Distributed Image Cache For Servicing Virtual Resource Requests in the Cloud

• US 20130339470A1
• Filed: 06/18/2012
• Published: 12/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: De, Pradipta, Gupta, Manish, Jeswani, Deepak K.
• Granted Patent: US 8,880,638 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/213
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching

Abstract

A method of provisioning in a cloud compute environment having a set of cloud hosts associated with one another. The method begins by forming a distributed, cooperative cache across the set of cloud hosts by declaring a portion of a data store associated with a cloud host as a cache, and storing template images and patches in the cache. Caching activity across the distributed, cooperated cache is coordinated by having the caches share information about their respective contents. A control routine at a cache receives requests for template images or patches, responds to the requests if the requested artifacts are available or, upon a cache miss, forwards the request to another one of the caches. Periodically, the composition of the distributed, cooperative cache is computed, and the template images and patches are populated into the caches using the computed cache composition.

Claims

1. A method of provisioning in a cloud compute environment having a set of cloud hosts, comprising:

forming a distributed, cooperative cache across the set of cloud hosts;

coordinating caching activity across the distributed, cooperative cache; and

attempting to service requests to provision virtual resources from information stored in the distributed, cooperative cache.

2. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the distributed, cooperative cache is formed by:

declaring a portion of a data store associated with a cloud host as a cache;

storing template images and patches in the cache; and

having each cache update at least one or more other caches with information about contents of its cache.

3. The method as described in claim 2 wherein the caching activity is coordinated by:

receiving at one of the caches a request for a template image or a patch;

if the template image or patch is present at the cache that receives the request, responding to the request; and

if the template image or path is not present at the cache that receives the request, routing the request to another of the caches in the distributed, cooperative cache.

4. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the caching activity is coordinated by a selected one of the caches acting as a master.

5. The method as described in claim 1 further including periodically computing a composition of the distributed, cooperative cache.

6. The method as described in claim 5 further including populating template images and patches in the caches that form the distributed, cooperative cache based on the composition.

7. The method as described in claim 6 wherein the template images and patches are populated in the caches according to a cost function that minimizes a total cost of responding to service requests.

8. Apparatus, comprising:

a processor;

computer memory holding computer program instructions that when executed by the processor perform a method of provisioning in a cloud compute environment, the method comprising;

forming a distributed, cooperative cache across a set of cloud hosts;

coordinating caching activity across the distributed, cooperative cache; and

attempting to service requests to provision virtual resources from information stored in the distributed, cooperative cache.

9. The apparatus as described in claim 8 wherein the distributed, cooperative cache is formed by:

declaring a portion of a data store associated with a cloud host as a cache;

storing template images and patches in the cache; and

having each cache update at least one or more other caches with information about contents of its cache.

10. The apparatus as described in claim 9 wherein the caching activity is coordinated by:

receiving at one of the caches a request for a template image or a patch;

if the template image or patch is present at the cache that receives the request, responding to the request; and

if the template image or path is not present at the cache that receives the request, routing the request to another of the caches in the distributed, cooperative cache.

11. The apparatus as described in claim 8 wherein the caching activity is coordinated by a selected one of the caches acting as a master.

12. The apparatus as described in claim 8 wherein the method further includes periodically computing a composition of the distributed, cooperative cache.

13. The apparatus as described in claim 12 wherein the method further includes populating template images and patches in the caches that form the distributed, cooperative cache based on the composition.

14. The apparatus as described in claim 13 wherein the template images and patches are populated in the caches according to a cost function that minimizes a total cost of responding to service requests.

15. A computer program product in a non-transitory computer readable medium for use in a data processing system, the computer program product holding computer program instructions which, when executed by the data processing system, perform a method of provisioning in a cloud compute, the method comprising:

forming a distributed, cooperative cache across a set of cloud hosts;

coordinating caching activity across the distributed, cooperative cache; and

attempting to service requests to provision virtual resources from information stored in the distributed, cooperative cache.

16. The computer program product as described in claim 15 wherein the distributed, cooperative cache is formed by:

declaring a portion of a data store associated with a cloud host as a cache;

storing template images and patches in the cache; and

having each cache update at least one or more other caches with information about contents of its cache.

17. The computer program product as described in claim 16 wherein the caching activity is coordinated by:

receiving at one of the caches a request for a template image or a patch;

if the template image or patch is present at the cache that receives the request, responding to the request; and

if the template image or path is not present at the cache that receives the request, routing the request to another of the caches in the distributed, cooperative cache.

18. The computer program product as described in claim 15 wherein the caching activity is coordinated by a selected one of the caches acting as a master.

19. The computer program product as described in claim 15 wherein the method further includes periodically computing a composition of the distributed, cooperative cache.

20. The computer program product as described in claim 19 wherein the method further includes populating template images and patches in the caches that form the distributed, cooperative cache based on the composition.

21. The computer program product as described in claim 20 wherein the template images and patches are populated in the caches according to a cost function that minimizes a total cost of responding to service requests.

22. A cloud compute infrastructure, comprising:

a set of cloud hosts each including a hardware component;

two or more caches that collectively comprise a distributed, cooperative cache;

a set of template images and patches cached in the distributed, cooperative cache, wherein a patch is adapted to be applied to a given template image to generate a new template image;

a control routine executed in a processor to determine a composition of the template images and patches in the distributed, cooperative cache, the composition being one that minimizes a total cost of servicing virtual resource requests.

23. The cloud compute infrastructure as described in claim 22 wherein the two or more caches are co-located.

24. The cloud compute infrastructure as described in claim 22 further including a cache keeper coordinates caching activity across the distributed, cooperative cache.

25. The cloud compute infrastructure as described in claim 22 wherein the cache keeper calls the control routine to determine the composition periodically.