COMPUTER SYSTEM AND CONTROL METHOD THEREFOR

• US 20160004552A1
• Filed: 12/13/2013
• Published: 01/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: INNAN, MASATAKA, TAKUBO, Shunji
• Granted Patent: US 9,563,463 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 2009/45595 Network integration; Enabling network access in virtual machine instances
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5088 involving task migration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1008 based on parameters of servers, e.g. available memory or workload monitoring of computer activity G06F11/30
• 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]

Abstract

The performance of a virtual machine is maintained, by migrating an appropriate target virtual machine for migration to an appropriate destination resource, in response to a load on the virtual machine.

A management computer stores a server rank which represents a rank of a throughput of a server apparatus, and a storage rank which represents a rank of a throughput of a storage apparatus. Each of a plurality of server apparatuses executes a plurality of virtual machines, and stores a required server rank and a required storage rank. If it is determined that a virtual machine should be migrated on the basis of the load on the plurality of virtual machines, the management computer selects a server apparatus having a server rank equal to the required server rank as a destination server apparatus, and selects a storage apparatus having a storage rank equal to the required storage rank as a destination storage apparatus.

Claims

1. A computer system, comprising:

a plurality of server apparatuses;

a plurality of storage apparatuses coupled, via a primary communications network, to the plurality of server apparatuses; and

a management computer coupled, via a secondary communications network, to the plurality of server apparatuses and the plurality of storage apparatuses, wherein,

the management computer is configured to store a server rank which is configured for each of the plurality of server apparatuses and represents a rank of a throughput of a server apparatus, and a storage rank which is configured for each of the plurality of storage apparatuses and represents a rank of a throughput of a storage apparatus,

each of the plurality of server apparatuses is configured to execute a plurality of virtual machines, store a required server rank, which is a server rank of a server apparatus allocated to each of the plurality of virtual machines, and a required storage rank, which is a storage rank of a storage apparatus allocated to each of the plurality of virtual machines, determine whether or not to migrate a virtual machine on the basis of a load on the plurality of virtual machines, select a target virtual machine from among the plurality of virtual machines on the basis of the load on the plurality of virtual machines where the migration is determined, and transmit target virtual machine information which represents a required server rank and a required storage rank for the target virtual machine to the management computer,

in response to the target virtual machine information, the management computer is configured to select a server apparatus having a server rank equal to the required server rank of the target virtual machine, as a destination server apparatus, from among the plurality of server apparatuses, select a storage apparatus having a storage rank equal to the required storage rank of the target virtual machine, as a destination storage apparatus, from among the plurality of storage apparatuses, and transmit destination information which represents the destination server apparatus and destination storage apparatus, to a target server apparatus that executes the target virtual machine, and

the target server apparatus is configured to migrate the target virtual machine to the destination server apparatus and the destination storage apparatus on the basis of the destination information.

2. The computer system according to claim 1, wherein

the target server apparatus is configured to determine whether or not a virtual machine that fulfills target conditions exists by using the target conditions of having a highest required server rank among the plurality of virtual machines and being in an idle state, and is configured to select a virtual machine that fulfills the target conditions as the target virtual machine when it is determined that the virtual machine that fulfills the target conditions exists.

3. The computer system according to claim 2, wherein

when it is determined that no virtual machine exists that fulfills the target conditions, the target server apparatus is configured to select, as the target virtual machine, a virtual machine having a lowest required server rank from among the plurality of virtual machines.

4. The computer system according to claim 3, wherein

when a plurality of virtual machines exist having the lowest required server rank, the target server apparatus is configured to select, as the target virtual machine, a virtual machine having a minimum load from among the plurality of virtual machines having the lowest required server rank.

5. The computer system according to claim 4, wherein

in response to the target virtual machine information, the management computer is configured to select a destination candidate server apparatus which is a server apparatus, from among the plurality of server apparatuses, other than the target server apparatus and having a server rank equal to the required server rank of the target virtual machine, and transmit requirement information which represents the required storage rank of the target virtual machine, to the destination candidate server apparatus,

the destination candidate server apparatus is configured to select a storage apparatus, which is coupled to the destination candidate server apparatus, and having a storage rank equal to the required storage rank of the target virtual machine, as the destination candidate storage apparatus, and transmit destination candidate information which represents the state of the destination candidate server apparatus and the state of the destination candidate storage apparatus, to the management computer, and

on the basis of the destination candidate information, the management computer is configured to select the destination server apparatus from among the destination candidate server apparatuses, and the destination storage apparatus from among the destination candidate storage apparatuses.

6. The computer system according to claim 5, wherein

the destination candidate information represents a load on the destination candidate server apparatus, and

when there are a plurality of destination candidate server apparatuses, the management computer is configured to select, as the destination server apparatus, a destination candidate server apparatus having a minimum load from among the plurality of destination candidate server apparatuses.

7. The computer system according to claim 6, wherein

the destination candidate storage information represents a load on the destination candidate storage apparatus, and

when there are a plurality of destination candidate storage apparatuses, the management computer is configured to select, as the destination storage apparatus, a storage apparatus having a minimum load from among the plurality of destination candidate storage apparatuses.

8. The computer system according to claim 7, wherein

a load on the virtual machine includes either a storage apparatus input-output frequency of the virtual machine, or a storage apparatus transfer speed of the virtual machine.

9. The computer system according to claim 8, wherein

the load on the destination candidate server apparatus is expressed as a value obtained by dividing the number of virtual machines operating on the specified server apparatus, by the allowable number of virtual machines operating on the specified server apparatus.

10. The computer system according to claim 9, wherein

the load on the destination candidate storage apparatus includes either an input-output frequency of the destination candidate storage apparatus, or a transfer speed of the destination candidate storage apparatus.

11. The computer system according to claim 5, wherein

each of the plurality of storage apparatuses is configured to provide a logical volume, and

the management computer is configured to store a storage rank configured for the logical volume, and select a logical volume having a storage rank equal to the required storage rank of the target virtual machine as the destination storage apparatus.

12. The computer system according to claim 5, wherein

the target server apparatus is configured to determine whether or not any of loads on the plurality of virtual machines exceed a predetermined load threshold, determine whether or not a confirmation condition has been fulfilled by using the confirmation condition of a load on the target server apparatus exceeding a predetermined server load threshold, or a load on a storage apparatus being used by the target server apparatus exceeding a predetermined storage load threshold when it is determined that any of the loads on the plurality of virtual machines exceed the load threshold, and determine to execute the migration when it is determined that the confirmation condition is fulfilled.

13. A control method for a computer system, comprising a plurality of server apparatuses, a plurality of storage apparatuses coupled, via a primary communications network, to the plurality of server apparatuses, and a management computer coupled, via a secondary communications network, to the plurality of server apparatuses and the plurality of storage apparatuses, comprising:

storing, by the management computer, a server rank which is configured for each of the plurality of server apparatuses and represents a rank of a throughput of a server apparatus, and a storage rank which is configured for each of the plurality of storage apparatuses and represents a rank of a throughput of a storage apparatus;

by each of the plurality of server apparatuses, executing a plurality of virtual machines, storing a required server rank which is a server rank of a server apparatus allocated to each of the plurality of virtual machines, and a required storage rank which is a storage rank of a storage apparatus allocated to each of the plurality of virtual machines, determining whether or not to migrate a virtual machine on the basis of the load on the plurality of virtual machines, selecting a target virtual machine from among the plurality of virtual machines on the basis of the load on the plurality of virtual machines when the migration is determined, and transmitting, to the management computer, target virtual machine information which represents a required server rank and a required storage rank for the target virtual machine;

by the management computer, in response to the target virtual machine information, selecting a server apparatus having a server rank equal to the required server rank of the target virtual machine, as a destination server apparatus, from among the plurality of server apparatuses, selecting a storage apparatus having a storage rank equal to the required storage rank of the target virtual machine, as a destination storage apparatus, from among the plurality of storage apparatuses, and transmitting destination information which represents the destination server apparatus and destination storage apparatus, to the target server apparatus that executes the target virtual machine; and

migrating, by the target server apparatus, the target virtual machine to the destination server apparatus and the destination storage apparatus on the basis of the destination information.