Systems and methods for modifying an operating system for a virtual machine

• US 9,158,561 B2
• Filed: 08/17/2012
• Issued: 10/13/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SnapVolumes, Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.), Vmware LLC (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: VMware, Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Conover, Matthew
• Primary Examiner(s): Bullock, Jr., Lewis A
• Assistant Examiner(s): APONTE, FRANCISCO JAVIER
• Application Number:
  US13/588,699
• Publication Number:
  US 20130047160A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,152 Days
• Field of Search: 717168-178, 718 1-108
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/4557 Distribution of virtual machine instances; Migration and load balancing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45583 Memory management, e.g. access or allocation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/455 Emulation; Interpretation; Software simulation, e.g. virtualisation or emulation of application or operating system execution engines
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45533 Hypervisors; Virtual machine monitors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects

Abstract

Systems, methods, and software are described herein for operating a data management system, including executing an attached application and application data on a first virtual machine running a first operating system, separating the attached application and application data from the first virtual machine, and dynamically attaching the application and application data to a second virtual machine running an updated version of the first operating system.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

identifying at least one application available for execution on an initial virtual machine;

identifying a triggering event comprising an attempt to upgrade an operating system on the initial virtual machine to an updated version of the operating system;

in response to the triggering event, provisioning a new virtual machine with the updated version of the operating system;

monitoring for completion of the provisioning of the new virtual machine;

in response to the completion of the provisioning of the new virtual machine, dynamically attaching the at least one application to the new virtual machine, wherein dynamically attaching the at least one application to the new virtual machine comprises dynamically attaching at least one application volume containing the at least one application to the new virtual machine, and making the at least one application available without installation on the new virtual machine; and

in response to dynamically attaching the at least one application volume, overlaying contents of the at least one application volume corresponding to the at least one application in the new virtual machine.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein dynamically attaching the at least one application to the new virtual machine further comprises modifying registry keys to make the at least one application available in the new virtual machine.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the contents of the at least one application volume comprise files and registry keys for the at least one application.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein dynamically attaching the at least one application volume containing the at least one application to the new virtual machine comprises mounting the at least one application volume containing the at least one application to the new virtual machine.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein identifying the at least one application available for execution on the initial virtual machine comprises identifying the at least one application available for execution on the initial virtual machine using the at least one volume attached to the initial virtual machine.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising detaching the at least one current application from the initial virtual machine.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising executing the at least one application on the new virtual machine.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having program instruction stored thereon that, when executed by a computing system, direct the computing system to at least:

identify at least one application available for execution on an initial virtual machine;

identify a triggering event comprising an attempt to upgrade an operating system on the initial virtual machine to an updated version of the operating system;

in response to the triggering event, provision a new virtual machine with the updated version of the operating system;

monitor for completion of the provisioning of the new virtual machine;

in response to the completion of the provisioning of the new virtual machine, dynamically attach the at least one application to the new virtual machine, wherein the program instructions to dynamically attach the at least one application to the new virtual machine direct the computing system to dynamically attach at least one application volume containing the at least one application to the new virtual machine, and make the at least one application available without installation on the new virtual machine; and

in response to dynamically attaching the at least one application volume, overlay contents of the at least one application volume corresponding to the at least one application in the new virtual machine.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8 wherein the program instructions, to direct the computing system to dynamically attach the at least one application to the new virtual machine, further direct the computing system to modify registry keys to make the at least one application available in the new virtual machine.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8 wherein the contents of the at least one application volume comprise files and registry keys for the at least one application.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10 wherein the program instructions, to direct the computing system to dynamically attach the at least one application volume containing the at least one application to the new virtual machine direct the computing system to mount the at least one application volume containing the at least one application to the new virtual machine.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8 wherein the program instructions to identify the at least one application available for execution on the initial virtual machine direct the computing system to identify the at least one application available for execution on the initial virtual machine using the at least one volume attached to the initial virtual machine.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12 wherein the program instructions further direct the computing system to detach the at least one current application from the initial virtual machine.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8 wherein the program instructions further direct the computing system to execute the at least one application on the new virtual machine.