Migrating a virtual machine in response to failure of an instruction to execute

• US 7,925,923 B1
• Filed: 10/29/2008
• Issued: 04/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: McKee, Bret, Hyser, Chris D
• Primary Examiner(s): Duncan; Marc
• Application Number:
  US12/260,787
• Time in Patent Office: 895 Days
• Field of Search: 714/4, 714/11, 714/13
• US Class Current: 714/13
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/203 using migration
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2035 without idle spare hardware
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/815 Virtual middleware or OS functionality using virtual machines to implement generic software techniques for error detection or fault masking G06F11/1484
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4856 resumption being on a different machine, e.g. task migration, virtual machine migration G06F9/5088 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5044 considering hardware capabilities

Abstract

A virtual machine is migrated from a first physical machine to a second physical machine in response to a failure of an instruction to execute. A migration constraint also is created which limits future migration of the virtual machine by a placement controller to only those physical machines that can execute the failed instruction.

Claims

1. A method of migrating a virtual machine, comprising:

in response to a failure of an instruction to execute on the virtual machine located on a first physical machine, identifying a second physical machine that can execute the instruction, wherein identifying the second physical machine comprises determining that the second physical machine has a processor that is compatible with the instruction; and

causing migration of the virtual machine by a placement controller from the first physical machine to the second physical machine.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

creating a migration constraint associated with the virtual machine in response to the failure of the instruction to execute.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, further comprising:

controlling further migration of the virtual machine by the placement controller based at least in part on the migration constraint.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising storing in a memory processing capabilities associated with a plurality of physical machines in a network of interconnected physical machines, and wherein determining that the second physical machine has a processor that is compatible with the instruction comprises mapping the instruction to at least one of the stored processing capabilities.

5. The method as recited in claim 4, further comprising selecting the second physical machine based at least in part on a predefined migration criterion.

6. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein the processing capabilities are stored in the memory when the physical machines are added to the network.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising providing information technology services, wherein the identifying and causing tasks are part of the information technology services.

8. A method of migrating a virtual machine, comprising:

storing in a memory processing capabilities associated with a plurality of physical machines in a network of interconnected physical machines;

generating an illegal instruction fault in response to a failure of an instruction to execute on the virtual machine located on a first physical machine of the plurality of physical machines;

in response to the illegal instruction fault, determining a second physical machine of the plurality of physical machines that can execute the instruction, wherein determining the second physical machine comprises mapping the instruction to at least one of the stored processing capabilities;

causing migration of the virtual machine by a placement controller from the first physical machine to the second physical machine; and

creating a migration constraint associated with the virtual machine in response to the illegal instruction fault.

9. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the migration constraint prevents migration of the virtual machine from the second physical machine.

10. An article comprising at least one computer-readable storage medium containing instructions that when executed cause a processor-based system having a plurality of interconnected physical machines to:

provide a virtual machine that uses a first processor of a first physical machine to execute an application;

in response to detection of an instruction associated with the application that cannot be executed by the first processor, determine whether a second physical machine that present in the processor-based system has a processor that is compatible with the detected instruction; and

cause migration of the virtual machine from the first physical machine to the second physical machine that has the processor that is compatible with the detected instruction.

11. The article as recited in claim 10, wherein the instructions when executed cause the processor-based system to:

identify a plurality of other physical machines that have a processor that is compatible with the detected instruction; and

select one of the identified second physical machines to host the virtual machine based on predefined migration criteria.

12. The article as recited in claim 10, wherein the instructions when executed cause the processor-based system to cause migration of the virtual machine to a physical machine on which the virtual machine previously was placed.

13. The article as recited in claim 10, wherein the instructions when executed cause the processor-based system to create a migration constraint associated with the virtual machine in response to the detection of the instruction.

14. The article as recited in claim 13, wherein the migration constraint limits migration of the virtual machine to one or more physical machines that have a processor that is compatible with the detected instruction.

15. An article comprising at least one computer-readable storage medium containing instructions that when executed cause a processor-based system having a plurality of interconnected physical machines to:

provide a virtual machine that uses a first processor of a first physical machine to execute an application;

in response to detection of an instruction associated with the application that cannot be executed by the first processor, determine whether a second physical machine that can execute the detected instruction is present in the processor-based system; and

cause migration of the virtual machine from the first physical machine to the second physical machine,

wherein the instructions when executed cause the processor-based system to trap the detected instruction while the application is executing.

16. A first physical machine, comprising:

a virtual machine;

a processor used by the virtual machine to execute an application; and

a control logic configured to;

detect an instruction that cannot be executed by the processor; and

in response to detection of the instruction, determine presence of a processor in another physical machine that is compatible with the detected instruction, and cause migration of the virtual machine by a placement controller from the first physical machine to the another physical machine.

17. The first physical machine as recited in claim 16, wherein the control logic is further configured to:

create a migration constraint associated with the virtual machine in response to detection of the instruction; and

communicate the migration constraint to the placement controller.

18. The first physical machine as recited in claim 17, wherein the migration constraint prevents the placement controller from migrating the virtual machine back to the first physical machine.

19. The first physical machine as recited in claim 17, wherein the migration constraint prevents the placement controller from migrating the virtual machine to any other physical machine that does not have a processor that is not compatible with the instruction.

20. The first physical machine as recited in claim 17, wherein the migration constraint allows the placement controller to migrate the virtual machine to any other physical machine that has a processor that is compatible with the instruction.