METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR WORKLOAD DISTRIBUTING AND PROCESSING ACROSS A NETWORK OF REPLICATED VIRTUAL MACHINES

• US 20110314465A1
• Filed: 06/17/2010
• Published: 12/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: GridCentric Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Scannell, Adin, Smith, Timothy, Cavilla, Horacio Andres Lagar
• Granted Patent: US 8,656,387 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 718/1
• 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

Abstract

A method and a system for creating a network of virtual machines in a communication network including a head node virtual machine (VM) for distribution and processing of a workload. The method comprises creating the head node VM hosted at a server computer, the head node VM specifying the workload, the workload being assignable into sub-tasks; identifying a pool of hosts for hosting a plurality of replica VMs, each of the pool of hosts comprising a physical computing device; replicating the head node VM at an each one of the plurality of replica VMs; coordinating amongst the plurality of replica VMs to assign at least one workload sub-task to the each one of the plurality of replica VMs; processing the at least one assigned workload sub-tasks at the respective each one of the plurality of replica VMs to provide at least one sub-task result; and receiving the at least one sub-task result at the head node VM.

Claims

1. A method for distribution and processing of a workload in network of virtual machines in a communication network, including a head node virtual machine (VM), the method comprising:

creating the head node VM hosted at a server computer, the head node VM specifying the workload, the workload being assignable into sub-tasks;

identifying a pool of hosts for hosting a plurality of replica VMs, each of the pool of hosts comprising a physical computing device;

replicating the head node VM at an each one of the plurality of replica VMs;

coordinating amongst the plurality of replica VMs to assign at least one workload sub-task to the each one of the plurality of replica VMs;

processing the at least one assigned workload sub-tasks at the respective each one of the plurality of replica VMs to provide at least one sub-task result; and

receiving the at least one sub-task result at the head node VM.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the each one of the plurality of replica VMs includes a respective workload coordination module.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of coordinating comprises coordinating by, and amongst, the respective workload coordination modules to assign at least one workload sub-task to the each one of the plurality of replica VMs.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein processing of the workload sub-tasks comprises batch processing of the sub-tasks.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein processing of the workload sub-tasks comprises parallel processing of the sub-tasks.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising marking as idle, at the head node VM, the at least one of the plurality of replica VMs from which the sub-task result is received.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising destroying, from the plurality of replica VMs, the at least one replica VM marked as idle.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising deleting, from the pool of hosts, the physical computing device hosting the replica VM marked as idle.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

monitoring, at the head node VM, an electronic heartbeat of at least one of the plurality of replica VMs;

if no heartbeat, removing the at least one of the plurality of replica VMs from the plurality of replica VMs; and

marking, at the head node VM, the at least one of the plurality of replica VMs as being either idle or unavailable.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising destroying, from the plurality of replica VMs, the replica VM marked as either idle or unavailable.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising deleting, from the pool of hosts, the physical computing device hosting the replica VM marked as either idle or unavailable.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

displaying, at a graphical user interface display screen of the server computer, at least one of an assignment status and a processing status of the workload.

14. The server system of claim 12 further comprising a graphical user interface display screen for displaying at least one of an assignment status and a processing status of the workload.

13. A server computer comprising:

a processor; and

a memory, the memory comprising instructions hosted therein, which when executed in the processor provide a head node virtual machine (VM), the head node VM being replicated at a plurality of replica VMs communicatively hosted within a communication network, the head node specifying a workload, the workload assignable into sub-tasks amongst an each one of the plurality of replica VMs, the assigned sub-tasks being processed via workload communication modules at the respective each one of the plurality of replica VMs to provide at least one sub-task result, the at least one sub-task result for communicating to the head node VM.

15. A virtual machine (VM)-based workload distribution and processing system in a communication network, the system comprising:

a head node VM hosted at a server computer, the head node VM specifying the workload, the workload being assignable into sub-tasks;

a pool of hosts for hosting a plurality of replica VMs, each of the replica VMs comprising replicated ones of the head node VM, each of the pool of hosts comprising a physical computing device;

a respective workload coordination module at each one of the plurality of replica VMs for coordinating assignment and processing of at least one workload sub-task amongst the each one of the plurality of replica VMs, the at least one assigned workload sub-tasks for processing at the respective each one of the plurality of replica VMs to provide at least one sub-task result to the head node VM.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the workload is assignable into a plurality of batch processing sub-tasks.

17. The system of claim 15 wherein the workload is assignable into a plurality of parallel processing sub-tasks.

18. The system of claim 15 wherein the at least one of the plurality of replica VMs from which the sub-task result is received is destroyed from the plurality of replica VMs.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the physical computing device hosting the removed at least one replica VM is deleted from the pool of hosts.

20. The system of claim 15 further comprising an external storage device coupled to the server computer for storing the at least one sub-task result provided to the head node VM.