Method and system for managing virtual and real machines
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A system for managing virtual computer resources, comprising:
- a provisioning module operable to receive a request to act on a virtual resource, automatically generate instructions to implement the request, and dynamically monitor the virtual resource;
a lifecycle workflow engine logically connected to the provisioning module and operable to generate a lifecycle workflow of the virtual resource based on the request, the lifecycle workflow including provisioning, expiring, tombstoning, and disposing the virtual resource;
a plurality of physical hosts each comprising one or more virtual resources and each associated with one of a plurality of agents, at least one of the agents being logically connected to the provisioning module and operable to receive the instructions, act on the virtual resource in response to the request, and dynamically provide a status of the virtual resource.
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Managing virtual and real machines through a provisioning system. The provisioning system allows a user to create and manage machines through a “self-service” approach. The provisioning system interacts with one or more agents that manage the lifecycle of a machine. The system may provide templates that enable a user to readily create a virtual machine. The system may also include interfaces for administrators to manage virtual and real machine resources.
148 Citations
32 Claims
-
1. A system for managing virtual computer resources, comprising:
-
a provisioning module operable to receive a request to act on a virtual resource, automatically generate instructions to implement the request, and dynamically monitor the virtual resource; a lifecycle workflow engine logically connected to the provisioning module and operable to generate a lifecycle workflow of the virtual resource based on the request, the lifecycle workflow including provisioning, expiring, tombstoning, and disposing the virtual resource; a plurality of physical hosts each comprising one or more virtual resources and each associated with one of a plurality of agents, at least one of the agents being logically connected to the provisioning module and operable to receive the instructions, act on the virtual resource in response to the request, and dynamically provide a status of the virtual resource. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
-
-
14. A system for managing virtual computer resources, comprising:
-
a provisioning module operable to receive a request to act on a virtual resource and automatically generate instructions to implement the request; a workflow engine logically connected to the provisioning module and operable to instantiate a lifecycle workflow of the virtual resource based on the request, the lifecycle workflow including provisioning, expiring, tombstoning, and disposing the virtual resource; one or more templates each comprising a configuration for a virtual resource including an allocation of physical resources associated with at least one physical host, the received request corresponding to a template of the one or more templates; and the plurality of physical hosts each comprising one or more virtual resources and each associated with one of a plurality of agents, at least one of the agents being logically connected to the provisioning module and operable to receive the instructions and to act on the virtual resource in response to the request. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
-
-
20. A method for controlling computer resources comprising the steps of:
-
presenting, by at least one computer, a user interface to an end user comprising one or more controls for submitting requests for actions on a computer resource; receiving, by the at least one computer, a request for an action on a computer resource; generating, by the at least one computer, a lifecycle workflow of the computer resource based on the request, the lifecycle workflow including provisioning, expiring, tombstoning, and disposing the computer resource; automatically instructing, by the at least one computer, an agent associated with one of a plurality of physical hosts according to an instruction in response to receiving the request, the instruction comprising an action associated with the request; and receiving, by the at least one computer, status information on the computer resource. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24)
-
-
25. A system for managing computer resources, comprising:
-
a provisioning module operable to receive a request to act on a computer resource, automatically generate instructions to implement the request, and dynamically monitor the computer resource; a lifecycle workflow engine logically connected to the provisioning module and operable to generate a lifecycle workflow of the computer resource based on the request, the lifecycle workflow including provisioning, expiring, tombstoning, and disposing the computer resource; a plurality of agents each associated with a physical host, at least one of the agents being logically connected to the provisioning module and operable to receive the instructions, act on the computer resource in response to the request, and dynamically provide a status of the computer resource. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28)
-
-
29. A computer system-implemented method for managing a lifecycle of a virtual machine comprising:
-
receiving, by at least one computer, a request for a virtual machine; providing, by the at least one computer, a listing of virtual machine templates and lifecycle workflows available for selection; obtaining, by the at least one computer, a selection of a virtual machine template and a lifecycle workflow; instantiating, by the at least one computer, a provisioning workflow associated with the selected virtual machine template based on the selected lifecycle workflow, the provisioning workflow including provisioning, expiring, tombstoning, and disposing the virtual machine; provisioning, by the at least one computer, the virtual machine on a physical host; and activating, by the at least one computer, the virtual machine according to a timing specified by the provisioning workflow. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32)
-
Specification