ON DEMAND VIRTUAL MACHINE IMAGE STREAMING
First Claim
1. A method for on demand virtual machine image streaming, comprising:
- copying, from a storage server storing one or more image templates corresponding respectively to one or more virtual machines, an image metadata associated with a selected virtual machine to a host computer'"'"'s local storage, wherein the host computer'"'"'s local storage initially does not include an image of the selected virtual machine;
booting the selected virtual machine at the host computer using the copied image metadata;
allowing the selected virtual machine to read data from the image template on the storage server needed to continue executing the selected virtual machine at the host computer, if the needed data are not stored on the host computer'"'"'s local storage;
copying the read data of the image template to the host computer'"'"'s local storage from the storage server, if the read data of the image template are not stored on the host computer'"'"'s local storage, wherein subsequent reads to the same data are done from the host computer'"'"'s local storage;
setting a bit in a bitmap to indicate that the read data are stored on the host computer'"'"'s local storage; and
utilizing resource idle time to prefetch data of the image template associated with the selected virtual machine from the storage server to the host computer'"'"'s local storage.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
On demand image streaming (ODS), in one aspect, may perform both copy-on-write and copy-on-read to gradually bring data on remote storage server to a host'"'"'s local disk. Prefetching may be performed during the time the resources are otherwise idle to bring in data from the remote storage server to the host'"'"'s local disk. A new image format and the corresponding block device driver for a hypervisor or the like may be also provided. ODS'"'"' image format may include a header and a bitmap that indicates whether the data sectors are on local disk or remote storage server, and an image content, for instance, stored in raw format.
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Citations
25 Claims
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1. A method for on demand virtual machine image streaming, comprising:
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copying, from a storage server storing one or more image templates corresponding respectively to one or more virtual machines, an image metadata associated with a selected virtual machine to a host computer'"'"'s local storage, wherein the host computer'"'"'s local storage initially does not include an image of the selected virtual machine; booting the selected virtual machine at the host computer using the copied image metadata; allowing the selected virtual machine to read data from the image template on the storage server needed to continue executing the selected virtual machine at the host computer, if the needed data are not stored on the host computer'"'"'s local storage; copying the read data of the image template to the host computer'"'"'s local storage from the storage server, if the read data of the image template are not stored on the host computer'"'"'s local storage, wherein subsequent reads to the same data are done from the host computer'"'"'s local storage; setting a bit in a bitmap to indicate that the read data are stored on the host computer'"'"'s local storage; and utilizing resource idle time to prefetch data of the image template associated with the selected virtual machine from the storage server to the host computer'"'"'s local storage. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method for on demand virtual machine image streaming, comprising:
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copying an image metadata associated with a virtual machine, from a source computer storing an image template corresponding to the virtual machine to a target computer, wherein the target computer initially does not include the image template of the virtual machine; booting the virtual machine at the target computer using the copied image metadata; allowing the virtual machine at the target computer to read data of the image template on the source computer needed to continue executing the virtual machine at the target computer, if the needed data of the image template are not stored on the target computer; copying the read data of the image template from the source computer to the target computer, if the read data of the image template are not stored on the target computer wherein subsequent reads of the same data read the copied data at the target computer; and setting a bit in a bit map to indicate that the read data are stored on the target computer. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A computer readable storage medium storing a program of instructions executable by a machine to perform a method for on demand virtual machine image streaming, comprising:
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copying, from a storage server storing one or more image templates corresponding respectively to one or more virtual machines, an image metadata associated with a selected virtual machine to a host computer'"'"'s local storage, wherein the host computer'"'"'s local storage initially does not include an image template of the selected virtual machine; booting the selected virtual machine at the host computer using the copied image metadata; allowing the selected virtual machine to read data from the image template on the storage server needed to continue executing the selected virtual machine at the host computer, if the needed data are not stored on the host computer'"'"'s local storage; copying the read data of the image template to the host computer'"'"'s local storage from the storage server, if the read data of the image template are not stored on the host computer'"'"'s local storage, wherein subsequent reads to the same data are done from the host computer'"'"'s local storage; and setting a bit in a bitmap to indicate that the read data are stored on the host computer'"'"'s local storage. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A system on demand virtual machine image streaming, comprising:
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a target computer operable to copy an image metadata associated with a virtual machine, from a source computer storing an image template corresponding to the virtual machine, wherein the target computer initially does not include the image template of the virtual machine; and a storage device locally attached to the target computer, the target computer further operable to boot the virtual machine at the target computer using the copied image metadata and allow the virtual machine at the target computer to read data of the image template on the source computer needed to continue executing the virtual machine at the target computer, if the needed data of the image template are not stored on the target computer, the target computer further operable to copy the read data of the image template from the source computer to the storage device locally attached to the target computer, if the read data of the image template are not stored on the target computer, wherein subsequent reads of the same data are done from the storage device locally attached to the target computer, the target computer further operable to set a bit in a bit map to indicate that the read data are stored on the target computer. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25)
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Specification