Self-management of virtual machines in cloud-based networks

• US 8,935,692 B2
• Filed: 05/22/2008
• Issued: 01/13/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Ferris, James Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Fennema, Robert
• Application Number:
  US12/125,587
• Publication Number:
  US 20090293056A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,427 Days
• Field of Search: 718/1
• US Class Current: 718/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45562 Creating, deleting, cloning virtual machine instances
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45575 Starting, stopping, suspending or resuming virtual machine instances
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45533 Hypervisors; Virtual machine monitors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45554 Instruction set architectures of guest OS and hypervisor or native processor differ, e.g. Bochs or VirtualPC on PowerPC MacOS
• 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 cloud management system can insert a self-management module in virtual machines. The self-management module can be configured to automatically perform management functions on the virtual machine in which it is inserted. The management functions can include activation, suspension, or termination of the virtual machine. The management functions can also include tracking and monitoring the virtual machine. The management functions can also include providing messages to the cloud management system regarding the status and usage of the virtual machine.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

instantiating, by a processor of a cloud management server computing device, a plurality of virtual machines in a cloud computing environment comprising a set of hosted resource server devices, the plurality of virtual machines instantiated on the set of hosted resource server devices in response to an instantiation request from an end user of the cloud computing environment, wherein the plurality of virtual machines operate together to provide a requested use for the end user for a defined duration; and

for each virtual machine of the plurality of virtual machines, inserting, by the processor of the cloud management server computing device, a management module in the virtual machine, wherein the management module is configured to, without any involvement from the cloud management server computing device;

monitor the corresponding virtual machine;

control the corresponding virtual machine by at least one of activating, suspending, or terminating the corresponding virtual machine in view of the monitoring; and

transmit a message to the cloud management server computing device indicating the activation, the suspension, or the termination of the corresponding virtual machine, wherein the cloud management server computing device to manage subscriptions of the end user to the cloud computing environment in view of the message.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the management module for each virtual machine of the plurality of virtual machines is to monitor at least one of a time period for the corresponding virtual machine, a duration of the corresponding virtual machine, or a resource usage of the corresponding virtual machine.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the management module for each virtual machine of the plurality of virtual machines is to transmit a message to a cloud management system indicating the monitored at least one of the time period, the duration, or the resource usage.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the management module for each virtual machine of the plurality of virtual machines is to terminate the corresponding virtual machine in view of the monitored at least one of the time period, the duration, or the resource usage.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the management module for each virtual machine of the plurality of virtual machines is to suspend the corresponding virtual machine in view of a time period for the corresponding virtual machine, a duration of the corresponding virtual machine, or a resource usage of the corresponding virtual machine.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the cloud computing environment comprises a set of resource servers to deliver resources to instantiate the plurality of virtual machines.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the management module for each virtual machine of the plurality of virtual machines is inserted in the corresponding virtual machine prior to instantiation of the corresponding virtual machine or after instantiation of the corresponding virtual machine.

8. A system comprising:

a memory;

a processor communicably coupled to the memory;

a network interface device communicably coupled to the memory and the processor; and

a cloud management module executable from the memory by the processor, wherein the cloud management module is communicably coupled to a set of hosted resource server devices of a cloud computing environment via the network interface device, the cloud management module performs operations executable by the processor to;

instantiate a plurality of virtual machines in the cloud computing environment comprising a set of hosted resource server devices, the plurality of virtual machines instantiated on the set of hosted resource server devices in response to an instantiation request from an end user of the cloud computing environment, wherein the plurality of virtual machines operate together to provide a requested use for the end user for a defined duration; and

for each virtual machine of the plurality of virtual machines, insert a management module in the virtual machine, wherein the management module is to, without any involvement from the cloud management server computing device;

monitor the corresponding virtual machine;

control the corresponding virtual machine by at least one of activating, suspending, or terminating the corresponding virtual machine in view of the monitoring; and

transmit a message to the cloud management server computing device indicating the activation, the suspension, or the termination of the corresponding virtual machine, wherein the cloud management server computing device to manage subscriptions of the end user to the cloud computing environment in view of the message.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the management module for each virtual machine of the plurality of virtual machines is to monitor at least one of a time period for the corresponding virtual machine, a duration of the corresponding virtual machine, or a resource usage of the corresponding virtual machine.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the management module for each virtual machine of the plurality of virtual machines is to transmit a message to the cloud management module indicating the monitored at least one of the time period, the duration, or the resource usage.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the management module for each virtual machine of the plurality of virtual machines is to the corresponding virtual machine in view of the monitored at least one of the time period, the duration, or the resource usage.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the management module for each virtual machine of the plurality of virtual machines is to suspend the corresponding virtual machine in view of a time period for the corresponding virtual machine, a duration of the corresponding virtual machine, or a resource usage of the corresponding virtual machine.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the management module for each virtual machine of the plurality of virtual machines is inserted in the corresponding virtual machine prior to instantiation of the corresponding virtual machine or after instantiation of the corresponding virtual machine.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the cloud computing environment comprises a set of resource servers to deliver resources to instantiate the plurality of virtual machines.

15. A method comprising:

receiving, by each of a plurality of virtual machines executed by a processor on a hosted resource server device of a set of hosted resource server devices of a cloud computing environment, a management module from a cloud management server device of the cloud computing environment, wherein each virtual machine of the plurality of virtual machines having a corresponding management module;

executing, by the processor of each virtual machine of the plurality of virtual machines, the management module corresponding to the virtual machine as part of the virtual machine;

monitoring, by each management module without any involvement from the cloud management server computing device, the virtual machine corresponding to the management module;

controlling, by each management module without any involvement from the cloud management server computing device, the virtual machine corresponding to the management module, the controlling performed by the management module comprising at least one of activating, suspending, or terminating the corresponding virtual machine in view of the monitoring; and

transmitting, by each management module without any involvement from the cloud management server computing device, a message to the cloud management server computing device indicating the activation, the suspension, or the termination of the corresponding virtual machine, wherein the cloud management server computing device to manage subscriptions of the end user to the cloud computing environment in view of the message;

wherein each virtual machine of the plurality of virtual machines is instantiated by the cloud management server device in response to an instantiation request from an end user of the cloud computing environment in order to provide an intended use for the end user for a defined duration.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the management module for each virtual machine of the plurality of virtual machines is to monitor at least one of a time period for the virtual machine, a duration of the virtual machine, or a resource usage of the virtual machine.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the management module for each virtual machine of the plurality of virtual machines is configured to transmit a message to a cloud management system indicating the monitored at least one of the time period, the duration, or the resource usage.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the management module for each virtual machine of the plurality of virtual machines is to terminate the virtual machine in view of the monitored at least time period, duration, or resource usage.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the management module for each virtual machine of the plurality of virtual machines is to suspend the virtual machine in view of a time period for the virtual machine, a duration of the virtual machine, or a resource usage of the virtual machine.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the management module for each virtual machine of the plurality of virtual machines is received by the virtual machine prior to instantiation of the virtual machine or after instantiation of the virtual machine.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein the cloud computing environment comprises a set of resource servers to deliver resources to instantiate the plurality of virtual machines.