Controlling virtualization resource utilization based on network state

• US 9,836,317 B2
• Filed: 11/02/2015
• Issued: 12/05/2017
• 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:
  US14/929,887
• Publication Number:
  US 20160070584A1
• Time in Patent Office: 764 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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 information indicating that a user device, logged into a network, is attempting to access a virtual machine of the plurality of virtual machines,

the information being received based on the user device transmitting a request to access the virtual machine, and

the user device receiving an indication that the request to access the virtual machine is denied;

search a data structure, based on the information, to identify a dynamic policy that is based on a pattern of network activity associated with the network and one or more particular types of traffic in the network,

the pattern of network activity being identified based on network activity data provided by a collection device,

the collection device collecting network activity data from a plurality of network devices associated with the network;

determine, based on the dynamic policy, that the virtual machine is to be started; and

transmit, based on determining that the virtual machine is to be started, an instruction to the virtual machine to cause the virtual machine to start up,

the instruction being transmitted to the virtual machine to enable the user device to access the virtual machine.

2. The system of claim 1, where, when receiving the information, the controller device is to:

receive the information from a firewall or a router.

3. The system of claim 1,

where the controller device is further to:

store the dynamic policy in the data structure,

where the dynamic policy is stored in association with information identifying one or more users.

4. The system of claim 1, where the dynamic policy indicates a time when the virtual machine is to be started.

5. The system of claim 1, where the dynamic policy relates to users that have logged into the network.

6. The system of claim 1, where the dynamic policy relates to users trying to access the plurality of virtual machines.

7. The system of claim 1, where the one or more particular types of traffic in the network include at least one of:

network traffic relating to a particular application, or

network traffic received at a particular port.

8. A method comprising:

receiving, by a device, information indicating that a user device, logged into a network, is attempting to access a virtual machine of a plurality of virtual machines,

the information being received based on the user device transmitting a request to access the virtual machine,

the user device receiving an indication that the request to access the virtual machine is denied;

searching, by the device and based on the information, a data structure to identify a dynamic policy that is based on a pattern of network activity associated with the network and one or more particular types of traffic in the network,

the pattern of network activity being identified based on network activity data provided by a collection device,

the collection device collecting network activity data from a plurality of network devices associated with the network;

determining, by the device and based on the dynamic policy, that the virtual machine is to be started; and

transmitting, by the device and based on determining that the virtual machine is to be started, an instruction to the virtual machine to cause the virtual machine to start up,

the instruction being transmitted to the virtual machine to enable the user device to access the virtual machine after the user device has received the indication that the request to access the virtual machine is denied.

9. The method of claim 8, where receiving the information includes:

receiving the information from a firewall or a router.

10. The method of claim 8, where the dynamic policy indicates that the virtual machine is to be started up when a user, associated with the user device, attempts to access the virtual machine.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

storing the dynamic policy in the data structure,

where the dynamic policy is stored in association with information identifying one or more users.

12. The method of claim 8, where the dynamic policy indicates a time when the virtual machine is to be started.

13. The method of claim 8, where the dynamic policy relates to users trying to access the plurality of virtual machines.

14. The method of claim 8, where the one or more particular types of traffic in the network include at least one of:

network traffic relating to a particular application, or

network traffic received at a particular port.

15. 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 information indicating that a user device, logged into a network, is attempting to access a virtual machine of the plurality of virtual machines,

the information being received based on the user device transmitting a request to access the virtual machine,

the user device receiving an indication that the request to access the virtual machine is denied;

search a data structure, based on the information, to identify a dynamic policy that is based on a pattern of network activity associated with the network and one or more particular types of traffic in the network,

the pattern of network activity being identified based on network activity data provided by a collection device,

the collection device collecting network activity data from a plurality of network devices associated with the network;

determine, based on the dynamic policy, that the virtual machine is to be started; and

transmit, based on determining that the virtual machine is to be started, an instruction to the virtual machine to cause the virtual machine to start up,

the instruction being transmitted to the virtual machine to enable the user device to access the virtual machine.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, where the one or more instructions to receive the information include one or more instructions to:

receive the information from a firewall or a router.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, where the instructions further comprise one or more instructions to:

store the dynamic policy in the data structure,

where the dynamic policy is stored in association with information identifying one or more users.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, where the dynamic policy indicates a time when the virtual machine is to be started.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, where the dynamic policy relates to users that have logged into the network or are trying to access the plurality of virtual machines.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, where the one or more particular types of traffic in the network include at least one of:

network traffic relating to a particular application, or

network traffic received at a particular port.