Method, medium, and system for multitenant hosted virtual machine infrastructure

• US 9,870,238 B2
• Filed: 09/26/2012
• Issued: 01/16/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Skytap Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Skytap Incorporated
• Inventors: Astete, Nicholas Luis, Brethorst, Aaron Benjamin, Goldberg, Joseph Michael, Hanlon, Matthew, Hutchinson, Jr., Anthony A., Janakiraman, Gopalakrishnan, Kotelnikov, Alexander, Novodvorskiy, Petr, Richardson, David William, Skelly, Roxanne Camille, Slioussar, Nikolai, Weeks, Jonathan
• Primary Examiner(s): Zimmerman, Matthew
• Application Number:
  US13/627,794
• Publication Number:
  US 20130144744A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,938 Days
• Field of Search: 705 261, 705 271
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45562 Creating, deleting, cloning virtual machine instances
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/4557 Distribution of virtual machine instances; Migration and load balancing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/84 Using snapshots, i.e. a logical point-in-time copy of the data
• 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
• 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: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0603 Catalogue ordering
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources

Abstract

A multi-tenant virtual machine infrastructure (MTVMI) allows multiple tenants to independently access and use a plurality of virtual computing resources via the Internet. Within the MTVMI, different tenants may define unique configurations of virtual computing resources and unique rules to govern the use of the virtual computing resources. The MTVMI may be configured to provide valuable services for tenants and users associated with the tenants.

Claims

1. A method in a computing system including at least one processor for making commercial products available for use in a hosted multi-tenant virtual machine infrastructure, comprising:

for each of a plurality of commercial products at least partially managed by an operating system executed by a CPU associated with a virtual machine provided by a virtual data center that is part of a hosted multi-tenant virtual machine infrastructure (MTVMI);

receiving data constituting a commercial product from a provider of the commercial product, wherein the virtual data center includes the virtual machine and one or more;

virtual nodes,

additional virtual machines, and/or

data storage requests;

receiving information describing the commercial product;

for each of a plurality of charging options, receiving from the provider of the commercial product a price to be charged to a plurality of users of the virtual data center who select the charging option;

for at least a first user of the plurality of users of the virtual data center, for each of at least a portion of the plurality of commercial products, sending for display to the at least first user the received information and the received prices in connection with their corresponding charging option;

receiving an indication that the first user of the plurality of users has selected one of the commercial products and one of the plurality of charging options;

making the commercial product available, by at least the virtual machine, for use by the first user in the virtual data center, wherein CPU usage is concurrently shared between the first user and at least a second user of the plurality of users of the virtual data center;

monitoring CPU usage of the commercial product by the first user and the second user, wherein monitoring includes;

determining a first level of CPU usage used when the first user operates the commercial product on the CPU, wherein the first level of CPU usage is a first amount of time that the first user operates the commercial product on the CPU, wherein the first amount of time includes a second amount of time that the first user operates the commercial product on the CPU contemporaneously with the second user operating the commercial product on the CPU; and

charging to an account associated with the first user an amount based upon;

the received price, and

the first level of CPU usage; and

for each of the plurality of commercial products, causing the provider of the commercial product to be paid at least a portion of a total amount charged for the commercial product.

2. The method of claim 1 where the charging options include at least one of monthly subscription, annual subscription, hourly metered, and permanent license.

3. A computer-readable storage device which is not a signal per se whose contents, when executed by at least one processor of a computing system, cause the computer system to perform a method for making commercial products available to users operating virtual machines provided by a virtual data center of a hosted multi-tenant virtual machine infrastructure (MTVMI),

the virtual data center of the hosted MTVMI having at least one virtual machine, wherein the at least one virtual machine has at least one virtual CPU, wherein virtual CPU usage associated with executing a commercial product on top of an operating system of the at least one virtual machine is contemporaneously shared between at least two users accessing the same at least one virtual machine provided by the virtual data center of the hosted MTVMI, the method comprising, for each of a plurality of commercial products:

receiving data constituting a commercial product from a provider of the commercial product,

for each of a plurality of charging options, receiving from the provider of the commercial product a rate to be charged for use of the commercial product on the at least one virtual machine having the CPU,

for each of the at least two users, determining an amount of time that the user the operates the commercial product on the CPU, wherein the determined amount of time includes an amount of time that the user operates the commercial product on the CPU contemporaneously with at least one other user'"'"'s operation of the same commercial product on the CPU, wherein operating commercial product comprises causing a virtual CPU of the at least one virtual machine of the virtual data center of the hosted MTVMI to execute the commercial product on top of the operating system, and

for each of the at least two users, determining a price for the user'"'"'s use of the commercial product based on the received rate and the determined amount of time used by the commercial product while the commercial product was operated by the user.

4. The computer readable storage device of claim 3 wherein the charging options include at least one of monthly subscription, annual subscription, hourly metered, and permanent license.

5. A computing system, including at least one processor, for making commercial products available to users operating virtual machines povided by a virtual data center of a hosted multi-tenant virtual machine infrastructure (MTVMI),

the virtual data center of the hosted MTVMI having at least one virtual machine, wherein the at least one virtual machine has at least one virtual CPU, wherein virtual CPU usage associated with executing a commercial product on top of an operating system of the at least one virtual machine is contemporaneously shared between at least two users accessing the same at least one virtual machine provided by the virtual data center of the hosted MTVMI, the system comprising

virtual machine management software executed on at least one of the processors to:

for each of a plurality of commercial products, receiving data constituting a commercial product from a provider of the commercial product,

receiving information describing the commercial product,

for each of a plurality of charging options, receiving from the provider of the commercial product a rate to be charged for use of the commercial product on the at least one virtual machine having the CPU,

for each of the at least two user, determining an amount of time that the user operates the commercial product on the CPU, wherein the determined amount of time includes an amount of time that the user operates the commercial product on the CPU contemporaneously with at least one other user'"'"'s operation of the same commercial product on the CPU, wherein operating the commercial product comprises causing a virtual CPU of the least one virtual machine of the virtual data center of the hosted MTVMI to execute commercial product on top of the operating system, and

for each of the at least two users, determining a price for the user'"'"'s use of the commercial product based on the received rate and the determined amount of time used by the commercial product while the commercial product was operated by the user.

6. The computer system of claim 5 wherein the charging options include at least one of monthly subscription, annual subscription, hourly metered, and permanent license.

7. At least one computer-readable storage device, which is not a signal per se, having instructions that when executed by a CPU cause the CPU to make software applications available for use in a virtual computing environment provided by a hosted multi-tenant machine infrastructure by users, the method comprising:

for each of the software applications;

receiving data constituting the software application from a provider of the software application, wherein the software application cooperates with an operating system executed by a CPU of a virtual machine provided by a software virtualization of a physical data center, wherein the software virtualization of the physical data center is part of a hosted multi-tenant virtual machine infrastructure (MTVMI);

for each of a plurality of charging options for operating the software application within the software virtualization of a physical data center, receiving from the provider of the software application, a price to be charged to users who select the charging option for operating the software application within the software virtualization of a physical data center;

for each of at least a portion of the users who select the charging option for operating the software application within the software virtualization of a physical data center, sending for display terms associated with the charging option;

in response to receiving an indication that the terms were accepted by a respective one user of the at least portion of users who select the charging option, making the software application available for use in the software virtualization of a physical data center by the respective one user of the at least portion of users;

determining an amount of time that the respective one user operates the software application on the CPU, wherein the determined amount of time includes an amount of time that the respective one user operates the software application on the CPU contemporaneously with at least one other user'"'"'s operation of the same software application on the CPU, wherein operating the software application at least includes causing the software application to execute, by a CPU, on an operating system of the virtual machine of the software virtualization of a physical data center that is part of the hosted MTVMI;

charging the respective user an amount based upon one or more of the received terms, the price and the determined amount of time that the respective one user operated the software application; and

for each of one or more commercial products, causing the provider of the commercial product to be paid at least a portion of the total amount charged for the commercial product.

8. A method for making software applications available to users operating virtual machines provided by a virtual computing environment of a hosted multi-tenant virtual machine infrastructure (MTVMI), the virtual computing environment of the hosted MTVMI having at least one virtual processor, wherein virtual processor usage associated with executing a software product on top of an operating system of the at least on virtual processor is contemporaneously shared by at least two users accessing the same virtual processor provided by the virtual data center of the hosted MTVMI, the method comprising:

receiving data constituting the software application form a provider of the software application,

for each of a plurality of charging options, receiving from the provider of the software application a rate to be charged to a user of a plurality of users of the virtual computing environment who selects the charging option,

for each of the plurality of users, in response to receiving an indication that the user who selected of charging option agreed to the rated, making the software application available for operation on the virtual machine by the user,

for each of the plurality of users, determining an amount of time that the user operates the software application, wherein the determined amount of time includes an amount of time that the user operates the software application contemporaneously with at least one other user'"'"'s operation of the same software application, wherein operating the software application comprises causing a virtual processor of the at least one virtual machine of the virtual computing environment of the hosted MTVMI, and

for each of the plurality of users, charging the user an amount based on the rate and the determined amount of time that the user operated the software application.