Transitioning from dynamic cluster management to virtualized cluster management

• US 8,156,211 B2
• Filed: 02/26/2008
• Issued: 04/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Gebhart, Alexander, Bozak, Erol
• Primary Examiner(s): Moise, Emmanuel L
• Assistant Examiner(s): KOROBOV, VITALI A
• Application Number:
  US12/037,864
• Publication Number:
  US 20090216828A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,505 Days
• Field of Search: 709/201, 709/223, 714/1, 718/105
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45562 Creating, deleting, cloning virtual machine instances
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5077 Logical partitioning of resources; Management or configuration of virtualized resources specific details on emulation or internal functioning of virtual machines G06F9/455

Abstract

Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, are provided for transitioning one or more aspect of a dynamic cluster of computers to one or more virtual machines. In one aspect, there is provided a computer-implemented method. The method may include receiving information representative of a dynamic cluster system and receiving information representative of a virtual machine. A controller may initiate, based on the received information representative of the dynamic cluster system and the virtual machine, a transition of one or more aspects of the dynamic cluster system to the virtual machine. Related apparatus, systems, methods, and articles are also described.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving information representative of a dynamic cluster system, implemented without virtual machines, controlling one or more instances of application servers hosted on physical machines of the dynamic cluster system;

receiving information representative of a virtual machine hosting one or more other application servers instances;

initiating at a controller, based on the received information representative of the dynamic cluster system and the virtual machine, a transition of one or more physical machine aspects running on the physical machines of the dynamic cluster system implemented without virtual machines to the virtual machine that is to run the transitioned one or more physical machine aspect, the information including system landscape information representative of implementations of application servers in the dynamic cluster system and the virtual machine, and cost information representative of cost-benefit of implementing one or more of the application servers on the dynamic cluster system or on the virtual machine; and

initiating, at the controller, a transition of one or more virtual machine aspects from the virtual machine to the physical machines of the dynamic cluster system implemented without virtual machines that are to host the transitioned one or more virtual machine aspects based on the received information representative of the dynamic cluster system and the virtual machine, including the system landscape information and the cost information.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein initiating at the controller further comprises:

transitioning, by the controller, the one or more aspects from the virtual machine to the dynamic cluster system or from a set of virtual machines to another set of virtual machines.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein initiating further comprises:

shutting down an application server of the dynamic cluster system and starting the application server at the virtual machine.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein initiating further comprises:

creating one or more virtual machines, at least one of the virtual machines created based on one or more of the following;

a processing speed of a physical machine previously hosting the application server being shut down;

a memory capacity of the physical machine previously hosting the application server being shut down;

a storage capacity of the physical machine previously hosting the application server being shut down; and

bandwidth from the network to the physical machine previously hosting the application server being shut down.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein initiating further comprises:

creating one or more virtual machines based on one or more templates, each of the templates specifying one or more of the following;

a processing speed, a memory capacity, a storage capacity, and a network bandwidth.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein receiving information representative of the dynamic cluster system further comprises:

receiving Internet Protocol addresses and Media Access Control addresses for one or more physical machines.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein receiving information representative of the virtual machine further comprises:

receiving Internet Protocol addresses for one or more virtual machines.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:

implementing the virtual machine as a virtual appliance.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:

implementing the controller as at least one of a hypervisor, a dynamic cluster controller, or a virtual machine management system.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:

initiating, at the controller, the transition of one or more aspects of the dynamic cluster system from the virtual machine to a physical machine.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein initiating further comprises:

shutting down an application server and the virtual machine and starting the application server at the physical machine.

12. A non-transitory machine readable storage device containing instructions to configure a processor to perform a method, the method comprising:

receiving information representative of a dynamic cluster system, implemented without virtual machines, controlling one or more instances of application servers hosted on physical machines of the dynamic cluster system;

receiving information representative of a virtual machine hosting one or more other application servers instances;

initiating at a controller, based on the received information representative of the dynamic cluster system and the virtual machine, a transition of one or more physical machine aspects of the dynamic cluster system implemented without virtual machines to the virtual machine that is to run the transitioned one or more physical machine aspect, the information including system landscape information representative of implementations of application servers in the dynamic cluster system and the virtual machine, and cost information representative of cost-benefit of implementing one or more of the application servers on the dynamic cluster system or on the virtual machine; and

initiating, at the controller, a transition of one or more virtual machine aspects from the virtual machine to the physical machines of the dynamic cluster system implemented without virtual machines that are to host the transitioned one or more virtual machine aspects based on the received information representative of the dynamic cluster system and the virtual machine, including the system landscape information and the cost information.

13. The non-transitory machine readable storage device of claim 12, wherein initiating at the controller further comprises:

transitioning, by the controller, the one or more aspects from the virtual machine to the dynamic cluster system or from a set of virtual machines to another set of virtual machines.

14. The non-transitory machine readable storage device of claim 12, wherein initiating further comprises:

shutting down an application server of the dynamic cluster system and starting the application server at the virtual machine.

15. The non-transitory machine readable storage device of claim 14, wherein initiating further comprises:

creating one or more virtual machines, at least one of the virtual machines created based on one or more of the following;

a processing speed of a physical machine previously hosting the application server being shut down;

a memory capacity of the physical machine previously hosting the application server being shut down;

a storage capacity of the physical machine previously hosting the application server being shut down; and

bandwidth from the network to the physical machine previously hosting the application server being shut down.

16. The non-transitory machine readable storage device of claim 12, wherein initiating further comprises:

creating one or more virtual machines based on one or more templates, each of the templates specifying one or more of the following;

a processing speed, a memory capacity, a storage capacity, and a network bandwidth.

17. The non-transitory machine readable storage device of claim 12, wherein receiving information representative of the dynamic cluster system further comprises:

receiving Internet Protocol addresses and Media Access Control addresses for one or more physical machines.

18. The non-transitory machine readable storage device of claim 12 further comprising:

receiving Internet Protocol addresses for one or more virtual machines;

implementing the virtual machine as a virtual appliance;

implementing the controller as at least one of a hypervisor or a dynamic cluster controller;

initiating, at the controller, the transition of one or more aspects of the dynamic cluster system from the virtual machine to a physical machine; and

shutting down an application server and the virtual machine and starting the application server at the physical machine.

19. A system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory, wherein the processor and the memory are configured to perform a method comprising;

receiving information representative of a dynamic cluster system, implemented without virtual machines, controlling one or more instances of application servers hosted on physical machines of the dynamic cluster system implemented without virtual machines;

receiving information representative of a virtual machine hosting one or more other application servers instances;

initiating at a controller, based on the received information representative of the dynamic cluster system and the virtual machine, a transition of one or more physical machine aspects of the dynamic cluster system implemented without virtual machines to the virtual machine that is to run the transitioned one or more physical machine aspect, the information including system landscape information representative of implementations of application servers in the dynamic cluster system and the virtual machine, and cost information representative of cost-benefit of implementing one or more of the application servers on the dynamic cluster system or on the virtual machine; and

initiating, at the controller, a transition of one or more virtual machine aspects from the virtual machine to the physical machines of the dynamic cluster system implemented without virtual machines that are to host the transitioned one or more virtual machine aspects based on the received information representative of the dynamic cluster system and the virtual machine, including the system landscape information and the cost information.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein initiating further comprises:

transitioning, by the controller, the one or more aspects from the virtual machine to the dynamic cluster system or from a set of virtual machines to another set of virtual machines.