Application environment specifications for provisioning application specific runtime environments using subsets of resources required for execution

• US 8,171,482 B1
• Filed: 05/09/2007
• Issued: 05/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vmware LLC (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: VMware, Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Vlaovic, Stevan, Offer, Richard, LeBlanc, Lynn
• Primary Examiner(s): An, Meng
• Assistant Examiner(s): WU, BENJAMIN C
• Application Number:
  US11/746,578
• Time in Patent Office: 1,819 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 718/104
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/71 Version control security arrangements therefor G06F21/57; Configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44521 Dynamic linking or loading; Link editing at or after load time, e.g. Java class loading
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44536 Selecting among different versions
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45533 Hypervisors; Virtual machine monitors

Abstract

Systems and methods of executing an application in an application specific runtime environment are disclosed. The application specific runtime environment is defined by an application environment specification to include a minimal or reduced set of software resources required for execution of the application. The application environment is generated by determining software resource dependencies and is used to provision the application specific runtime environment in real-time in response to a request to execute the application. Use of the application specific runtime environment allows the application to be executed using fewer computing resources, e.g., memory.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a repository configured to store a distribution of an executable application, resources included in a distribution of a general purpose runtime environment, and an application environment specification, the application environment specification including identification of a subset of the resources included in the distribution of the general purpose runtime environment, the subset being limited to ones of the resources on which execution of the executable application is dependent;

a provisioning server configured to use the application environment specification to locate the subset of the resources and to use the subset of the resources to provision an application specific runtime environment, wherein the subset of resources is not included in the distribution of the executable application.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the repository includes a plurality of application environment specifications each configured for generating an application specific runtime environment for a different executable application.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the resources include a library.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the resources include a device driver.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the executable application includes binary code.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the executable application includes a script.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the application environment specification includes information identifying a target hardware configuration.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the application environment specification is configured to store a multi-application environment specification.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the repository includes an image of at least part of the application specific runtime environment, the image including at least a portion of the subset of resources.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the provisioning server is configured for provisioning the application specific runtime environment in real-time in response to a request for execution of the executable application.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the provisioning server is configured for creating a virtual machine on a processing node.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the virtual machine is created using requirements included in the application environment specification.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the provisioning server is configured for creating a virtual machine on a server and deploying the virtual machine on a processing node.

14. The system of claim 1, further comprising a processing node configured for executing of the executable application in the application specific runtime environment, wherein the processing node is one of a plurality of processing nodes in a processing array.

15. The system of claim 1, further comprising a parser configured for modifying the application environment specification based on resources requested by the executable application during execution.

16. The system of claim 1, further comprising a processing node for executing of the executable application in the application specific runtime environment.

17. The system of claim 1, further comprising a parser configured to parse the executable application to determine the subset of resources on which execution of the executable application is dependent.

18. A method comprising:

identifying an application environment specification associated with a first executable application, the application environment specification including the identity of a subset of resources included in a distribution of a general purpose runtime environment, the subset being limited to ones of the resources on which the first executable application is dependent;

locating the subset of resources on which the first executable application is dependent in a repository that includes the resources included in the distribution of a general purpose runtime environment;

provisioning an application specific runtime environment, the application specific runtime environment including the subset of resources on which the first executable application is dependent, wherein the subset of resources is not included in the distribution of the first executable application.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein identifying the application environment specification, locating the subset of resources, and provisioning the application specific runtime environment are performed in real-time in response to a request for execution of the executable application.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the resources on which the first executable application is dependent include a library and a device driver.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the executable application includes binary code.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein the executable application includes a script.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein the application environment specification includes information identifying a target hardware configuration.

24. The method of claim 18, further comprising storing an image of at least part of the application specific runtime environment, the image including at least a portion of the subset of resources on which the first executable application is dependent.

25. The method of claim 18, further comprising

monitoring execution of the executable application to identify additional resources on which the executable application depends,

adding the additional resources to the application specific runtime environment in real-time, and

adding identities of the additional resources to the application environment specification.

26. The method of claim 18, further comprising creating a virtual machine on a processing node, the virtual machine being based on information within the application environment specification.

27. The method of claim 18, further comprising

receiving a request for a second executable application;

and

executing the second executable application in the application specific environment,

wherein the application environment is a multi-application environment specification.

28. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium containing instructions for controlling a computer system to be operable to:

identify an application environment specification associated with a first executable application, the application environment specification including the identity of a subset of resources included in a distribution of a general purpose runtime environment, the subset being limited to ones of the resources on which the first executable application is dependent;

locate the subset of resources on which the first executable application is dependent in a repository that includes the resources included in the distribution of a general purpose runtime environment;

provision an application specific runtime environment, the application specific runtime environment including the subset of resources on which the first executable application is dependent, wherein the subset of resources is not included in the distribution of the first executable application.

29. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 28, further operable to execute the first executable application on a processing node including the application specific runtime environment.