DYNAMIC VIRTUAL PORT PROVISIONING

• US 20160224363A1
• Filed: 01/30/2015
• Published: 08/04/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BladeLogic Incorporated (KKR & Co., Inc.), BMC Software Incorporated (KKR & Co., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: BladeLogic Incorporated (KKR & Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: JOY, Ajai
• Granted Patent: US 9,535,737 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 2009/45591 Monitoring or debugging support
• 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: H04L 41/0803 Configuration setting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0816 the condition being an adaptation, e.g. in response to network events
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0895 Configuration of virtualised networks or elements, e.g. virtualised network function or OpenFlow elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0896 Bandwidth or capacity management, i.e. automatically increasing or decreasing capacities flow or congestion control using dynamic resource allocation, e.g. in-call renegotiation, H04L47/76
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/70 Virtual switches

Abstract

In a general aspect, a computer-implemented method can include provisioning a virtual network on a hypervisor server. The method can also include querying the hypervisor server to determine an allowable range for a number of virtual ports of a first port group of a virtual switch implemented on the hypervisor server, the first port group being associated with the virtual network. The method can further include provisioning at least one virtual machine on the virtual network including assigning a respective virtual port of the first port group to the virtual machine. The method can still further include monitoring usage of the virtual ports of the first port group and, in response to the usage of the virtual ports of the first port group exceeding a threshold, instructing the hypervisor server to provision a second port group on the virtual switch, the second port group being associated with the virtual network.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

provisioning a virtual network on a hypervisor server, the hypervisor server being configured to provide virtual computing resources for implementing the virtual network;

querying the hypervisor server to determine an allowable range for a number of virtual ports of a first port group of a virtual switch implemented on the hypervisor server, the first port group being associated with the virtual network;

provisioning at least one virtual machine on the virtual network, the provisioning of a virtual machine of the at least one virtual machine including assigning a respective virtual port of the first port group to the virtual machine;

monitoring usage of the virtual ports of the first port group; and

in response to the usage of the virtual ports of the first port group exceeding a threshold, instructing the hypervisor server to provision a second port group on the virtual switch, the second port group being associated with the virtual network.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein a number of virtual ports in the second port group is equal to the number of virtual ports in the first port group.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the number of virtual ports in the second port group and the number of virtual ports in the first port group is equal to a largest value in the allowable range.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein a number of virtual ports in the second port group is not equal to the number of virtual ports in the first port group.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein the number of virtual ports in the first port group is equal to a largest value in the allowable range and the number of virtual ports in the second port group is less than the largest value in the allowable range.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein a number of virtual ports in the second port group is equal to a number of unassigned Internet Protocol (IP) addresses of the virtual network.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein a number of virtual ports in the second port group is based on a rate of consumption of virtual ports in the first port group.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein provisioning the second port group includes provisioning the second port group with a same set of quality of service parameters as the first port group.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein assigning the respective virtual port of the first port group to the virtual machine includes assigning a respective Internet Protocol (IP) address of the virtual network to a virtual network-interface card of the virtual machine.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the threshold is a first threshold, the computer-implemented method further comprising:

monitoring usage of the virtual ports of the second port group; and

in response to the usage of the virtual ports in the second port group exceeding a second threshold, instructing the hypervisor server to provision a third port group on the virtual switch, the third port group being associated with the virtual network.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the second threshold is different than the first threshold.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein monitoring the usage of the virtual ports of the first port group is performed in response to the provisioning of the virtual machine of the at least one virtual machine.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising monitoring an amount of available virtual computing resources of the virtual network, a number of virtual ports in the second port group being based on the amount of available virtual computing resources.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein monitoring the amount of available virtual computing resources of the virtual network is performed in response to the provisioning of the virtual machine of the at least one virtual machine.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having instructions recorded and stored thereon, the instructions, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to:

provision a virtual network on a hypervisor server, the hypervisor server being configured to provide virtual computing resources for implementing the virtual network;

query the hypervisor server to determine an allowable range for a number of virtual ports of a first port group of a virtual switch implemented on the hypervisor server, the first port group being associated with the virtual network;

provision at least one virtual machine on the virtual network, the provisioning of a virtual machine of the at least one virtual machine including assigning a respective virtual port of the first port group to the virtual machine;

monitor usage of the virtual ports of the first port group; and

in response to the usage of the virtual ports of the first port group exceeding a threshold, instruct the hypervisor server to provision a second port group on the virtual switch, the second port group being associated with the virtual network.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the threshold is a first threshold, the instructions, when executed by the computing device, further cause the computing device to:

monitor usage of the virtual ports of the second port group; and

in response to the usage of the virtual ports in the second port group exceeding a second threshold, instruct the hypervisor server to provision a third port group on the virtual switch, the second port group being associated with the virtual network.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions, when executed by the computing device, further cause the computing device to monitor an amount of available virtual computing resources of the virtual network, a number of virtual ports in the second port group being based on the amount of available virtual computing resources.

18. A system comprising:

a host server including a set of physical computing resources;

a hypervisor server configured to virtualize the set of physical computing resources of the host server; and

a virtual network management server including;

at least one memory that is configured to store instructions; and

at least one processor that is operably coupled to the at least one memory and that is configured to process the instructions to cause the virtual network management server to;

provision a virtual network on the hypervisor server, the hypervisor server being configured to provide virtual computing resources for implementing the virtual network;

query the hypervisor server to determine an allowable range for a number of virtual ports of a first port group of a virtual switch implemented on the hypervisor server, the first port group being associated with the virtual network;

provision at least one virtual machine on the virtual network, the provisioning of a virtual machine of the at least one virtual machine including assigning a respective virtual port of the first port group to the virtual machine;

monitor usage of the virtual ports of the first port group; and

in response to the usage of the virtual ports of the first port group exceeding a threshold, instruct the hypervisor server to provision a second port group on the virtual switch, the second port group being associated with the virtual network.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the host server is a first host server and the set of physical computing resources is a first set of physical computing resources, the system further comprising:

a second host server including a second set of physical computing resources;

a non-volatile data storage device; and

a physical data network operationally coupled with the first host server, the second host server and the non-volatile data storage device,

the hypervisor server being further configured to virtualize the second set of physical computing resources and the non-volatile data storage device.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the set of physical computing resources of the host server includes:

at least one processor;

a non-volatile data storage device; and

volatile data storage.