MANAGING CLOUD RESOURCE LIFECYCLES IN A MULTI-CLOUD COMPUTING ENVIRONMENT

• US 20130191542A1
• Filed: 01/23/2012
• Published: 07/25/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: MATCZYNSKI, Michael J., PASAM, Seshubabu, ZHANG, Zhiyuan
• Granted Patent: US 9,442,766 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/226
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5022 Mechanisms to release resources
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5072 Grid computing

Abstract

A device receives information associated with a resource provided by a cloud computing environment to the device, where the resource is eligible to be reaped. The device determines whether a representation of the resource is referenced in a data structure associated with the device, and initiates a delay timer when a representation of the resource is not referenced in the data structure. When the delay timer has expired, the device stops the resource and one or more resources dependent on the resource and provided by the cloud computing environment, and deletes, from the data structure, representations of the one or more resources dependent on the resource.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a device, information associated with a resource provided by a cloud computing environment to the device, where the resource is eligible for reaping;

determining, by the device, whether a representation of the resource is referenced in a data structure associated with the device;

beginning, by the device and when a representation of the resource is not referenced in the data structure, a timer based on characteristics associated with the resource;

stopping, by the device and when the timer has expired, the resource and one or more resources dependent on the resource and provided by the cloud computing environment; and

deleting, by the device and from the data structure, representations of the one or more resources dependent on the resource.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

stopping the reaping of the resource when a representation of the resource is referenced in the data structure.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

redetermining whether a representation of the resource is referenced in the data structure until the timer expires.

4. The method of claim 1, where the information associated with the resource includes information associated with a cloud resource, a cloud service, or a cloud user object provided by the cloud computing environment to the device.

5. The method of claim 4, where the cloud resource includes one of:

a compute instance executing in the cloud computing environment on behalf of the device,

a storage resource, of the cloud computing environment, that is utilized by the device, or

a data transfer operation between the device and the cloud computing environment.

6. The method of claim 4, where the cloud service includes one of:

a virtual machine (VM) executing on behalf of the device, or

a virtual tunnel provided between the device and the cloud computing environment.

7. The method of claim 4, where the cloud user object includes a virtual machine managed by the device.

8. A device, comprising:

a memory to store a data structure; and

a processor to;

receive information associated with a resource provided by a cloud computing environment to the device, where the resource is eligible to be reaped,

determine whether a representation of the resource is referenced in the data structure,

stop the reaping of the resource when a representation of the resource is referenced in the data structure,

start, when a representation of the resource is not referenced in the data structure, a timer based on characteristics associated with the resource,

stop, when the timer has expired, the resource and one or more resources dependent on the resource and provided by the cloud computing environment, and

remove, from the data structure, representations of the one or more resources dependent on the resource.

9. The device of claim 8, where the processor is further to:

determine, continuously, whether a representation of the resource is referenced in the data structure until the timer expires.

10. The device of claim 8, where the information associated with the resource includes information associated with a cloud resource, a cloud service, or a cloud user object provided by the cloud computing environment to the device.

11. The device of claim 10, where the cloud resource includes one of:

a compute instance executing in the cloud computing environment on behalf of the device,

a storage resource, of the cloud computing environment, that is utilized by the device, or

a data transfer operation between the device and the cloud computing environment.

12. The device of claim 10, where the cloud service includes one of:

a virtual machine (VM) executing on behalf of the device, or

a virtual tunnel provided between the device and the cloud computing environment.

13. The device of claim 10, where the cloud user object includes a virtual machine managed by the device.

14. A computer-readable medium, comprising:

a data structure; and

one or more instructions that, when executed by a processor of a device, cause the processor to;

receive information associated with a resource provided by a cloud computing environment to the device, where the resource is eligible to be reaped,

determine whether a representation of the resource is referenced in the data structure,

initiate a delay timer when a representation of the resource is not referenced in the data structure,

stop, when the delay timer has expired, the resource and one or more resources dependent on the resource and provided by the cloud computing environment, and

delete, from the data structure, representations of the one or more resources dependent on the resource.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, further comprising:

one or more instructions that, when executed by the processor of the device, cause the processor to;

stop the reaping of the resource when a representation of the resource is referenced in the data structure.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, further comprising:

one or more instructions that, when executed by the processor of the device, cause the processor to;

redetermine whether a representation of the resource is referenced in the data structure until the delay timer expires.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, where the information associated with the resource includes information associated with a cloud resource, a cloud service, or a cloud user object provided by the cloud computing environment to the device.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, where the cloud resource includes one of:

a compute instance executing in the cloud computing environment on behalf of the device,

a storage resource, of the cloud computing environment, that is utilized by the device, or

a data transfer operation between the device and the cloud computing environment.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, where the cloud service includes one of:

a virtual machine (VM) executing on behalf of the device, or

a virtual tunnel provided between the device and the cloud computing environment.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, where the cloud user object includes a virtual machine managed by the device.