Systems and methods for efficiently managing and configuring virtual servers

• US 8,489,995 B2
• Filed: 03/18/2008
• Issued: 07/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RightScale Incorporated (Flexera Software LLC)
• Original Assignee: RightScale Incorporated (Flexera Software LLC)
• Inventors: von Eicken, Thorsten, Saavedra, Rafael
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Kieu
• Assistant Examiner(s): BASOM, BLAINE T
• Application Number:
  US12/050,865
• Publication Number:
  US 20090241030A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,946 Days
• Field of Search: 715/735, 715/736
• US Class Current: 715/735
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/00 Network arrangements or protocols for supporting network services or applications user-to-user messaging H04L51/00; network arrangements, protocols or services for supporting real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/00

Abstract

The present invention is related to providing faster and more efficient ways to deploy and manage virtual server configurations in a hosted virtual server service. Broadly, a web interface allows a user to set conditions upon which specific types of virtual servers will be instantiated or terminated on a third-party hosted virtual server service. For example, the user may wish to instantiate a new virtual server each time the load on existing virtual servers exceeds a predetermined threshold. The web interface may also allow a user to select from among a plurality of hosted virtual server services. The web interface may further allow a user to incorporate dynamic variables into configurations of instantiated virtual servers.

Claims

1. A method for providing a configuration and instantiation interface to a hosted virtual server service, the method comprising:

providing, by a virtual server manager, an interface to a plurality of hosted virtual server services, each of the plurality of hosted virtual server services comprising a plurality of physical machines each hosting one or more virtual servers, the interface comprising;

input means allowing a user to select one or more virtual server configurations from among a plurality of virtual server configurations, each virtual server configuration comprising a boot image and configuration information; and

input means for a user to set a policy for dynamically selecting one of the plurality of hosted virtual server services and for dynamically instantiating one or more virtual servers on the selected hosted virtual server service using the selected one or more virtual server configurations, the policy comprising at least one condition;

determining, by the virtual server manager, that the at least one condition has been met;

transmitting, by the virtual server manager, responsive to determining that the at least one condition has been met, to one of the plurality of hosted virtual server services, instructions to instantiate a first virtual server according to a first selected virtual server configuration boot image and instructions to instantiate a second virtual server according to a second selected virtual server configuration boot image;

determining, by the virtual server manager, that instantiation of the first boot image and the second boot image on the physical machines comprising the one of the plurality of hosted virtual server services is complete; and

transmitting, by the virtual server manager, responsive to determining that instantiation of the boot images is complete, respective configuration information to the instantiated boot images, wherein an information item in the second virtual server configuration information depends on the first virtual server configuration and the virtual server manager obtains a value for the information item from the first virtual server, wherein the virtual server manager initially transmits incomplete configuration information to the second virtual server and subsequently transmits the obtained value.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the hosted virtual server services is a third-party hosted virtual server service.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein providing comprises providing, on a subscription basis, one interface to the plurality of hosted virtual server services.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the condition specifies one or more parameters, each parameter indicating a utilization of one or more virtual servers.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein determining that the at least one condition has been met comprises receiving information indicating a value of the one or more parameters;

and determining the value exceeds a threshold specified by the condition.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

receiving information indicating a second measurement of a virtual server utilization parameter;

determining the measurement is below a threshold specified by the condition; and

transmitting, to the one of the plurality of hosted virtual server services, instructions to terminate a virtual server instance.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the interface comprises input means for a user to configure at least one policy for dynamically scaling virtual server instantiations responsive to a network utilization parameter.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the condition comprises a failure of an instantiated virtual server.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the condition comprises a predicted failure of an instantiated virtual server.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of virtual server configurations comprise at least one virtual server configuration created by a second user.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the interface further comprises inputs allowing a user to share created virtual server configurations with other users.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the input means for a user to select a virtual server configuration comprise input means for the user to specify at least one configuration variable with a value to be determined based on a property of at least one other instantiated virtual server at the time of instantiation.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising the steps of:

determining a value for each of the specified at least one configuration variables; and

transmitting the determined value to the instantiated virtual server.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the input means for a user to select a virtual server configuration comprise input means for the user to specify at least one configuration variable with a value to be determined based on a property of the hosted virtual server service at the time of instantiation.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising the steps of:

determining a value for each of the specified at least one configuration variables; and

transmitting the determined value to the instantiated virtual server.

16. A system for providing a configuration and instantiation interface to a hosted virtual server service, the system comprising:

a web server which provides an interface to a plurality of hosted virtual server services, each of the plurality of hosted virtual server service comprising a plurality of physical machines each of which hosts at least one virtual server, the interface comprising;

input means allowing a user to select one or more virtual server configurations from among a plurality of virtual server configurations, each virtual server configuration comprising a boot image and configuration information; and

input means for a user to set a policy for dynamically selecting one of the plurality of hosted virtual server services and for dynamically instantiating one or more virtual servers on the selected hosted virtual server service using the selected one or more virtual server configurations, the policy comprising at least one condition;

a computing device, in communication with the web server, which determines that the at least one condition has been met;

transmits, responsive to determining that the at least one condition has been met, to one of the plurality of hosted virtual server services, instructions to instantiate a first virtual server according to a first selected virtual server configuration boot image and instructions to instantiate a second virtual server according to a second selected virtual server configuration boot image;

determines that instantiation of the first boot image and the second boot image on the physical machines comprising the selected one of the plurality of hosted virtual server services is complete; and

transmits, responsive to determining that instantiation of the boot images is complete, respective configuration information to the instantiated boot images,

wherein an information item in the second virtual server configuration information depends on the first virtual server configuration and the computing device obtains a value for the information item from the first virtual server, wherein the computing device initially transmits incomplete configuration information to the second virtual server and subsequently transmits the obtained value.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein at least one of the plurality of hosted virtual server services is a third-party hosted virtual server service.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the condition specifies one or more parameters, each parameter indicating a utilization of one or more virtual servers.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the computing device receives information indicating a value of the one or more parameters;

and determines the value exceeds a threshold specified by the condition.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the computing device receives information indicating a second measurement of a virtual server utilization parameter;

determines the measurement is below a threshold specified by the condition; and

transmits, to the one of the plurality of hosted virtual server services, instructions to terminate a virtual server instance.

21. The system of claim 16, wherein the interface comprises input means for a user to configure at least one policy for dynamically scaling virtual server instantiations responsive to a network utilization parameter.

22. The system of claim 16, wherein the condition comprises a failure of an instantiated virtual server.

23. The system of claim 16, wherein the condition comprises a predicted failure of an instantiated virtual server.

24. The system of claim 16, wherein the plurality of virtual server configurations comprise at least one virtual server configuration created by a second user.

25. The system of claim 16, wherein the interface further comprises inputs allowing a user to share created virtual server configurations with other users.