Method and system for end-to-end quality of service in virtualized desktop systems

• US 8,918,499 B2
• Filed: 08/09/2010
• Issued: 12/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Beaty, Kirk A., Kochut, Andrzej, Sahu, Sambit, Schulz, Charles O., Shaikh, Hidayatullah H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pollack, Melvin H
• Application Number:
  US12/853,017
• Publication Number:
  US 20120036251A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,597 Days
• Field of Search: 709/224
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/4557 Distribution of virtual machine instances; Migration and load balancing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45595 Network integration; Enabling network access in virtual machine instances
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/08 Monitoring or testing based on specific metrics, e.g. QoS, energy consumption or environmental parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/20 the monitoring system or the monitored elements being virtualised, abstracted or software-defined entities, e.g. SDN or NFV
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/08 specially adapted for terminal emulation, e.g. Telnet

Abstract

A system and method is provided for integrating the front-end and back-end of a virtualized desktop environment to achieve an objective. Network measurements are gathered which are related to enforcement of an objective. Based on gathered network measurements and quality of service requirements for user sessions, a determination is made as to how back-resources and front-end remoting protocol settings are to be adjusted. The back-end resources and the front-end remoting protocol settings are controlled to achieve the objective.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

gathering network measurements related to enforcement of an objective, said objective being stored on a computer readable storage medium;

determining adjustments of back-resources and a plurality of types of front-end remoting protocol settings based on gathered network measurements and quality of service requirements for user sessions; and

controlling the back-end resources and the front-end remoting protocol settings using a global controller to achieve the objective, wherein the global controller is in communication with both servers and clients.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting the back-end resources involves controlling migration or deployment of virtual machines between different servers or adjusting shares between virtual machines.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting the front-end remoting protocol settings involves controlling the frame rate or resolution of at least one thin client coupled to the desktop virtualization environment.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining adjustments of back-resources and front-end remoting protocol settings involves concurrently determining whether both ends of the environment should be adjusted, or whether only one of the back-end resources and front-end remoting protocol settings should be adjusted.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein gathering network measurements involves passively monitoring at least one thin client coupled to the desktop virtualization environment by measuring virtual desktop responsiveness and monitoring user activities at the at least one thin client.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein passively monitoring at least one thin client involves monitoring keyboard events, mouse events and a frame-buffer state for the at least one thin client, and using these parameters to measure virtual desktop responsiveness at the at least one thin client.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the objective is based on a set of user session priorities or a business value of an application being executed.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the objective is defined by a human operator via a user interface which is provided by a global controller.

9. A system, comprising:

a feedback module configured to gather network measurements related to enforcement of an objective, said objective being stored on a computer readable storage medium; and

a controller configured to determine adjustments of back-resources and a plurality of types of front-end remoting protocol settings based on gathered network measurements and quality of service requirements for user sessions, and further configured to control the back-end resources and the front-end remoting protocol settings using a global controller to achieve the objective, wherein the global controller is in communication with both servers and clients.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the controller adjusts the back-end resources by controlling migration or deployment of virtual machines between different servers or by adjusting shares between virtual machines.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the controller adjusts the front-end remoting protocol settings by controlling the frame rate or resolution of at least one thin client coupled to the desktop virtualization environment.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein determining adjustments of back-resources and front-end remoting protocol settings involves concurrently determining whether both ends of the environment should be adjusted, or whether only one of the back-end resources and front-end remoting protocol settings should be adjusted.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the feedback module passively monitors at least one thin client coupled to the desktop virtualization environment by measuring virtual desktop responsiveness and monitoring user activities at least one thin client.

14. The system of claim 13, the feedback modules monitors keyboard events, mouse events and a frame-buffer state at the at least one thin client, and uses these parameters to measure virtual desktop responsiveness at the at least one thin client.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the objective is based on a set of user session priorities or the business value of an application being executed.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein the objective is defined by a human operator through a user interface.

17. A computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having a computer readable program, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer causes the computer to:

gather network measurements related to enforcement of an objective;

determine adjustments of back-resources and a plurality of types of front-end remoting protocol settings based on gathered network measurements and quality of service requirements for user sessions; and

adjust the back-end resources and the front-end remoting protocol settings using a global controller to achieve the objective, wherein the global controller is in communication with both servers and clients.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein adjusting the back-end resources involves controlling migration or deployment of virtual machines between different servers or adjusting shares between virtual machines.

19. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein adjusting the front-end remoting protocol settings involves controlling the frame rate or resolution of at least one thin client coupled to the desktop virtualization environment.

20. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein determining adjustments of back-resources and front-end remoting protocol settings involves concurrently determining whether both ends of the environment should be adjusted, or whether only one of the back-end resources and front-end remoting protocol settings should be adjusted.

21. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein gathering network measurements involves passively monitoring at least one thin client coupled to the desktop virtualization environment by measuring virtual desktop responsiveness and monitoring user activities at the at least one thin client.

22. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein passively monitoring at least one thin client involves monitoring keyboard events, mouse events and a frame-buffer state for the at least one thin client, and using these parameters to measure virtual desktop responsiveness at the at least one thin client.

23. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the objective is based on a set of user session priorities or the business value of an application being executed.

24. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the objective is defined by a human operator through a user interface.