Virtual machine disk image installation

• US 20130007739A1
• Filed: 05/01/2012
• Published: 01/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alexey Miroshkin, Igor Sukharev, Indrajit Poddar, Vladislav B. Ponomarev, Yulia Gaponenko
• Original Assignee: Alexey Miroshkin, Igor Sukharev, Indrajit Poddar, Vladislav B. Ponomarev, Yulia Gaponenko
• Inventors: Poddar, Indrajit, Ponomarev, Vladislav B., Gaponenko, Yulia, Sukharev, Igor, Miroshkin, Alexey
• Granted Patent: US 9,280,336 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 718/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/4557 Distribution of virtual machine instances; Migration and load balancing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45583 Memory management, e.g. access or allocation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/63 Image based installation; Cloning; Build to order
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/64 Retargetable
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects

Abstract

A processor copies first and second installable binary files into first and second disk images of first and second virtual machines, respectively, before instantiating the images. The processor can copy first installation parameters and second installation parameters into the first image. The processor copies additional first installation parameters and additional second installation parameters into the second image. The processor at least partially executes a first installation process, based on the first installation parameters, to install the first installable binary files, and a second installation process, based on the additional second installation parameters, to install the second installable binary files. The processor at least partially executes the installation processes in an interleaved manner in relation to one another, based on dependencies. After instantiating the images, the processor can execute scripts based on the second installation parameters and the additional second installation parameters to complete installation.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

copying one or more installable binary files for one or more software components into a disk image of a virtual machine, by a processor, prior to the disk image of the virtual machine having been instantiated, such that the virtual machine is not running;

copying one or more installation parameters into the disk image of the virtual machine, by the processor, the installation parameters for an installation process to install the installable binary files within the disk image of the virtual machine;

at least partially executing the installation process, by the processor, based on the installation parameters, to install the installable binary files within the disk image of the virtual machine, without instantiating the disk image of the virtual machine; and

,

instantiating the disk image of the virtual machine, by the processor, such that the virtual machine is running.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least partially executing the installation process comprises completely executing the installation process, such that no part of the installation process is performed once the disk image of the virtual machine has been instantiated.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the installation parameters are first installation parameters that are populated with values without the disk image of the virtual machine having to be instantiated, wherein at least partially executing the installation process comprises partially executing the installation process, and wherein the method further comprises:

copying one or more second installation parameters into the disk image of the virtual machine, by the processor, the second installation parameters populated with values upon the disk image of the virtual machine having been instantiated;

copying one or more scripts into the disk image of the virtual machine, by the processor, the scripts executed after the disk image of the virtual machine has been instantiated, to complete the installation process; and

,

after the disk image of the virtual machine has been instantiated, executing the scripts, by the processor, based on the second installation parameters that have now been populated with values, to complete the installation process.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein prior to the disk image of the virtual machine having been instantiated, as much of the installation process that can be completed without instantiating the disk image of the virtual machine is performed,

and wherein after the disk image of the virtual machine has been instantiated, a remaining part of the installation process that cannot be completed without instantiating the disk image of the virtual machine is performed.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein partially executing the installation process, based on the first installation parameters, is performed only once, prior to instantiation of the disk image of the virtual machine, regardless of a number of times the disk image of the virtual machine is instantiated,

and wherein executing the scripts, based on the second installation parameters, is performed each of the number of times the disk image of the virtual machine is instantiated.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the disk image of the virtual machine is a first disk image of a first virtual machine, the installable binary files are first installable binary files, the installation parameters are first installation parameters, the installation process is a first installation process, and wherein the method further comprises:

copying one or more second installable binary files into a second disk image of a second virtual machine, by the processor, prior to the second disk image of the second virtual machine having been instantiated, such that the second virtual machine is not running;

copying one or more second installation parameters into the second disk image of the second virtual machine, by the processor, the second installation parameters for a second installation process to install the second installable binary files within the second disk image of the second virtual machine;

at least partially executing the second installation process, by the processor, based on the second installation parameters, to install the second installable binary files within the second disk image of the second virtual machine, without instantiating the second disk image of the second virtual machine; and

,

instantiating the second disk image of the second virtual machine, by the processor, such that the second virtual machine is running.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

permitting creation of a topology model of one or more first software components corresponding to the first installable binary files and of one or more second software components corresponding to the second installable files, by the processor;

permitting modeling of dependencies between the first software components corresponding to the first installable binary files and the second software components corresponding to the second installable binary files, by the processor; and

,

modeling installation operations of the first installation process and of the second installation process, by the processor, to generate an ordered sequence of the installation operations based on the dependencies between the first software components and the second software components,

wherein at least partially executing the second installation process is performed in an interleaved manner in relation to at least partial execution of the first installation process such that the first installation process and the second installation process are performed in accordance with the ordered sequence of the installation operations,

wherein the installation operations of the ordered sequence comprise image installation operations and script execution operations.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein permitting the creation of the topology model comprises permitting modeling of containments between the first software components and the first disk image of the first virtual machine, and between the second software components and the second disk image of the second virtual machine.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein at least partially executing the second installation process comprises completely executing the second installation process, such that no part of the second installation process is performed once the second disk image of the second virtual machine has been instantiated.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the second installation parameters comprise one or more offline second installation parameters that are populated with values without the second disk image of the second virtual machine having to be instantiated, wherein the second installation parameters further comprise one or more online second installation parameters populated with values upon the second disk image of the second virtual machine having been instantiated, wherein at least partially executing the second installation process comprises partially executing the second installation process, and wherein the method further comprises:

copying one or more scripts into the second disk image of the second virtual machine, by the processor, the scripts executed after the second disk image of the second virtual machine has been instantiated to complete the second installation process; and

,

after the second disk image of the second virtual machine has been instantiated, executing the scripts, by the processor, based on the online second installation parameters that have now been populated with values, to complete the second installation process.