Method and system for virtual machine migration

• US 8,732,705 B2
• Filed: 01/02/2013
• Issued: 05/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Snow Software, Inc. (Snow Software AB)
• Original Assignee: Embotics Corp. (Snow Software AB)
• Inventors: White, Anthony Richard Phillip
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhen, Li B
• Assistant Examiner(s): WHEATON, BRADFORD F
• Application Number:
  US13/732,590
• Publication Number:
  US 20130125121A1
• Time in Patent Office: 503 Days
• Field of Search: 718/1
• US Class Current: 718/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1482 by means of middleware or OS functionality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/4557 Distribution of virtual machine instances; Migration and load balancing
• 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 9/4856 resumption being on a different machine, e.g. task migration, virtual machine migration G06F9/5088 takes precedence

Abstract

Virtual machine (VM) technology allows multiple operating systems each deploying multiple applications to run on a single host. This invention presents an effective method and system for virtual machine migration from a source host to a target host. The method and system concern the migration of both the service VM and the element managing it. State of the migrating VM is preserved so that it can resume its execution on the target host.

Claims

1. A method for migrating a service Virtual Machine (VM), comprising an operating system and applications running on a hypervisor, comprising a VM managed element and dependent elements of the VM managed element, from a source host to a target host, the method comprising:

migrating the service VM, using at least one hardware processor, comprising;

(a) migrating the service VM during an execution of the service VM under control of a mobile autonomic element having a sensor interface and an effector interface, the mobile autonomic element being an object, which is separate from the service VM;

wherein the step (a) further comprises;

queuing events to be processed at the source host, and sending information regarding a state of the events from the source host to the target host;

sending information regarding a state of the VM managed element and the dependent elements, and components of the VM managed element and the dependent elements, which have changed during the queuing, from the source host to the target host; and

processing the information at the target host;

(b) migrating the mobile autonomic element separately from and concurrently with the migrating of the service VM; and

(c) resuming execution of the service VM on the target host under control of the mobile autonomic element.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step (a) further comprises:

preserving a state of the service VM by the mobile autonomic element; and

migrating policies managing the service VM by using the mobile autonomic element.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the migrating policies further comprising:

storing the policies within the mobile autonomic element; and

migrating the stored policies prior to executing the service VM on the target host.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

serializing the queued events and the state of the VM managed element and the dependent elements; and

sending a message containing a serialized queue of events and a serialized state of the VM managed element and the dependent elements from the source host to the target host.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

serializing the components of the VM managed element and the dependent elements that have changed; and

sending the serialized components from the source host to the target host.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

deserializing the state of the VM managed element and the dependent elements, and extracting dependencies for the dependent elements at the target host; and

deserializing the queued events and creating queues of events at the target host.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step (c) further comprises:

starting events for the VM managed element and the dependent elements at the target host; and

removing the VM managed element and the dependent elements at the source host.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

locating a sensor service of the sensor interface; and

adding the events for the VM managed element and the dependent elements to a time-ordered queue of events stored within the sensor service.

9. A system for migrating a service Virtual Machine (VM), comprising an operating system and applications running on a hypervisor, comprising a VM managed element and dependent elements of the VM managed element, from a source host to a target host, the system comprising:

a processor;

a memory device having computer readable instructions stored thereon for execution by the processor, causing the processor to;

(a) migrate the service VM during an execution of the service VM under control of a mobile autonomic element having a sensor interface and an effector interface, the mobile autonomic element being an object, which is separate from the service VM;

wherein the computer readable instructions further cause the processor to;

queue events to be processed at the source host, and send information regarding a state of the events from the source host to the target host;

send information regarding a state of the VM managed element and the dependent elements, and components of the VM managed element and the dependent elements, which have changed during queuing, from the source host to the target host; and

process the information at the target host;

(b) migrate the mobile autonomic element separately from and concurrently with migrating the service VM; and

(c) resume execution of the service VM on the target host under control of the mobile autonomic element.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the computer readable instructions further cause the processor to:

preserve a state of the service VM by the mobile autonomic element; and

migrate policies managing the service VM by using the mobile autonomic element.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the computer readable instructions further cause the processor to:

store the policies within the mobile autonomic element; and

migrate the stored policies prior to executing the service VM on the target host.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the computer readable instructions further cause the processor to:

serialize the queued events and the state of the VM managed element and the dependent elements; and

send a message containing a serialized queue of events and a serialized state of the VM managed element and the dependent elements from the source host to the target host.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the computer readable instructions further cause the processor to:

serialize the components of the VM managed element and the dependent elements that have changed; and

send the serialized components from the source host to the target host.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the computer readable instructions further cause the processor to:

deserialize the state of the VM managed element and the dependent elements, and extracting dependencies for the dependent elements at the target host; and

deserializing the queued events and creating queues of events at the target host.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the computer readable instructions further cause the processor to:

start events for the VM managed element and the dependent elements at the target host; and

remove the VM managed element and the dependent elements at the source host.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the computer readable instructions further cause the processor to:

locate a sensor service of the sensor interface; and

add the events for the VM managed element and the dependent elements to a time-ordered queue of events stored within the sensor service.

17. A method for migrating a service Virtual Machine (VM), comprising an operating system and applications running on a hypervisor, comprising a VM managed element and dependent elements of the VM managed element, from a source host to a target host, the method comprising:

migrating the service VM using at least one hardware processor, comprising;

(a) migrating the service VM during an execution of the service VM under control of a managing element managing the service VM, the management element being an object, which is separate from the service VM,

wherein the step (a) further comprises;

queuing events to be processed at the source host, and sending information regarding a state of the events from the source host to the target host;

sending information regarding a state of the VM managed element and the dependent elements, and components of the VM managed element and the dependent elements, which have changed during the queuing, from the source host to the target host; and

processing the information at the target host;

(b) migrating the managing element separately from and concurrently with the migrating of the service VM; and

(c) resuming execution of the service VM on the target host under control of the managing element, comprising;

deserializing the state of the VM managed element and the dependent elements, and extracting dependencies for the dependent elements at the target host; and

deserializing the queued events and creating queues of events at the target host.

18. A system for migrating a service Virtual Machine (VM), comprising an operating system and applications running on a hypervisor, comprising a VM managed element and dependent elements of the VM managed element, from a source host to a target host, the system comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having computer readable instructions stored thereon for execution by a processor, causing the processor to;

(a) migrate the service VM during an execution of the service VM under control of a managing element managing the service VM, the management element being an object, which is separate from the service VM;

the computer readable instructions further causing the processor to;

queue events to be processed at the source host, and send information regarding a state of the events from the source host to the target host;

send information regarding a state of the VM managed element and the dependent elements, and components of the VM managed element and the dependent elements, which have changed during the queuing, from the source host to the target host; and

process the information at the target host;

(b) migrate the managing element separately from and concurrently with migration of the service VM; and

(c) resume execution of the service VM on the target host under control of the managing element, comprising;

deserializing the state of the VM managed element and the dependent elements, and extracting dependencies for the dependent elements at the target host; and

deserializing the queued events and creating queues of events at the target host.