Method and system for continuous availability subscription service

• US 8,214,483 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2007
• Issued: 07/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Van Riel, Henri Han, Crenshaw, Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Gillis, Brian J
• Application Number:
  US11/680,562
• Publication Number:
  US 20080208931A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,952 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709/224, 709/250, 714/4, 714/4.11
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

Embodiments related generally to a method of providing continuous availability subscription service. The method includes retrieving a configuration data of a customer, where the configuration data relates to the hardware and application requirements of the customer. The method also includes creating a virtual machine for the customer based on the configuration data of the customer in response to a catastrophic event at a site of the customer.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a computing system executing a service portal, a customer selection of a continuous availability subscription service via the service portal, wherein the service portal comprises a web site independent of an internal network of a customer;

storing configuration data of the customer and client activity data of the customer in at least one data store based on the customer selection, wherein the configuration data relates to at least hardware and application requirements of client machines within the internal network of the customer, and the client activity data comprises one or more snapshots of virtual disks associated with the client machines;

receiving, by the computing system executing the service portal, notification of a catastrophic event in the internal network; and

in response to receiving the notification of the catastrophic event, performing the following by the computing system;

retrieving the configuration data and the client activity data from the at least one data store;

allocating at least one host machine included in a server farm to host at least one virtual machine for the customer, wherein prior to being allocated to host the at least one virtual machine, the at least one host machine is unassociated with the internal network of the customer; and

instantiating the at least one virtual machine for the customer based on the configuration data and the client activity data.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing access to the at least one virtual machine at a site.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving client information of the customer, wherein the client information relates to hardware and application requirements of the customer.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising receiving the client information and converting the client information into at least a part of the configuration data.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising creating state information of the customer based on the configuration data and the client information, wherein the at least one virtual machine for the customer is further based on the state information.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one virtual machine comprises a virtual machine for each user of the customer.

7. A system comprising:

a hardware server configured to support a service portal, the service portal comprising a web site that is independent of an internal network of a customer, wherein the hardware server is configured to provide a continuous availability subscription service via the service portal; and

at least one secure location, networked to the hardware server, to store configuration data of the customer entered through the service portal, and to store client activity data of the customer, wherein the service portal is configured to perform the following in response to receiving a notification of a catastrophic event;

invoke the at least one secure location to retrieve the configuration data and the client activity data of the customer, the configuration data relating to at least hardware and application requirements of client machines within the internal network and the client activity data comprising one or more snapshots of virtual disks associated with the client machines,

allocate at least one host machine to host at least one virtual machine for the customer, wherein prior to being allocated to host the at least one virtual machine the at least one host machine is unassociated with the internal network of the customer, and

instantiate the at least one virtual machine for the customer via the service portal based on the configuration data and the client activity data of the customer.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the at least one secure location can provide access to the at least one virtual machine at a site selected by the customer.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the at least one secure location can provide access to the at least one virtual machine.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the service portal is configured to receive the configuration data of the customer.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the service portal is configured to receive the configuration data by technical support personnel.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the at least one virtual machine comprises a virtual machine for each user of the customer.

13. The system of claim 7, wherein the at least one virtual machine comprises a virtual machine for each application of the customer.

14. The system of claim 7, further comprising creating state information of the customer based on the configuration data and client information, wherein the at least one virtual machine for the customer is further based on the state information.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium including instructions that, when executed by a processing device, cause the processing device to perform a method comprising:

receiving, by a computing system executing a service portal, a customer selection of a continuous availability subscription service via the service portal, wherein the service portal comprises a web site independent of an internal network of a customer;

storing configuration data of the customer and client activity data of the customer in at least one data store based on the customer selection, wherein the configuration data relates to at least hardware and application requirements of client machines within the internal network of the customer, and the client activity data comprises one or more snapshots of virtual disks associated with the client machines;

receiving, by the computing system executing the service portal, notification of a catastrophic event in the internal network; and

in response to receiving the notification of the catastrophic event, performing the following by the computing system;

retrieving the configuration data and the client activity data from the at least one data store;

allocating at least one host machine included in a server farm to host at least one virtual machine for the customer, wherein prior to being allocated to host the at least one virtual machine, the at least one host machine is unassociated with the internal network of the customer; and

instantiating the at least one virtual machine for the customer based on the configuration data and the client activity data.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, the method further comprising receiving client information of the customer, wherein the client information relates to hardware and application requirements of the customer.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, the method further comprising receiving the client information and converting the client information into at least a part of the configuration data.