Controlling virtualization resource utilization based on network state

• US 9,176,758 B2
• Filed: 02/12/2015
• Issued: 11/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Juniper Networks Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Juniper Networks Incorporated
• Inventors: Swaminathan, Deepak
• Primary Examiner(s): SWIFT, CHARLES M
• Application Number:
  US14/620,482
• Publication Number:
  US 20150160980A1
• Time in Patent Office: 264 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/173 using an interconnection network, e.g. matrix, shuffle, pyramid, star, snowflake
• 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 9/455 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/46 Multiprogramming arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/48 Program initiating; Program switching, e.g. by interrupt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4843 by program, e.g. task dispatcher, supervisor, operating system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/485 Task life-cycle, e.g. stopping, restarting, resuming execution G06F9/4881 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4881 Scheduling strategies for dispatcher, e.g. round robin, multi-level priority queues
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4893 taking into account power or heat criteria power management in computers in general G06F1/3203; thermal management in computers in general G06F1/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/50 Allocation of resources, e.g. of the central processing unit [CPU]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5005 to service a request
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5011 the resources being hardware resources other than CPUs, Servers and Terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5016 the resource being the memory
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5027 the resource being a machine, e.g. CPUs, Servers, Terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5044 considering hardware capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/505 considering the load
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5055 considering software capabilities, i.e. software resources associated or available to the machine
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5083 : Techniques for rebalancing the load in a distributed system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5094 : where the allocation takes into account power or heat criteria power management in computers in general G06F1/3203; thermal management in computers in general G06F1/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/04 : Processing captured monitoring data, e.g. for logfile generation
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 : Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A controller device is connected to a group of virtual machines and one or more network devices in a network. The controller device is configured to store policies relating to when to start up and when to shut down the virtual machines based on users logging into the network, users logging out of the network, users attempting to access the plurality of virtual machines, and/or particular types of traffic in the network; receive network activity data from a network device of the one or more network devices in the network; identify, based on the network activity data and the policies, a virtual machine, of the group of virtual machines, to start up or shut down; and cause the virtual machine to start up or shut down.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a controller device, comprising a processor and connected to a plurality of virtual machines, to;

receive network activity data from a network device in a network;

identify a virtual machine, of the plurality of virtual machines, to start up or shut down,

the virtual machine being identified based on the network activity data and at least one policy of a plurality of policies,

the plurality of policies including;

a policy relating to users logging into or logging out of the network,

a policy relating to users attempting to access the plurality of virtual machines, and

a policy relating to particular types of traffic in the network; and

cause the virtual machine to start up or shut down.

2. The system of claim 1, where, when receiving the network activity data, the controller device is to receive:

information regarding one or more users logging into or logging out of the network,

information regarding one or more users attempting to access the plurality of virtual machines, or

information regarding communications relating to particular applications.

3. The system of claim 1, where, when receiving the network activity data, the controller device is to receive the network activity data from the network device via one or more other devices.

4. The system of claim 1, where the plurality of policies are stored in a data structure, and

where the controller device is further to:

search the data structure to identify a policy relating to the network activity data, the at least one policy including the identified policy.

5. The system of claim 4, where, when causing the virtual machine to start up or shut down, the controller device is to:

cause the virtual machine to start up or shut down based on the identified policy.

6. The system of claim 1, where the plurality of policies further includes:

a policy relating to network traffic associated with a particular application.

7. The system of claim 6, where the policy relating to the network traffic associated with the particular application includes:

a policy relating to network traffic received at a particular port, or

a policy relating to network traffic corresponding to a particular network address.

8. A method comprising:

receiving, by a controller device connected to a plurality of virtual machines, network activity data from a network device in a network;

identifying, by the controller device, a virtual machine, of the plurality of virtual machines, to start up or shut down,

the virtual machine being identified based on the network activity data and at least one policy of a plurality of policies,

the plurality of policies including;

a policy relating to users logging into or logging out of the network,

a policy relating to users attempting to access the plurality of virtual machines, and

a policy relating to particular types of traffic in the network; and

cause the virtual machine to start up or shut down.

9. The method of claim 8, where receiving the network activity data includes receiving at least one of:

information regarding one or more users logging into or logging out of the network,

information regarding one or more users attempting to access the plurality of virtual machines, or

information regarding communications relating to particular applications.

10. The method of claim 8, where receiving the network activity data includes receiving the network activity data from the network device via one or more other devices.

11. The method of claim 8, where the plurality of policies are stored in a data structure, and

where the method further comprises:

searching the data structure to identify a policy relating to the network activity data,

the at least one policy including the identified policy.

12. The method of claim 11, where causing the virtual machine to start up or shut down includes:

causing the virtual machine to start up or shut down based on the identified policy.

13. The method of claim 8, where the plurality of policies further includes:

a policy relating to network traffic associated with a particular application.

14. The method of claim 13, where the policy relating to the network traffic associated with the particular application includes:

a policy relating to network traffic received at a particular port, or

a policy relating to network traffic corresponding to a particular network address.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

storing the plurality of policies, in a data structure, in association with a plurality of triggers,

the plurality of triggers including one or more of a user identifier, a user group identifier, a user device identifier, or an application identifier.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions, the instructions comprising:

one or more instructions which, when executed by a controller device connected to a plurality of virtual machines, cause the controller device to;

receive network activity data from a network device in a network;

identify a virtual machine, of the plurality of virtual machines, to start up or shut down,

the virtual machine being identified based on the network activity data and at least one policy of a plurality of policies,

the plurality of policies including;

a policy relating to users logging into or logging out of the network,

a policy relating to users attempting to access the plurality of virtual machines, and

a policy relating to particular types of traffic in the network; and

cause the virtual machine to start up or shut down.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, where the one or more instructions to receive the network activity data include one or more instructions to receive:

information regarding one or more users logging into or logging out of the network,

information regarding one or more users attempting to access the plurality of virtual machines, or

information regarding communications relating to particular applications.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, where the plurality of policies are stored in a data structure, and

where the instructions further comprise:

one or more instructions to search the data structure to identify a policy relating to the network activity data,

the at least one policy including the identified policy.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, where the plurality of policies further includes:

a policy relating to network traffic received at a particular port, or

a policy relating to network traffic corresponding to a particular network address.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, where the instructions further comprise:

one or more instructions to store the plurality of policies, in a data structure, in association with a plurality of triggers,

the plurality of triggers including one or more of a user identifier, a user group identifier, a user device identifier, or an application identifier.