DYNAMIC VIRTUAL MACHINE SHUTDOWN WITHOUT SERVICE INTERRUPTIONS

• US 20110307887A1
• Filed: 06/11/2010
• Published: 12/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Huang, Hai, Ruan, Yaoping, Sahu, Sambit, Shaikh, Anees A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,839,238 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 718/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3228 Monitoring task completion, e.g. by use of idle timers, stop commands or wait commands
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3287 by switching off individual functional units in the computer system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45575 Starting, stopping, suspending or resuming virtual machine instances
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/485 Task life-cycle, e.g. stopping, restarting, resuming execution G06F9/4881 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5094 where the allocation takes into account power or heat criteria power management in computers in general G06F1/3203; thermal management in computers in general G06F1/206
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/00 Reducing energy consumption in communication networks

Abstract

Techniques for dynamically managing a sleep state of a virtual machine are provided. The techniques include detecting idleness of a virtual machine, putting the idle virtual machine into a sleep state, implementing a virtual machine surrogate, wherein the virtual machine surrogate listens to network traffic, enabling the virtual machine to handle network traffic that is capable of being handled by the virtual machine, and enabling the virtual machine to queue network traffic and wake-up the virtual machine in the sleep state for network traffic that the virtual machine surrogate is incapable of handling.

Claims

1. A method for dynamically managing a sleep state of a virtual machine, wherein the method comprises:

detecting idleness of a virtual machine;

putting the idle virtual machine into a sleep state;

implementing a virtual machine surrogate, wherein the virtual machine surrogate listens to network traffic;

enabling the virtual machine to handle network traffic that is capable of being handled by the virtual machine; and

enabling the virtual machine to queue network traffic and wake-up the virtual machine in the sleep state for network traffic that the virtual machine surrogate is incapable of handling.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a virtual machine surrogate comprises a low-profile virtual machine.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein a virtual machine surrogate comprises a small footprint process.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising replaying, by the virtual machine surrogate, the queued network traffic for the virtual machine after the virtual machine surrogate has woken-up the virtual machine.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the virtual machine surrogate comprises at least one of a processor and a virtual machine.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the virtual machine surrogate is capable of handling network traffic for one or more virtual machines.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a system, wherein the system comprises one or more distinct software modules, each of the one or more distinct software modules being embodied on a tangible computer-readable recordable storage medium, and wherein the one or more distinct software modules comprise an idleness detection module, a network proxy module, a service proxy module and a virtual machine state control module executing on a hardware processor.

8. A computer program product comprising a tangible computer readable recordable storage medium including computer useable program code for dynamically managing a sleep state of a virtual machine, the computer program product including:

computer useable program code for detecting idleness of a virtual machine;

computer useable program code for putting the idle virtual machine into a sleep state;

computer useable program code for implementing a virtual machine surrogate, wherein the virtual machine surrogate listens to network traffic;

computer useable program code for enabling the virtual machine to handle network traffic that is capable of being handled by the virtual machine; and

computer useable program code for enabling the virtual machine to queue network traffic and wake-up the virtual machine in the sleep state for network traffic that the virtual machine surrogate is incapable of handling.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein a virtual machine surrogate comprises a low-profile virtual machine.

10. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein a virtual machine surrogate comprises a small footprint process.

11. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the virtual machine surrogate comprises at least one of a processor and a virtual machine.

12. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the virtual machine surrogate is capable of handling network traffic for one or more virtual machines.

13. The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising computer useable program code for replaying, by the virtual machine surrogate, the queued network traffic for the virtual machine after the virtual machine surrogate has woken-up the virtual machine.

14. A system for dynamically managing a sleep state of a virtual machine, comprising:

a memory; and

at least one processor coupled to the memory and operative to;

detect idleness of a virtual machine;

put the idle virtual machine into a sleep state;

implement a virtual machine surrogate, wherein the virtual machine surrogate listens to network traffic;

enable the virtual machine to handle network traffic that is capable of being handled by the virtual machine; and

enable the virtual machine to queue network traffic and wake-up the virtual machine in the sleep state for network traffic that the virtual machine surrogate is incapable of handling.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein a virtual machine surrogate comprises a low-profile virtual machine.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein a virtual machine surrogate comprises a small footprint process.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the virtual machine surrogate comprises at least one of a processor and a virtual machine.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the virtual machine surrogate is capable of handling network traffic for one or more virtual machines.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the at least one processor coupled to the memory is further operative to replay, by the virtual machine surrogate, the queued network traffic for the virtual machine after the virtual machine surrogate has woken-up the virtual machine.

20. The system of claim 14, further comprising a tangible computer-readable recordable storage medium having one or more distinct software modules embodied thereon, wherein the one or more distinct software modules comprise an idleness detection module, a network proxy module, a service proxy module and a virtual machine state control module executing on a hardware processor.

21. An apparatus for dynamically managing a sleep state of a virtual machine, the apparatus comprising:

means for detecting idleness of a virtual machine;

means for putting the idle virtual machine into a sleep state;

means for implementing a virtual machine surrogate, wherein the virtual machine surrogate listens to network traffic;

means for enabling the virtual machine to handle network traffic that is capable of being handled by the virtual machine; and

means for enabling the virtual machine to queue network traffic and wake-up the virtual machine in the sleep state for network traffic that the virtual machine surrogate is incapable of handling.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein a virtual machine surrogate comprises a low-profile virtual machine.

23. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein a virtual machine surrogate comprises a small footprint process.

24. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the virtual machine surrogate comprises at least one of a processor and a virtual machine.

25. The apparatus of claim 21, further comprising means for replaying, by the virtual machine surrogate, the queued network traffic for the virtual machine after the virtual machine surrogate has woken-up the virtual machine.