Creating multiple diagnostic virtual machines to monitor allocated resources of a cluster of hypervisors

• US 9,563,459 B2
• Filed: 03/17/2015
• Issued: 02/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Citrix Systems, Inc. (Cloud Software Group)
• Original Assignee: Citrix Systems, Inc. (Cloud Software Group)
• Inventors: Vittal, Chiradeep, Huang, Alex, Kluge, Kevin
• Primary Examiner(s): WU, BENJAMIN C
• Application Number:
  US14/660,815
• Publication Number:
  US 20150193256A1
• Time in Patent Office: 693 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3006 where the computing system is distributed, e.g. networked systems, clusters, multiprocessor systems multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46; allocation of resources G06F9/50
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/34 Recording or statistical evaluation of computer activity, e.g. of down time, of input/output operation ; Recording or statistical evaluation of user activity, e.g. usability assessment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3452 Performance evaluation by statistical analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45591 Monitoring or debugging support
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45595 Network integration; Enabling network access in virtual machine instances
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/815 Virtual
• 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 9/5072 Grid computing

Abstract

A diagnostic virtual machine having access to resources of an infrastructure as a service cloud may be created. A user device may be provided access to the diagnostic virtual machine. In some embodiments, the diagnostic virtual machine may be configured to monitor a cluster of hypervisors, and the resources of the infrastructure as a service cloud which the diagnostic virtual machine has access to may include physical resources of the infrastructure as a service cloud that are associated with the cluster of hypervisors.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

creating a diagnostic virtual machine configured to monitor a cluster of hypervisors and have access to physical resources, of an infrastructure as a service cloud, associated with a virtual machine hosted by the cluster of hypervisors;

reporting, by the diagnostic virtual machine and to a resource management service of the infrastructure as a service cloud, one or more performance metrics related to the physical resources;

determining, by the resource management service and based on the one or more performance metrics, that additional physical resources of the infrastructure as a service cloud should be allocated to the cluster of hypervisors;

triggering, by the resource management service, allocation of the additional physical resources to the cluster of hypervisors; and

triggering, by the resource management service, creation of a new diagnostic virtual machine, the new diagnostic virtual machine having access to the additional physical resources.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising receiving, by the virtual machine, input from a user requesting assistance from an administrator of the cluster of hypervisors.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein creating the diagnostic virtual machine is performed in response to receiving the input.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the virtual machine is hosted by one or more specific hypervisors of the cluster of hypervisors, the method comprising configuring the diagnostic virtual machine to be hosted by the one or more specific hypervisors.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the virtual machine is configured to operate within a network isolated from one or more other virtual machines supported by the infrastructure as a service cloud, the method comprising configuring the diagnostic virtual machine to operate within the network.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the network comprises at least one of a Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN), a Generic Routing Encapsulation (GRE) tunnel, or a Virtual eXtensible Local Area Network (VxLAN).

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more performance metrics comprise at least one of processor utilization, memory utilization, network utilization, or storage utilization.

8. A system comprising:

at least one processor; and

a memory storing instructions that when executed by the at least one processor cause;

the system to create a diagnostic virtual machine configured to monitor a cluster of hypervisors and have access to physical resources, of an infrastructure as a service cloud, associated with a virtual machine hosted by the cluster of hypervisors;

the diagnostic virtual machine to report, to a resource management service of the infrastructure as a service cloud, one or more performance metrics related to the physical resources; and

the resource management service to;

determine, based on the one or more performance metrics, that additional physical resources of the infrastructure as a service cloud should be allocated to the cluster of hypervisors;

trigger allocation of the additional physical resources to the cluster of hypervisors; and

trigger creation of a new diagnostic virtual machine, the new diagnostic virtual machine having access to the additional physical resources.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the virtual machine to receive input from a user requesting assistance from an administrator of the cluster of hypervisors.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to create the diagnostic virtual machine in response to the virtual machine receiving the input.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein:

the virtual machine is hosted by one or more specific hypervisors of the cluster of hypervisors; and

the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to configure the diagnostic virtual machine to be hosted by the one or more specific hypervisors.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein:

the virtual machine is configured to operate within a network isolated from one or more other virtual machines supported by the infrastructure as a service cloud; and

the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to configure the diagnostic virtual machine to operate within the network.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the network comprises at least one of a Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN), a Generic Routing Encapsulation (GRE) tunnel, or a Virtual eXtensible Local Area Network (VxLAN).

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the one or more performance metrics comprise at least one of processor utilization, memory utilization, network utilization, or storage utilization.

15. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media comprising instructions that when executed by one or more computers cause:

the one or more computers to create a diagnostic virtual machine configured to monitor a cluster of hypervisors and have access to physical resources, of an infrastructure as a service cloud, associated with a virtual machine hosted by the cluster of hypervisors;

the diagnostic virtual machine to report, to a resource management service of the infrastructure as a service cloud, one or more performance metrics related to the physical resources; and

the resource management service to;

determine, based on the one or more performance metrics, that additional physical resources of the infrastructure as a service cloud should be allocated to the cluster of hypervisors;

trigger allocation of the additional physical resources to the cluster of hypervisors; and

trigger creation of a new diagnostic virtual machine, the new diagnostic virtual machine having access to the additional physical resources.

16. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more computers, cause:

the virtual machine to receive input from a user requesting assistance from an administrator of the cluster of hypervisors; and

the one or more computers to create the diagnostic virtual machine in response to the virtual machine receiving the input.

17. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein:

the virtual machine is hosted by one or more specific hypervisors of the cluster of hypervisors; and

the instructions, when executed by the one or more computers, cause the one or more computers to configure the diagnostic virtual machine to be hosted by the one or more specific hypervisors.

18. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein:

the virtual machine is configured to operate within a network isolated from one or more other virtual machines supported by the infrastructure as a service cloud; and

the instructions, when executed by the one or more computers, cause the one or more computers to configure the diagnostic virtual machine to operate within the network.

19. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 18, wherein the network comprises at least one of a Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN), a Generic Routing Encapsulation (GRE) tunnel, or a Virtual eXtensible Local Area Network (VxLAN).

20. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein the one or more performance metrics comprise at least one of processor utilization, memory utilization, network utilization, or storage utilization.