Methods and systems for cloud management using multiple cloud management schemes to allow communication between independently controlled clouds

• US 8,271,653 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2009
• Issued: 09/18/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: DeHaan, Michael Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): BAROT, BHARAT
• Application Number:
  US12/551,096
• Publication Number:
  US 20110055396A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,114 Days
• Field of Search: 709223-226, 709227-229, 709/246
• US Class Current: 709/226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0803 Configuration setting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/40 using virtualisation of network functions or resources, e.g. SDN or NFV entities

Abstract

To manage and communicate with virtual machines in an external cloud regardless of the cloud management scheme of clouds, the cloud management system can utilize an abstraction library. The abstraction library can be configured to abstract out the differences between different cloud management schemes utilized by the cloud management systems and an independent cloud management system of the external cloud.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

identifying, by a computing system, a communication for a virtual machine executing on a computing system in an external cloud controlled by an independent cloud management system according to a first cloud management scheme, wherein the communication is formatted according to a second cloud management scheme;

abstracting, by the computing system, differences between the first cloud management scheme and the second cloud management scheme using an abstraction library;

converting, by the computing system, the communication into the first cloud management scheme; and

providing, by the computing system, the converted communication to the virtual machine in the external cloud.

2. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

maintaining instructions for converting the second cloud management scheme into the first cloud management scheme.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication is initiated by a cloud management system.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication is received from another virtual machine.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication is received from a party associated with the virtual machine.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the converted communication, comprises:

providing the converted communication to the independent cloud management system of the external cloud.

7. A method comprising:

identifying, by a computing system, a virtual machine controlled by an independent cloud management system and formatted according to a first cloud management scheme;

abstracting, by the computing system, differences between the first cloud management scheme and a second cloud management scheme using an abstraction library;

configuring, by the computing system, the virtual machine according to the second cloud management scheme of an external cloud; and

instantiating, by the computing system, the virtual machine on a computing system in the external cloud.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

maintaining instructions for configuring the first cloud management scheme as the second cloud management scheme.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein instantiating the virtual machine, comprises:

providing the virtual machine to the independent cloud management system for instantiation on the computing system.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein identifying the virtual machine comprises:

determining to migrate the virtual machine from an original computing system in a cloud to the computing system in the external cloud.

11. A system comprising:

a network interface to a set of computing systems in a cloud and a second set of computing systems in an external cloud; and

a processor communicating with the network interface and executing a cloud management system, the cloud management system being configured to;

identify a communication for a virtual machine executing on the second set of computing systems controlled by an independent cloud management system according to a first cloud management scheme, wherein the communication is formatted according to a second cloud management scheme;

abstract differences between the first cloud management scheme and the second cloud management scheme using an abstraction library;

convert the communication into the first cloud management scheme; and

provide the converted communication to the virtual machine.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising a computer readable storage medium communicating with the processor, wherein the cloud management system is further configured to:

store instructions for converting the second cloud management scheme into the first cloud management scheme in the computer readable storage medium.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the communication is initiated by the cloud management system.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the communication is received from another virtual machine executing on the set of computing system in the cloud.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the communication is received from a party associated with the virtual machine.

16. The system of claim 11, the cloud management system being further configured to:

providing the converted communication to the independent cloud management system of the external cloud.

17. A system comprising:

a network interface to a set of computing systems in a cloud and a second set of computing systems in an external cloud; and

a processor communicating with the network interface and executing a cloud management system, the cloud management system being configured to;

identify a virtual machine controlled by an independent cloud management system and formatted according to a first cloud management scheme;

abstract differences between the first cloud management scheme and a second cloud management scheme using an abstraction library;

configure the virtual machine according to the second cloud management scheme; and

instantiate the virtual machine on the second set of computing systems in the external cloud.

18. The system of claim 17, further comprising a computer readable storage medium communicating with the processor, wherein the cloud management system is further configured to:

store instructions for configuring the first cloud management scheme as the second cloud management scheme in the computer readable storage medium.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein instantiating the virtual machine, comprises:

providing the virtual machine to the independent cloud management system for instantiation on the second set of computing systems.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein identifying the virtual machine comprises:

determining to migrate the virtual machine from the set of computing systems in the cloud to the second set of computing systems in the external cloud.

21. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium storing instructions which, when execute, cause a data processing system to perform a method comprising:

identifying, by a computing system, a virtual machine controlled by an independent cloud management system and formatted according to a first cloud management scheme;

abstracting differences between the first cloud management scheme and a second cloud management scheme using an abstraction library;

configuring the virtual machine according to the second cloud management scheme of an external cloud; and

instantiating the virtual machine on a computing system in the external cloud.

22. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 21, further comprising:

maintaining instructions for configuring the first cloud management scheme as the second cloud management scheme.

23. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein instantiating the virtual machine, comprises:

providing the virtual machine to the independent cloud management system for instantiation on the computing system.

24. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein identifying the virtual machine comprises:

determining to migrate the virtual machine from an original computing system in a cloud to the computing system in the external cloud.