System and method for creating and managing virtual services
First Claim
1. A method of configuring a virtual server comprising:
- creating the virtual server;
loading an operating system image from an operating system storage;
retrieving configuration information for the virtual server from a configuration storage;
configuring the virtual server;
loading application data for the configured virtual server from a data storage;
selectively identifying, by a configuration server, updated information to be transferred to the virtual server, the updated information comprising the operating system image; and
detecting if a partial failure or a complete failure of the virtual server has occurred, and if the partial failure has occurred, determining whether the virtual server can continue operation, and if a complete failure has occurred, rebooting the virtual server,wherein the operating system image, the configuration information and the application data are separately retrieved by the virtual server from the operating system storage, the configuration storage, and the data storage, respectively, such that the virtual server provides a particular functionality based on the configuration information that was retrieved, andwherein, before the operating system image, the configuration information and the application data are separately retrieved, a plurality of different operating system images is stored in the operating system storage, information for a plurality of different configurations is stored in the configuration storage, and a plurality of different applications is stored in the data storage.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method of creating and managing virtual servers utilizes separate master copies of information such as operating systems, configuration files, and application programs. When a virtual server is created, it loads an appropriate operating system and configuration information. During the boot process, the virtual server is configured to provide a predetermined service. Appropriate application programs are subsequently loaded to support the service configuration. Multiple virtual servers can be created and configured using the master copies of information, thus reducing the amount of customization required by each virtual server. Virtual servers can be easily restarted from failures with minimal loss of data.
24 Citations
41 Claims
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1. A method of configuring a virtual server comprising:
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creating the virtual server; loading an operating system image from an operating system storage; retrieving configuration information for the virtual server from a configuration storage; configuring the virtual server; loading application data for the configured virtual server from a data storage; selectively identifying, by a configuration server, updated information to be transferred to the virtual server, the updated information comprising the operating system image; and detecting if a partial failure or a complete failure of the virtual server has occurred, and if the partial failure has occurred, determining whether the virtual server can continue operation, and if a complete failure has occurred, rebooting the virtual server, wherein the operating system image, the configuration information and the application data are separately retrieved by the virtual server from the operating system storage, the configuration storage, and the data storage, respectively, such that the virtual server provides a particular functionality based on the configuration information that was retrieved, and wherein, before the operating system image, the configuration information and the application data are separately retrieved, a plurality of different operating system images is stored in the operating system storage, information for a plurality of different configurations is stored in the configuration storage, and a plurality of different applications is stored in the data storage. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A method of configuring a plurality of virtual servers comprising:
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creating the plurality of virtual servers; loading, by each virtual server, one of a plurality of different operating system images from an operating system storage; retrieving configuration information for each virtual server from a configuration storage; configuring each virtual server; loading application data by each configured virtual server from a data storage; selectively identifying, by a configuration server, updated information to be transferred to the virtual servers, the updated information comprising the one of the plurality of different operating system images; and detecting if a partial failure or a complete failure of at least one of the virtual servers has occurred, and if the partial failure has occurred, determining whether the at least one virtual server can continue operation, and if the complete failure has occurred, rebooting the at least one virtual server, wherein the operating system images, the configuration information and the application data are separately retrieved by the virtual servers from the operating system storage, the configuration storage, and the data storage, respectively, such that the virtual servers provide a particular functionality based on the configuration information that was retrieved, and wherein, before the operating system images, the configuration information and the application data are separately retrieved, information for a plurality of different configurations is stored in the configuration storage, and a plurality of different applications is stored in the data storage. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
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34. A system for managing virtual servers comprising:
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a physical server including at least one central processing unit, the physical server creating one or more virtual servers, and assigning an identity and a network address to each of said one or more virtual servers; the physical server detecting if a partial failure or a complete failure of at least one of the one or more virtual servers has occurred, and if the partial failure has occurred, determining whether the at least one of the one or more virtual servers can continue operation, and if a complete failure has occurred, rebooting the at least one of the one or more virtual servers, a storage system, including an operating system storage portion, a configuration portion, and a data storage portion, the operating system storage portion storing generic images of data defining operating system environments, wherein each image corresponds to a different operating system; the configuration storage portion storing configuration information specifying functions to be performed by said one or more virtual servers; the data storage portion storing information generated by said one or more virtual servers; and a configuration server that selectively identifies updated information to be transferred to said one or more virtual servers, the updated information comprising at least one of the images; wherein each said virtual server performs the acts; loading a generic image from said operating system storage portion, retrieving configuration information from said configuration storage portion, booting the operating system using said configuration information, and loading application data from said configuration storage portion, wherein the generic image, the configuration information and the application data are separately retrieved by the virtual server from the operating system storage portion, the configuration storage portion, and the data storage portion, respectively, such that the virtual server provides a particular functionality based on the configuration information that was retrieved, and wherein, before the generic image, the configuration information and the application data are separately retrieved, a plurality of different generic images is stored in the operating system storage portion, information for a plurality of different configurations is stored in the configuration storage portion, and a plurality of different applications is stored in the data storage portion. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41)
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Specification