MAINTENANCE OF VIRTUAL APPLIANCES

• US 20130091498A1
• Filed: 10/03/2012
• Published: 04/11/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Arcese, Mauro, Ciano, Giuseppe, Pichetti, Luigi, Mirecki, Marcin, Di Cocco, Antonio
• Granted Patent: US 9,003,392 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45562 Creating, deleting, cloning virtual machine instances
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/63 Image based installation; Cloning; Build to order
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/656 while running
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/455 Emulation; Interpretation; Software simulation, e.g. virtualisation or emulation of application or operating system execution engines

Abstract

Maintenance of a virtual appliance is provided. The virtual appliance comprises a set of software components each one installed on a corresponding virtual machine. A maintenance descriptor is provided comprising an indication of a new level of at least each one of the software components to be updated thereto. For each software component indicated in the maintenance descriptor, a current level is determined of the software component that is installed on the corresponding virtual machine. A set of old ones of the software components to be actually updated is determined according to a comparison between the corresponding current levels and new levels. The virtual appliance is then cloned. The cloned virtual appliance is updated by updating each old software component thereof to the new level. The virtual appliance is now replaced by the updated cloned virtual appliance.

Claims

1. A method for maintaining a virtual appliance comprising a set of software components each one installed on a corresponding virtual machine, wherein the method comprises:

retrieving a maintenance descriptor comprising an indication of a new level of at least one of the software components to be updated;

determining, for each software component indicated in the maintenance descriptor, a current level of the software component being installed on the corresponding virtual machine;

determining a set of old ones of the software components to be actually updated according to a comparison between the corresponding current levels and new levels;

cloning the virtual appliance;

updating the cloned virtual appliance by updating each old software component thereof to the new level; and

replacing the virtual appliance by the updated cloned virtual appliance.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the maintenance descriptor comprises an indication of the new level of each one of all the software components.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the virtual appliance is associated with an appliance descriptor comprising an appliance identifier of the virtual appliance and the maintenance descriptor is associated with said appliance identifier, wherein retrieving a maintenance descriptor further comprises:

extracting the appliance identifier from the appliance descriptor; and

retrieving the maintenance descriptor associated with the appliance identifier.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the appliance descriptor further comprises a maintenance address for the maintenance descriptor, wherein retrieving a maintenance descriptor further comprises:

downloading the maintenance descriptor from the maintenance address.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein retrieving a maintenance descriptor further comprises:

monitoring the maintenance address for the availability of a new maintenance descriptor more recent than a last maintenance descriptor being successfully applied on the virtual appliance.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the maintenance descriptor further includes a set of discovering commands for at least one software component indicated in the maintenance descriptor, wherein determining, for each software component indicated in the maintenance descriptor, a current level of the software component being installed on the corresponding virtual machine comprises:

extracting the corresponding discovering commands from the maintenance descriptor; and

executing the corresponding discovering commands on the corresponding virtual machine.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the maintenance descriptor further includes a download address for each software component indicated in the maintenance descriptor, wherein updating the cloned virtual appliance by updating each old software component of the cloned virtual appliance to the new level further comprises:

extracting the corresponding download address from the maintenance descriptor;

downloading a maintenance package for the old software component from the corresponding download address; and

applying the maintenance package on the corresponding virtual machine.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the maintenance descriptor includes a set of update commands for each software component indicated in the maintenance descriptor, wherein updating the cloned virtual appliance by updating each old software component of the cloned virtual appliance to the new level further comprises:

extracting the corresponding update commands from the maintenance descriptor; and

executing the corresponding update commands on the corresponding virtual machine.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

verifying a correctness of the updated cloned virtual appliance;

replacing the virtual appliance with the updated cloned virtual appliance in response to a positive result of the verifying; and

discarding the updated cloned virtual appliance in response to a negative result of the verifying.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the maintenance descriptor includes a set of verification commands for each software component indicated in the maintenance descriptor, wherein verifying a correctness of the updated cloned virtual appliance comprises:

extracting the corresponding verification commands from the maintenance descriptor; and

executing the corresponding verification commands on the corresponding virtual machine.

11. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining data changes being applied to local data of the virtual appliance, and applying the data changes to the replaced virtual appliance.

12. A computer-readable storage device with an executable program for maintaining a virtual appliance comprising a set of software components each one installed on a corresponding virtual machine stored thereon, wherein the program instructs a processor to perform:

retrieving a maintenance descriptor comprising an indication of a new level of at least one of the software components to be updated;

determining, for each software component indicated in the maintenance descriptor, a current level of the software component being installed on the corresponding virtual machine;

determining a set of old ones of the software components to be actually updated according to a comparison between the corresponding current levels and new levels;

cloning the virtual appliance;

updating the cloned virtual appliance by updating each old software component thereof to the new level; and

replacing the virtual appliance by the updated cloned virtual appliance.

13. The computer-readable storage device according to claim 12, wherein the virtual appliance is associated with an appliance descriptor comprising an appliance identifier of the virtual appliance and the maintenance descriptor is associated with said appliance identifier, wherein retrieving a maintenance descriptor further comprises the program instructing the processor to perform:

extracting the appliance identifier from the appliance descriptor; and

retrieving the maintenance descriptor associated with the appliance identifier.

14. The computer-readable storage device according to claim 12, wherein the appliance descriptor further comprises a maintenance address for the maintenance descriptor, wherein retrieving a maintenance descriptor further comprises the program instructing the processor to perform:

downloading the maintenance descriptor from the maintenance address; and

monitoring the maintenance address for the availability of a new maintenance descriptor more recent than a last maintenance descriptor being successfully applied on the virtual appliance.

15. The computer-readable storage device according to claim 12, wherein the maintenance descriptor further includes a download address for each software component indicated in the maintenance descriptor, wherein updating the cloned virtual appliance by updating each old software component of the cloned virtual appliance to the new level further comprises the program instructing the processor to perform:

extracting the corresponding download address from the maintenance descriptor;

downloading a maintenance package for the old software component from the corresponding download address; and

applying the maintenance package on the corresponding virtual machine.

16. The computer-readable storage device according to claim 12, wherein the maintenance descriptor includes a set of update commands for each software component indicated in the maintenance descriptor, wherein updating the cloned virtual appliance by updating each old software component of the cloned virtual appliance to the new level further comprises the program instructing the processor to perform:

extracting the corresponding update commands from the maintenance descriptor; and

executing the corresponding update commands on the corresponding virtual machine.

17. The computer-readable storage device according to claim 12, further comprising the program instructing the processor to perform:

verifying a correctness of the updated cloned virtual appliance;

replacing the virtual appliance with the updated cloned virtual appliance in response to a positive result of the verifying; and

discarding the updated cloned virtual appliance in response to a negative result of the verifying.

18. The computer-readable storage device according to claim 17, wherein the maintenance descriptor includes a set of verification commands for each software component indicated in the maintenance descriptor, wherein verifying a correctness of the updated cloned virtual appliance comprises the program instructing the processor to perform:

extracting the corresponding verification commands from the maintenance descriptor; and

executing the corresponding verification commands on the corresponding virtual machine.

19. The computer-readable storage device according to claim 12, further comprising the program instructing the processor to perform:

determining data changes being applied to local data of the virtual appliance; and

applying the data changes to the replaced virtual appliance.

20. A system comprising:

a processor coupled to a memory;

wherein the processor is programmed to maintain a virtual appliance comprising a set of software components each one installed on a corresponding virtual machine by;

retrieving a maintenance descriptor comprising an indication of a new level of at least one of the software components to be updated;

determining, for each software component indicated in the maintenance descriptor, a current level of the software component being installed on the corresponding virtual machine;

determining a set of old ones of the software components to be actually updated according to a comparison between the corresponding current levels and new levels;

cloning the virtual appliance;

updating the cloned virtual appliance by updating each old software component thereof to the new level; and

replacing the virtual appliance by the updated cloned virtual appliance.

21. The system according to claim 20, wherein the virtual appliance is associated with an appliance descriptor comprising an appliance identifier of the virtual appliance and the maintenance descriptor is associated with said appliance identifier, wherein retrieving a maintenance descriptor further comprises:

extracting the appliance identifier from the appliance descriptor; and

retrieving the maintenance descriptor associated with the appliance identifier.

22. The system according to claim 20, wherein the maintenance descriptor further includes a download address for each software component indicated in the maintenance descriptor, wherein updating the cloned virtual appliance by updating each old software component of the cloned virtual appliance to the new level further comprises:

extracting the corresponding download address from the maintenance descriptor;

downloading a maintenance package for the old software component from the corresponding download address; and

applying the maintenance package on the corresponding virtual machine.

23. The system according to claim 20, wherein the maintenance descriptor includes a set of update commands for each software component indicated in the maintenance descriptor, wherein updating the cloned virtual appliance by updating each old software component of the cloned virtual appliance to the new level further comprises:

extracting the corresponding update commands from the maintenance descriptor; and

executing the corresponding update commands on the corresponding virtual machine.

24. The system according to claim 20, further comprising:

verifying a correctness of the updated cloned virtual appliance;

replacing the virtual appliance with the updated cloned virtual appliance in response to a positive result of the verifying; and

discarding the updated cloned virtual appliance in response to a negative result of the verifying;

wherein the maintenance descriptor includes a set of verification commands for each software component indicated in the maintenance descriptor, wherein verifying a correctness of the updated cloned virtual appliance comprises;

extracting the corresponding verification commands from the maintenance descriptor; and

executing the corresponding verification commands on the corresponding virtual machine.

25. The system according to claim 20, further comprising:

determining data changes being applied to local data of the virtual appliance; and

applying the data changes to the replaced virtual appliance.