Cloning virtual machines

• US 8,566,821 B2
• Filed: 11/11/2008
• Issued: 10/22/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
• Original Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
• Inventors: Robinson, Matthew Douglas, Learmonth, Peter R., Forgette, Eric Paul, Stewart, Michael Vaughn
• Primary Examiner(s): Truong, Camquy
• Application Number:
  US12/268,690
• Publication Number:
  US 20100122248A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,806 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 718/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1469 Backup restoration techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/128 Details of file system snapshots on the file-level, e.g. snapshot creation, administration, deletion use of snapshots for error detection or correction G06F11/14, G06F11/16
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45533 Hypervisors; Virtual machine monitors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/485 Task life-cycle, e.g. stopping, restarting, resuming execution G06F9/4881 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5077 Logical partitioning of resources; Management or configuration of virtualized resources specific details on emulation or internal functioning of virtual machines G06F9/455

Abstract

While current solutions for cloning virtual machines can involve copying and duplicating files associated to a virtual machine (VM), systems and techniques can be devised to create thin clones of a VM using the VM'"'"'s associated storage system to copy and deduplicate storage for the VMs. One can create a base VM in a directory of a storage container attached to a hypervisor, and then map the storage container to a volume on a storage system. One can clone the base VM using a snapshot of respective files associated to the base VM, which can comprise creating metadata that identified a physical storage location of the files. Further, the metadata can then be copied to a desired location on the storage container, to create a VM clone. Once copied, the cloned VM can be customized and registered within the hypervisor.

Claims

1. A method for creating a thin clone of a base virtual machine (VM), comprising:

identifying a snapshot of a base VM, the snapshot comprising metadata identifying a storage location for VM data of the base VM, the snapshot comprising a deduplicated copy of the base VM, the snapshot comprising a point-in-time representation of the storage location;

creating a thin clone of the base VM based upon the metadata, the creating comprising refraining from copying the VM data of the base VM to the thin clone, the creating comprising storing a reference within the thin clone in place of storing a copy of the VM data within the thin clone, the reference pointing to the storage location for the VM data; and

distinguishing the thin clone from the base VM, the distinguishing comprising;

remotely accessing a hypervisor environment;

issuing a query command, through the hypervisor environment, to access a VM parameter for the thin clone; and

modifying the VM parameter.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising:

providing access to an operating system of the thin clone.

3. The method of claim 1, comprising:

placing the thin clone into an operating state.

4. The method of claim 1, the modifying comprising:

modifying the VM parameter within a configuration file.

5. The method of claim 1, the snapshot comprising a point-in-time representation of a configuration of the base VM.

6. The method of claim 2, the providing access to an operating system of the thin clone comprising:

accessing operating system files stored within the storage location using the reference stored within the thin clone.

7. The method of claim 1, comprising:

registering the thin clone with a hypervisor.

8. The method of claim 1, comprising:

verifying a clone identification for the thin clone.

9. The method of claim 1, comprising:

determining a validity of the base VM within a hypervisor context.

10. A system for creating a thin clone of a base virtual machine (VM), comprising:

a VM clone component configured to;

identify a snapshot of a base VM, the snapshot comprising metadata identifying a storage location for VM data of the base VM;

create a thin clone of the base VM based upon the metadata, comprising refraining from copying the VM data of the base VM to the thin clone and storing a reference within the thin clone in place of storing a copy of the VM data within the thin clone, the reference pointing to the storage location for the VM data;

remotely access a hypervisor environment;

issue a query command, through the hypervisor environment, to access a VM parameter for the thin clone; and

modify the VM parameter to distinguish the thin clone from the base VM, at least some of the VM clone component implemented at least in part via a processor.

11. The system of claim 10, the VM clone component configured to:

provide access to an operating system of the thin clone.

12. The system of claim 11, the VM clone component configured to:

use the reference to access operating system data stored within the storage location to provide access to the operating system of the thin clone.

13. The system of claim 10, the VM clone component configured to:

modify the VM parameter within a configuration file to distinguish the thin clone from the base VM.

14. The system of claim 10, the snapshot comprising a point-in-time representation of a configuration of the base VM.

15. The system of claim 10, the snapshot comprising a deduplicated copy of the base VM, the snapshot comprising a point-in-time representation of the storage location.

16. The system of claim 10, the VM clone component configured to:

register the thin clone with a hypervisor.

17. The system of claim 10, the VM clone component configured to:

verify a clone identification for the thin clone.

18. The system of claim 10, the VM clone component configured to:

determine a validity of the base VM within a hypervisor context.

19. A computer-readable device comprising processor-executable instructions that when executed perform a method for creating a thin clone of a base virtual machine (VM), comprising:

identifying a snapshot of a base VM, the snapshot comprising metadata identifying a storage location for VM data of the base VM;

creating a thin clone of the base VM based upon the metadata, the creating comprising refraining from copying the VM data of the base VM to the thin clone, the creating comprising storing a reference within the thin clone in place of storing a copy of the VM data within the thin clone, the reference pointing to the storage location for the VM data; and

distinguishing the thin clone from the base VM, the distinguishing comprising;

remotely accessing a hypervisor environment;

issuing a query command, through the hypervisor environment, to access a VM parameter for the thin clone; and

modifying the VM parameter.

20. The computer-readable device of claim 19, comprising:

verifying a clone identification for the thin clone.

21. The computer-readable device of claim 19, comprising:

placing the thin clone into an operating state.

22. The computer-readable device of claim 19, the modifying comprising:

modifying the VM parameter within a configuration file.

23. The computer-readable device of claim 19, comprising:

registering the thin clone with a hypervisor.

24. The computer-readable device of claim 19, the snapshot comprising a deduplicated copy of the base VM.

25. A system for creating a thin clone of a base virtual machine (VM), comprising:

a processor; and

memory comprising instructions that when executed by the processor implement at least some of the following;

identifying a snapshot of a base VM, the snapshot comprising metadata identifying a storage location for VM data of the base VM, the snapshot comprising a deduplicated copy of the base VM, the snapshot comprising a point-in-time representation of the storage location;

creating a thin clone of the base VM based upon the metadata, the creating comprising refraining from copying the VM data of the base VM to the thin clone, the creating comprising storing a reference within the thin clone in place of storing a copy of the VM data within the thin clone, the reference pointing to the storage location for the VM data;

distinguishing the thin clone from the base VM, the distinguishing comprising;

remotely accessing a hypervisor environment;

issuing a query command, through the hypervisor environment, to access a VM parameter for the thin clone; and

modifying the VM parameter.

26. The system of claim 25, comprising:

placing the thin clone into an operating state.

27. The system of claim 25, comprising:

providing access to an operating system of the thin clone.

28. The system of claim 25, comprising:

registering the thin clone with a hypervisor.

29. The system of claim 25, comprising:

verifying a clone identification for the thin clone.