Redeploying baseline virtual machine to update a child virtual machine by creating and swapping a virtual disk comprising a clone of the baseline virtual machine

• US 8,898,668 B1
• Filed: 03/31/2010
• Issued: 11/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
• Original Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
• Inventors: Costea, George, Forgette, Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): Puente, Emerson
• Assistant Examiner(s): WU, BENJAMIN C
• Application Number:
  US12/750,885
• Time in Patent Office: 1,700 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 718/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/16 Combinations of two or more digital computers each having at least an arithmetic unit, a program unit and a register, e.g. for a simultaneous processing of several programs coordinating program control therefor G06F9/52; in regulating and control system G05B
• 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 8/60 Software deployment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects

Abstract

One or more techniques and/or systems are disclosed for redeploying a baseline VM (BVM) to one or more child VMs (CVMs) by merely cloning virtual drives of the BVM, instead of the entirety of the parent BVM. A temporary directory is created in a datastore that has the target CVMs that are targeted for virtual drive replacement (e.g., are to be “re-baselined”). One or more replacement virtual drives (RVDs) are created in the temporary directory, where the RVDs comprise a clone of a virtual drive of the source BVM. The one or more RVDs are moved from the temporary directory to a directory of the target CVMs, replacing existing virtual drives of the target CVMs so that the target CVMs are thus re-baselined to the state of the parent BVM.

Claims

1. A method for redeploying a baseline virtual machine to a child virtual machine, comprising:

identifying a child virtual machine as being associated with a baseline virtual machine; and

redeploying the baseline virtual machine to the child virtual machine, comprising;

gathering virtual drive information for the baseline virtual machine, the virtual drive information specifying a location of a datastore for the child virtual machine;

interrogating a baseline virtual machine drive, used by the baseline virtual machine to store data, to identify a partition, in a partition table, as configured to allow a file system of the datastore to align with a controller comprising the baseline virtual machine;

responsive to the file system of the datastore being aligned with the controller comprising the baseline virtual machine, creating a temporary directory on the datastore;

creating a replacement virtual drive within the temporary directory based upon the virtual drive information, the replacement virtual drive comprising a clone of the baseline virtual machine drive; and

replacing an existing child virtual machine drive, used by the child virtual machine to store data, with the replacement virtual drive utilizing a single operation.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising:

storing an association between the baseline virtual machine and the child virtual machine, the association identifying at least one of a deployment date, a deployment domain, or a cloning association to the baseline virtual machine.

3. The method of claim 1, the baseline virtual machine disposed on a first controller and the child virtual machine disposed on a second controller different than the first controller.

4. The method of claim 1, the baseline virtual machine disposed on a first controller and the child virtual machine disposed on the first controller.

5. The method of claim 1, the identifying a child virtual machine comprising:

providing a set of child virtual machine options; and

receiving a selection of the child virtual machine, from the set, for redeployment.

6. The method of claim 5, the selection comprising a maintain current configuration selection.

7. The method of claim 6, the maintain current configuration selection corresponding to at least one of a power state of the child virtual machine or a customization specification of the child virtual machine.

8. The method of claim 1, the redeploying the baseline virtual machine comprising:

shutting off the baseline virtual machine.

9. The method of claim 1, the creating a replacement virtual drive within the temporary directory comprising:

responsive to the baseline virtual machine being disposed on a first controller and the child virtual machine being disposed on a second controller, performing a host-based copy mechanism to create the clone of the baseline virtual machine drive as the replacement virtual drive within the temporary directory of the second controller.

10. The method of claim 1, the creating a replacement virtual drive within the temporary directory comprising:

responsive to the baseline virtual machine being disposed on a first controller of a first type and the child virtual machine being disposed on a second controller of the first type, performing a controller-based copy of the baseline virtual machine drive from the baseline virtual machine to the temporary directory of the datastore.

11. The method of claim 1, the creating a replacement virtual drive within the temporary directory comprising:

responsive to the baseline virtual machine being comprised within a first volume of a first controller and the child virtual machine being comprised within a second volume of the first controller, performing a controller-based copy of the baseline virtual machine drive from the baseline virtual machine to the temporary directory of the datastore.

12. The method of claim 1, the creating a replacement virtual drive within the temporary directory comprising:

responsive to the baseline virtual machine being comprised within the datastore and the child virtual machine being comprised within the datastore, performing a data-container cloning of the baseline virtual machine drive.

13. The method of claim 1, the creating a replacement virtual drive within the temporary directory comprising:

responsive to the baseline virtual machine being comprised within the datastore and the child virtual machine being comprised within the datastore, performing a block level cloning of the baseline virtual machine drive.

14. The method of claim 1, the creating a replacement virtual drive within the temporary directory comprising at least one of:

responsive to the baseline virtual machine being disposed on a first controller and the child virtual machine being disposed on a second controller, performing a host-based copy mechanism to create the clone of the baseline virtual machine drive as the replacement virtual drive within the temporary directory of the second controller;

responsive to the baseline virtual machine being comprised within a first volume of the first controller and the child virtual machine being comprised within a second volume of the first controller, performing a controller-based copy of the baseline virtual machine drive from the baseline virtual machine to the temporary directory of the datastore;

or

responsive to the baseline virtual machine being comprised within the datastore and the child virtual machine being comprised within the datastore, performing a data-container cloning of the baseline virtual machine drive.

15. A system for redeploying a baseline virtual machine to a child virtual machine, comprising:

one or more processors; and

memory comprising instructions that, when executed by at least one of the one or more processors, implement one or more of;

a target child virtual machine identification component configured to;

identify a child virtual machine as being associated with a baseline virtual machine; and

a redeployment component configured to;

redeploy the baseline virtual machine to the child virtual machine, comprising;

gathering virtual drive information for the baseline virtual machine, the virtual drive information specifying a location of a datastore for the child virtual machine;

interrogating a baseline virtual machine drive, used by the baseline virtual machine to store data, to identify a partition, in a partition table, as configured to allow a file system of the datastore to align with a controller comprising the baseline virtual machine;

responsive to the file system of the datastore being aligned with the controller comprising the baseline virtual machine, creating a temporary directory on the datastore;

creating a replacement virtual drive within the temporary directory based upon the virtual drive information, the replacement virtual drive comprising a clone of the baseline virtual machine drive; and

replacing an existing child virtual machine drive, used by the child virtual machine to store data, with the replacement virtual drive utilizing a single operation.

16. The system of claim 15, the redeployment component configured to:

store an association between the baseline virtual machine and the child virtual machine, the association identifying at least one of a deployment date, a deployment domain, or a cloning association to the baseline virtual machine.

17. The system of claim 15, the baseline virtual machine disposed on a first controller and the child virtual machine disposed on a second controller different than the first controller.

18. The system of claim 15, the baseline virtual machine disposed on a first controller and the child virtual machine disposed on the first controller.

19. The system of claim 15, the target child virtual machine identification component configured to:

provide a set of child virtual machine options; and

receive a selection of the child virtual machine, from the set, for redeployment.

20. The system of claim 15, the redeployment component configured to:

responsive to the baseline virtual machine being comprised within the datastore and the child virtual machine being comprised within the datastore, perform a data-container cloning of the baseline virtual machine drive.

21. The system of claim 15, the redeployment component configured to:

responsive to the baseline virtual machine being comprised within a first volume of a first controller and the child virtual machine being comprised within a second volume of the first controller, perform a controller-based copy of the baseline virtual machine drive from the baseline virtual machine to the temporary directory of the datastore.

22. The system of claim 15, the redeployment component configured to:

responsive to the baseline virtual machine being comprised within the datastore and the child virtual machine being comprised within the datastore, perform a block level cloning of the baseline virtual machine drive.

23. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer executable instructions that when executed by a processor perform a method for redeploying a baseline virtual machine to a child virtual machine, comprising:

identifying a child virtual machine as being associated with a baseline virtual machine; and

redeploying the baseline virtual machine to the child virtual machine, comprising;

gathering virtual drive information for the baseline virtual machine, the virtual drive information specifying a location of a datastore for the child virtual machine;

interrogating a baseline virtual machine drive, used by the baseline virtual machine to store data, to identify a partition, in a partition table, as configured to allow a file system of the datastore to align with a controller comprising the baseline virtual machine;

responsive to the file system of the datastore being aligned with the controller comprising the baseline virtual machine, creating a temporary directory on the datastore;

creating a replacement virtual drive within the temporary directory based upon the virtual drive information, the replacement virtual drive comprising a clone of the baseline virtual machine drive; and

replacing an existing child virtual machine drive, used by the child virtual machine to store data, with the replacement virtual drive utilizing a single operation.