Model-based virtual system provisioning

• US 8,549,513 B2
• Filed: 06/29/2005
• Issued: 10/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ServiceNow Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Vinberg, Anders B., Fries, Robert M., Grealish, Kevin, Hunt, Galen C., Hydrie, Aamer, Mensching, Rob, Outhred, Geoffrey, Parchem, John M., Tabbara, Bassam, Vega, Rene Antonio, Welland, Robert V., Winner, Eric J., Woolsey, Jeffrey A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vo, Ted T
• Application Number:
  US11/169,973
• Publication Number:
  US 20070006218A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,016 Days
• Field of Search: 717174-178, 717104-108
• US Class Current: 717/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/4557 Distribution of virtual machine instances; Migration and load balancing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects

Abstract

Model-based virtual system provisioning includes accessing a model of a workload to be installed on a virtual machine of a system as well as a model of the system. A workload refers to some computing that is to be performed, and includes an application to be executed to perform the computing, and optionally includes the operating system on which the application is to be installed. The workload model identifies a source of the application and operating system of the workload, as well as constraints of the workload, such as resources and/or other capabilities that the virtual machine(s) on which the workload is to be installed must have. An installation specification for the application is also generated, the installation specification being derived at least in part from the model of the workload and the model of the virtual system.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

accessing a model of a workload to be installed on a virtual machine of a system wherein the workload includes an application and an operating system to be installed on the virtual machine, the model of the workload comprising a component that identifies a source of the application and a component that identifies the source of the operating system of the workload and the model identifying the relationship between the operating system and the application by identifying a corresponding relationship between components in the workload model;

accessing a model of the system wherein the virtual machine is to be created on a computing device to provide virtualized components of the system, the virtual machine emulates a computing environment that is compatible with the operating system and has the characteristics required to allow the application to run, the model of the system comprising components corresponding to the virtualized components of the system, the model identifying relationships among the virtualized components by identifying a corresponding relationship among the components of the model; and

generating an installation specification for the workload, the installation specification being derived at least in part from the model of the workload and the model of the system, wherein the installation specification identifies an image file of the workload that is to be copied to a storage device of a computing device of the system on which the virtual machine is created in order to install the workload on the virtual machine.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, having a virtual machine created on a computing device of the system prior to installing an application and operating system on the virtual machine.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the installation specification includes an indication to migrate another virtual machine from one computing device to another computing device.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

generating a plurality of device class installation specifications for the workload, each of the plurality of device class installation specifications being for a different one of a plurality of classes of devices in the system on which the workload could be installed.

5. A method as recited in claim 4, further comprising:

generating a record associating each of the plurality of device class installation specifications with one of the plurality of classes of devices.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

performing, prior to generating the installation specification, a logical deployment evaluation to determine whether the workload could be installed in the system, the performing comprising comparing constraints associated with the workload to constraints associated with the system.

7. A method as recited in claim 6, wherein the constraints associated with the workload include software licensing requirements that must be satisfied by the system.

8. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

identifying, prior to generating the installation specification, which one or more computing devices of a plurality of computing devices in the system is to have the workload installed thereon.

9. One or more computer readable storage media having stored thereon a plurality of instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to:

access a model of a workload to be installed on one or more virtual machines of a system, the workload includes an application and an operating system to be installed on the virtual machine, the model of the workload comprising components corresponding to the application and the operating system to be installed and identifying the relationship between the operating system and the application by identifying a corresponding relationship between components in the workload model;

access a model of the system wherein the one or more virtual machines are to be created on a computing device to provide virtualized components of the system wherein the virtual machine emulates a computing environment that is compatible with the operating system and has the characteristics required to allow the application to run, the model of the system comprising components corresponding to the virtualized components of the system, the model identifying relationships among the virtualized components by identifying a corresponding relationship among the components of the model; and

generate a workload installation specification for the workload to be installed on one or more virtual machines of a system, the workload installation specification being based at least in part on the model of the workload and the model of the system.

10. One or more computer readable media as recited in claim 9, wherein the installation specification identifies an image file of the workload that is to be copied to a storage device of one or more computing devices of the system on which the one or more virtual machines are created in order to install the workload on the one or more virtual machines.

11. One or more computer readable media as recited in claim 9, wherein the plurality of instructions further cause the one or more processors to:

trigger deployment of the workload based on one or more constraints in the model of the workload.

12. One or more computer readable media as recited in claim 9, wherein the plurality of instructions further cause the one or more processors to:

generate a plurality of device class installation specifications for the workload, each of the plurality of device class installation specifications being for a different one of a plurality of classes of devices on which the workload could be installed; and

include the plurality of device class installation specifications in the workload installation specification.

13. One or more computer readable media as recited in claim 9, wherein to generate the workload installation specification is to:

access a constraint information page in the model of the workload;

obtain default values for settings from the constraint information page; and

include, in the workload installation specification, the default values to be stored as settings on the one or more computing devices during installation of the workload on the one or more computing devices.

14. A computing device comprising:

a processor; and

a memory, coupled to the processor, to store instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

access a model of a workload to be installed on a virtual machine of a system, the model of the workload comprising components corresponding to components to be installed on the virtual machine, including at least an operating system and an application, and identifying the relationship between the components to be installed on the virtual machine by identifying a corresponding relationship between components in the workload model;

access a model of the system wherein the model of the computing components of the system is different from the computing components of a computing device on which the virtual machine is installed wherein the virtual machine emulates a computing environment that is compatible with the operating system and has the characteristics required to allow the application to run, the model of the system comprising components corresponding to the virtualized components of the system, the model identifying relationships among the virtualized components by identifying a corresponding relationship among the components of the model; and

generate an installation specification for the workload, the installation specification being derived at least in part from the model of the workload and the model of the system.

15. A computing device as recited in claim 14, wherein the virtual machine is to be installed on a computing device of the system prior to installing an application and operating system of the workload on the virtual machine.

16. A computing device as recited in claim 14, further comprising:

generating a plurality of device class installation specifications for the workload, each of the plurality of device class installation specifications being for a different one of a plurality of classes of devices in the system on which the workload could be installed.

17. A computing device as recited in claim 14, wherein the generating comprises:

accessing a constraint information page in the model of the workload;

obtaining default values for settings from the constraint information page; and

including, in the installation specification, the default values to be stored as settings on a computing device of the system during installation of the workload on the computing device.