Inverse virtual machine

• US 8,813,072 B1
• Filed: 03/18/2011
• Issued: 08/19/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: directPacket Research, Inc.
• Original Assignee: directPacket Research, Inc.
• Inventors: Signaoff, Christopher S., Signaoff, Justin S., Opsahl, Tom W., Riley, Edward M. III
• Primary Examiner(s): ZHE, MENG YAO
• Application Number:
  US13/051,490
• Time in Patent Office: 1,250 Days
• US Class Current: 718/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45562 Creating, deleting, cloning virtual machine instances
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/4557 Distribution of virtual machine instances; Migration and load balancing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/5011 Pool
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45541 Bare-metal, i.e. hypervisor runs directly on hardware
• 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

A plurality of devices self-assemble their respective resources into a pool for hosting one or more virtual machines (VMs). An inverse virtual machine architecture enables a pool of resources to be assembled for hosting one or more VMs independent of an application-level control program, such as a host OS and/or other application-level program, executing on the host system. In certain embodiments, the plurality of independent physical resources are operable to autonomously join together in forming the pool of resources for VM(s). In certain embodiments, each device comprises VM core logic for self-assembling the devices into the resource pool. The VM core logic may be implemented at a BIOS level of the devices, wherein an operating system is not required to be launched on any of the devices that self-assemble into the resource pool for hosting the VM(s).

Claims

1. A method for forming a pool of resources for hosting one or more virtual machines, the method comprising:

launching, on a first device having a first set of resources, a virtual machine (VM) core logic;

determining, by said VM core logic, one or more predefined peer member devices, wherein each peer member device has an independent set of resources; and

communicatively coupling, by said VM core logic, with VM core logics of said one or more predefined peer member devices and exchanging information with said VM core logics of said one or more predefined peer member devices that identifies each device'"'"'s respective said independent set of resources for self-assembling resources of said first set of resources and resources of said independent sets of resources into a pool of resources for hosting one or more virtual machines according to a predefined virtual resource profile, said profile accessible by each VM core logic,

wherein each VM core logic is implemented in or is launched by a BIOS of each of the devices independent of a VM monitor (VMM).

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the VM core logic is independent of any operating system.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the VM core logic is launched independent of a VM monitor (VMM) of the first device.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the VM core logic is launched by said BIOS without said BIOS launching an operating system.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein an OS is not required on any of the devices.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein a host operating system that is aware of the resources in the pool is not required.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said communicatively coupling comprises:

communicatively coupling with a data link hub, wherein said data link hub identifies said one or more predefined peer member devices and communicatively couples with said one or more predefined peer member devices.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

hosting said one or more virtual machines on said pool of resources.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

managing said pool of resources for supporting operations of said one or more virtual machines.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein said one or more virtual machines each comprises at least one guest operating system and a respective set of virtual resources that are visible to the guest operating system.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein there is no host operating system for managing said pool of resources.

24. The method of claim 1 wherein said profile is stored in a member selected from the group consisting of the VM core logic and a remote database.

12. A method for forming a pool of resources for hosting one or more virtual machines, the method comprising:

launching, independent of a virtual machine (VM) monitor (VMM), on a first device having a first set of resources, a first VM core logic;

launching, independent of a VMM, on a second device having a second set of resources, a second VM core logic; and

exchanging information between said first VM core logic and said second VM core logic that identifies said first set of resources and said second set of resources for self-assembling the first and second sets of resources into a pool of resources for hosting one or more virtual machines according to a predefined virtual resource profile, said profile accessible by each VM core logic,

wherein each VM core logic is implemented in or is launched by a BIOS of each of the devices.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the first VM core logic is launched by said BIOS of the first device without said BIOS launching an operating system on the first device.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein an OS is not launched on either of the first and second devices.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein said exchanging information comprises:

said first VM core logic communicatively coupling with a data link hub and communicating said information that identifies said first set of resources; and

said second VM core logic communicatively coupling with said data link hub and communicating said information that identifies said second set of resources.

16. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

hosting said one or more virtual machines on said pool of resources.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

managing said pool of resources for supporting operations of said one or more virtual machines.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein said one or more virtual machines each comprises at least one guest operating system and a respective set of virtual resources that are visible to the operating system;

and wherein there is no host operating system for managing said pool of resources.

19. A system comprising:

a first device having a first set of resources, said first device including a first BIOS stored to a first non-volatile memory and a first virtual machine (VM) core logic implemented independent of a VM monitor (VMM), wherein said first set of resources include physical resources;

a second device having a second set of resources, said second device including a second BIOS stored to a second non-volatile memory and a second VM core logic implemented independent of a VMM application, wherein said second set of resources include physical resources; and

wherein said first VM core logic and said second VM core logic are configured to exchange information that identifies said first set of resources and said second set of resources for self-assembling the first and second sets of resources into a pool of resources for hosting one or more virtual machines according to a predefined virtual resource profile, said profile accessible by said first VM core logic, and wherein each VM core logic is implemented in or is launched by the BIOS of each of the devices.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein said first BIOS does not launch an operating system on the first device.

21. A device comprising:

a first set of resources, wherein said first set of resources include physical resources;

a virtual machine (VM) core logic that is configured to determine one or more predefined peer member devices, wherein each peer member device has an independent set of resources, communicatively couple with VM core logics of said one or more predefined peer member devices, and exchange information with said VM core logics of said one or more predefined peer member devices that identifies each device'"'"'s respective said independent set of resources for self-assembling resources of said first set of resources and resources of said independent sets of resources into a pool of resources for hosting one or more virtual machines according to a predefined virtual resource profile, said profile accessible by said VM core logic; and

a BIOS stored to non-volatile memory,

wherein each VM core logic is implemented in or is launched by a BIOS of each of the devices independent of a VM monitor (VMM).

22. The device of claim 21 wherein an operating system is not launched on said device.

23. The device of claim 21 wherein a host operating system is not required for managing said pool of resources.

25. The device of claim 21 wherein said profile is stored in a member selected from the group consisting of the VM core logic and a remote database.