagged VM and the cloud operating system; and

configuring the remote data center further comprises configuring the remote data center to recover the copy from computer memory and deploy the copy as a VM in the remote data center when notified by the cloud operating system to do so.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein:

deploying a VM further comprises establishing a heartbeat signal between the flagged VM and the remote data center; and

configuring the remote data center further comprises configuring the remote data center to recover the copy from computer memory and deploy the copy as a VM in the remote data center when the heartbeat signal ceases.

8. Apparatus for deploying a virtual machine in a cloud computing environment, the apparatus comprising:

one or more virtual machines (‘

VMs’

), the VMs comprising modules of automated computing machinery installed upon cloud computers disposed within data centers;

a cloud operating system;

data center administration servers operably coupled to the VMs;

at least one computer processor with a computer memory operatively coupled to the at least one computer processor, the computer memory having disposed within it computer program instructions which when executed cause the apparatus to function by;

deploying, by the cloud operating system in a local data center, a VM, including flagging the VM for disaster recovery;

storing, by the cloud operating system in computer memory in a remote data center, a copy of the flagged VM; and

configuring, by the cloud operating system, the remote data center to replace data processing operations of the flagged VM in the local data center with data processing operations of the copy in the remote data center when the flagged VM in the local data center is lost through disaster.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein:

the cloud operating system comprises a module of automated computing machinery, further comprising a self service portal and a deployment engine;

computer program instructions further cause the apparatus to function by receiving, through a user interface exposed by the self service portal, user specifications of the VM, the user specifications including specifications of computer processors, random access memory, hard disk storage, input/output resources, application programs, and a requirement for disaster recovery; and

deploying the VM further comprises deploying, by the deployment engine, the VM in accordance with the received user specifications.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein storing a copy of the flagged VM further comprises storing periodically a copy of the flagged VM.

11. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein configuring the remote data center further comprises configuring the remote data center to recover the copy from computer memory and deploy the copy as a VM in the remote data center.

12. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein:

deploying a VM further comprises establishing a heartbeat signal between the cloud operating system and the remote data center; and

configuring the remote data center further comprises configuring the remote data center to recover the copy from computer memory and deploy the copy as a VM in the remote data center when the heartbeat signal ceases.

13. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein:

deploying a VM further comprises establishing a heartbeat signal between the flagged VM and the cloud operating system; and

configuring the remote data center further comprises configuring the remote data center to recover the copy from computer memory and deploy the copy as a VM in the remote data center when notified by the cloud operating system to do so.

14. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein:

deploying a VM further comprises establishing a heartbeat signal between the flagged VM and the remote data center; and

configuring the remote data center further comprises configuring the remote data center to recover the copy from computer memory and deploy the copy as a VM in the remote data center when the heartbeat signal ceases.

15. A computer program product for deploying a virtual machine in a cloud computing environment, the cloud computing environment comprising one or more virtual machines (VMs), the VMs comprising modules of automated computing machinery installed upon cloud computers disposed within data centers, the cloud computing environment further comprising a cloud operating system and data center administration servers operably coupled to the VMs, the computer program product disposed upon a computer readable storage medium, the computer program product comprising computer program instructions which when executed cause apparatus in the cloud computing environment to function by:

deploying, by the cloud operating system in a local data center, a VM, including flagging the VM for disaster recovery;

storing, by the cloud operating system in computer memory in a remote data center, a copy of the flagged VM; and

configuring, by the cloud operating system, the remote data center to replace data processing operations of the flagged VM in the local data center with data processing operations of the copy in the remote data center when the flagged VM in the local data center is lost through disaster.

16. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein:

the cloud operating system comprises a module of automated computing machinery, further comprising a self service portal and a deployment engine;

computer program instructions further cause apparatus in the cloud computing environment to function by receiving, through a user interface exposed by the self service portal, user specifications of the VM, the user specifications including specifications of computer processors, random access memory, hard disk storage, input/output resources, application programs, and a requirement for disaster recovery; and

deploying the VM further comprises deploying, by the deployment engine, the VM in accordance with the received user specifications.

17. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein configuring the remote data center further comprises configuring the remote data center to recover the copy from computer memory and deploy the copy as a VM in the remote data center.

18. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein:

deploying a VM further comprises establishing a heartbeat signal between the cloud operating system and the remote data center; and

configuring the remote data center further comprises configuring the remote data center to recover the copy from computer memory and deploy the copy as a VM in the remote data center when the heartbeat signal ceases.

19. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein:

deploying a VM further comprises establishing a heartbeat signal between the flagged VM and the cloud operating system; and

configuring the remote data center further comprises configuring the remote data center to recover the copy from computer memory and deploy the copy as a VM in the remote data center when notified by the cloud operating system to do so.

20. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein:

deploying a VM further comprises establishing a heartbeat signal between the flagged VM and the remote data center; and

configuring the remote data center further comprises configuring the remote data center to recover the copy from computer memory and deploy the copy as a VM in the remote data center when the heartbeat signal ceases.