Systems and methods for providing a library of virtual images in a software provisioning environment

• US 8,572,587 B2
• Filed: 02/27/2009
• Issued: 10/29/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2009
• 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, Kearney, Bryan M.
• Primary Examiner(s): KENDALL, CHUCK O
• Application Number:
  US12/395,351
• Publication Number:
  US 20100223610A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,705 Days
• Field of Search: 717130-178
• US Class Current: 717/138
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/63 Image based installation; Cloning; Build to order

Abstract

A provisioning server can maintain a library of virtual images. The virtual images can be a disk image of software that has been previously installed according to metadata. The metadata can represent parameters utilized to create the virtual image and the parameters required to provision the virtual image on a target machine. The provisioning server can maintain the metadata for a virtual image in a virtual image record associated with the virtual image. The provisioning server can provision a virtual image to one or more target machines. To provision the virtual image, the provisioning server can copy the virtual image to a storage device on the one or more target machines and configure the target machine according to metadata in the associated virtual image record.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

initiating, by a provisioning server, provisioning a virtual image to a target machine, wherein the virtual image is a disk image of a software distribution;

determining, by the provisioning server, a virtual image record associated with the virtual image, wherein the virtual image record is selected from a plurality of virtual image records associated with the virtual image, wherein each of the plurality of virtual image records comprises metadata that is different from other virtual image records associated with the virtual image, wherein the metadata of each virtual image record comprises a parameter for instantiating the virtual image;

providing, by the provisioning server, the virtual image to the target machine;

instantiating, by the provisioning server, the virtual image on the target machine based on the metadata of the virtual image record; and

copying, by the provisioning server, the virtual image to a storage device of the target machine based on the metadata of the virtual image record.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein initiating provisioning the virtual image comprises:

receiving a request to provision the virtual image.

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

modifying the metadata of the virtual image record prior to instantiating the virtual image.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein instantiating the virtual image comprises:

copying the virtual image to a storage device of the target machine; and

configuring the target machine based on the metadata of the virtual image record.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the virtual image to the target machine comprises instructing a helper client on the target machine to retrieve the virtual image and the virtual image record, and wherein instantiating the virtual image based on the virtual image record comprises instructing the helper client to instantiate the virtual image based on the metadata in the virtual image record.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the metadata further comprises a storage device requirement for the virtual disk image, wherein the storage device requirement comprises at least one of a type of storage device required by the virtual disk image or an amount of storage required by the virtual disk image, and

wherein copying the virtual image to a storage device of the target machine based on the metadata of the virtual image record comprises selecting a storage device that meets the storage device requirement for the virtual disk image.

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

creating the virtual image, wherein creating the virtual image comprises;

installing the software distribution on a storage device; and

creating the disk image from a plurality of bits of the installed software distribution on the storage device.

8. A system for comprising:

a network interface to a network of target machines; and

a provisioning server, communicating with the network interface, the provisioning server to;

initiate provisioning a virtual image to a target machine in the network of target machines, wherein the virtual image is a disk image of a software distribution;

determine a virtual image record associated with the virtual image, wherein the virtual image record is selected from a plurality of virtual image records associated with the virtual image, wherein each of the plurality of virtual image records comprises metadata that is different from other virtual image records associated with the virtual image, wherein the metadata of each virtual image record comprises a parameter for instantiating the virtual image;

provide the virtual image to the target machine;

instantiate the virtual image on the target machine based on the metadata of the virtual image record; and

copy the virtual image to a storage device of the target machine based on the metadata of the virtual image record.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein initiating provisioning the virtual image comprises:

receiving a request to provision the virtual image.

10. The system of claim 8, the provisioning server further to:

modify the metadata of the virtual image record prior to instantiating the virtual image.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein instantiating the virtual image comprises:

copying the virtual image to a storage device of the target machine; and

configuring the target machine based on the metadata of the virtual image record.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein providing the virtual image to the target machine comprises instructing a helper client on the target machine to retrieve the virtual image and the virtual image record, and wherein instantiating the virtual image based on the virtual image record comprises instructing the helper client to instantiate the virtual image based on the metadata in the virtual image record.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the metadata further comprises a storage device requirement for the virtual disk image, wherein the storage device requirement comprises at least one of a type of storage device required by the virtual disk image or an amount of storage required by the virtual disk image, and wherein copying the virtual image to a storage device of the target machine based on the metadata of the virtual image record comprises selecting a storage device that meets the storage device requirement for the virtual disk image.

14. The system of claim 8, the provisioning server further to:

create the virtual image, wherein creating the virtual image comprises;

installing the software distribution on a storage device; and

creating the disk image from a plurality of bits of the installed software distribution on the storage device.

15. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium, having instructions stored therein, which when executed, cause a processor to perform operations comprising:

initiating, by the provisioning server, provisioning a virtual image to a target machine, wherein the virtual image is a disk image of a software distribution;

determining, by the provisioning server, a virtual image record associated with the virtual image, wherein the virtual image record is selected from a plurality of virtual image records associated with the virtual image, wherein each of the plurality of virtual image records comprises metadata that is different from other virtual image records associated with the virtual image, wherein the metadata of each virtual image record comprises a parameter for instantiating the virtual image;

providing, by the provisioning server, the virtual image to the target machine;

instantiating, by the provisioning server, the virtual image on the target machine based on the metadata of the virtual image record; and

copying, by the provisioning server, the virtual image to a storage device of the target machine based on the metadata of the virtual image record.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein initiating provisioning the virtual image comprises:

receiving a request to provision the virtual image.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, the operations further comprising:

modifying the metadata of the virtual image record prior to instantiating the virtual image.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein instantiating the virtual image comprises:

copying the virtual image to a storage device of the target machine; and

configuring the target machine based on the metadata of the virtual image record.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein providing the virtual image to the target machine comprises instructing a helper client on the target machine to retrieve the virtual image and the virtual image record, and wherein instantiating the virtual image based on the virtual image record comprises instructing the helper client to instantiate the virtual image based on the metadata in the virtual image record.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the metadata further comprises a storage device requirement for the virtual disk image, wherein the storage device requirement comprises at least one of a type of storage device required by the virtual disk image or an amount of storage required by the virtual disk image, and

wherein copying the virtual image to a storage device of the target machine based on the metadata of the virtual image record comprises selecting a storage device that meets the storage device requirement for the virtual disk image.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, the operations further comprising:

creating the virtual image, wherein creating the virtual image comprises;

installing the software distribution on a storage device; and

creating the disk image from a plurality of bits of the installed software distribution on the storage device.