Methods and apparatus to re-direct detected access requests in a modularized virtualization topology using virtual hard disks

• US 9,928,010 B2
• Filed: 06/24/2015
• Issued: 03/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: VMware, Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: VMware, Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Uriel, Ilan
• Primary Examiner(s): Bertram, Ryan
• Assistant Examiner(s): BLUST, JASON W
• Application Number:
  US14/749,488
• Publication Number:
  US 20160378676A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,007 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0604 Improving or facilitating administration, e.g. storage management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0635 by changing the path, e.g. traffic rerouting, path reconfiguration
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0664 at device level, e.g. emulation of a storage device or system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0689 Disk arrays, e.g. RAID, JBOD

Abstract

Methods, apparatus are articles of manufacture are disclosed to re-direct detected access requests in a modularized virtualization topology using virtual hard disks. An example method includes detecting, with a processor, a request to access a software asset at a first path location on a first virtual hard disk. The example method also includes determining, with the processor, whether the first path location is mapped to a second path location in a virtual computing environment, the second path location corresponding to a second virtual hard disk encapsulating a functionality originally associated with the first path location. The example method also includes, when the first path location is mapped to the second path location, re-directing, with the processor, the request to the second virtual hard disk.

Claims

1. A method for managing a plurality of virtual hard disks including a first virtual hard disk and a second virtual hard disk, the method comprising:

detecting, by executing an instruction with a processor, a request to access a single logical functionality of a software program at a first path location on a the first virtual hard disk of the plurality of virtual hard disks, each of the plurality of virtual hard disks including a single receptacle that contains a single logical functionality of the software program;

determining, by executing an instruction with the processor, whether the first path location is mapped to a second path location in a virtual computing environment, the second path location corresponding to the second virtual hard disk of the plurality of virtual hard disks, the second virtual hard disk encapsulating the single logical functionality originally associated with the first path location, the second virtual hard disk being one of a plurality of modular logical components that correspond to the plurality of virtual hard disks and collectively providing an overall functionality of the software program;

when the first path location is mapped to the second path location, re-directing, by executing an instruction with the processor, the request to the second virtual hard disk; and

when the first path location is not mapped to the second path location, based on a specified condition, determining whether the single logical functionality associated with the request invokes a re-direct rule.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, further including, when the first path location is not mapped to the second path location, forwarding the request to the first path location on the first virtual hard disk.

3. A method as defined in claim 1, further including generating a new path location mapping from the first path location to a new path location when the single logical functionality invokes the re-direct rule.

4. A method as defined in claim 3, wherein the re-direct rule corresponds to a service associated with the single logical functionality encapsulated in the first virtual hard disk.

5. A method as defined in claim 3, wherein the re-direct rule corresponds to a third virtual hard disk different than the first virtual hard disk.

6. A method as defined in claim 3, further including updating a database to map the first path location to the new path location by recording the new path location in the database.

7. A method as defined in claim 3, further including provisioning a third virtual hard disk corresponding to the new path location when the new path location does not exist in the virtual computing environment, the third virtual hard disk encapsulating a functionality associated with the software program.

8. A method as defined in claim 7, further including migrating the single logical functionality from the first virtual hard disk to the third virtual hard disk.

9. A method as defined in claim 7, further including encapsulating the single logical functionality in the third virtual hard disk during an installation process.

10. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first virtual hard disk is mounted to a virtual machine.

11. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first virtual hard disk is mounted to a container.

12. An apparatus for managing a plurality of virtual hard disks, the apparatus comprising:

a request collector to detect a request to access a first logical functionality of a software program located on a first virtual hard disk of the plurality of virtual hard disks, each of the plurality of virtual hard disks including a single receptacle that contains a single logical functionality; and

a re-direction manager to;

determine whether a first path location corresponding to the first virtual hard disk is mapped to a second path location in a virtual computing environment, the second path location corresponding to a second virtual hard disk encapsulating the first logical functionality originally associated with the first path location, the second virtual hard disk is one of a plurality of modular logical components that correspond to the plurality of virtual hard disks and collectively provide an overall functionality of the software program; and

when the first path location is mapped to the second path location, re-direct the request to the second virtual hard disk, and

a locations mapper to, in response to a determination that the first path location is not mapped to the second path location;

determine whether an asset associated with the request invokes a re-direct rule, at least one of the request collector, re-direction manager, and locations mapper implemented on a processor.

13. An apparatus as defined in claim 12, wherein the re-direction manager is to, in response to a determination that the first path location is not mapped to the second path location, forward the request to the first path location on the first virtual hard disk.

14. An apparatus as defined in claim 12, wherein the locations mapper further to:

when the asset invokes the re-direct rule, generate a new path location mapping from the first path location to a new path location corresponding to a third virtual hard disk encapsulating the first logical functionality originally associated with the first path location.

15. An apparatus as defined in claim 14, wherein the re-direct rule corresponds to a service associated with the first logical functionality encapsulated in the first virtual hard disk.

16. An apparatus as defined in claim 14, wherein the re-direct rule corresponds to a third virtual hard disk different than the first virtual hard disk.

17. An apparatus as defined in claim 14, wherein the locations mapper is to update a database to map the first path location to the new path location by recording the new path location in the database.

18. An apparatus as defined in claim 14, wherein the locations mapper is to initiate provisioning the third virtual hard disk corresponding to the new path location when the second path location does not exist in the virtual computing environment.

19. An apparatus as defined in claim 18, wherein the re-direction manager is to determine whether to migrate the first logical functionality from the first virtual hard disk to the third virtual hard disk.

20. An apparatus as defined in claim 18, wherein the re-direction manager is to encapsulate the first logical functionality associated in the third virtual hard disk during an installation process.

21. An apparatus as defined in claim 12, wherein the first virtual hard disk is mounted to a virtual machine.

22. An apparatus as defined in claim 12, wherein the first virtual hard disk is mounted to a container.

23. A tangible machine readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a machine to at least:

detect a request to access a first logical functionality of a software program at a first path location on a first virtual hard disk of a plurality of virtual hard disks in a virtual computing environment, each of the virtual hard disks including a single receptacle that contains one logical functionality of the software program;

determine whether the first path location is mapped to a second path location in the virtual computing environment, the second path location corresponding to a second virtual hard disk of the plurality of virtual hard disks, the second virtual hard disk encapsulating the first logical functionality originally associated with the first path location, the second virtual hard disk being one of a plurality of modular logical components that correspond to the plurality of virtual hard disks, the logical functionalities of the virtual hard disks to collectively implement an overall functionality of the software program;

when the first path location is mapped to the second path location, re-direct the request to the second virtual hard disk, and

determine whether the first logical functionality associated with the request invokes a re-direct rule; and

generate a new path location mapping from the first path location to a new path location when the first logical functionality invokes the re-direct rule.

24. A tangible machine readable storage medium as defined in claim 23, wherein the instructions further cause the machine to, in response to a determination that the first path location is not mapped to the second path location, forward the request to the first path location on the first virtual hard disk.

25. A tangible machine readable storage medium as defined in claim 23, wherein the instructions further cause the machine to, in response to a determination that the first path location is not mapped to the second path location:

generate a new path location mapping from the first path location to a new path location when the first logical functionality invokes the re-direct rule.

26. A tangible machine readable storage medium as defined in claim 25, wherein the re-direct rule corresponds to a service associated with the first logical functionality encapsulated in the first virtual hard disk.

27. A tangible machine readable storage medium as defined in claim 25, wherein the re-direct rule corresponds to a third virtual hard disk different than the first virtual hard disk.

28. A tangible machine readable storage medium as defined in claim 25, wherein the instructions further cause the machine to update a database to map the first path location to the new path location by recording the new path location in the database.

29. A tangible machine readable storage medium as defined in claim 25, wherein the instructions further cause the machine to initiate provisioning a third virtual hard disk corresponding to the new path location when the second path location does not exist in the virtual computing environment, the third virtual hard disk encapsulating the first logical functionality associated with the software program.

30. A tangible machine readable storage medium as defined in claim 29, wherein the instructions further cause the machine to migrate the first logical functionality associated with the software program from the first virtual hard disk to the third virtual hard disk.

31. A tangible machine readable storage medium as defined in claim 29, wherein the instructions further cause the machine to encapsulate the first logical functionality associated with the software program in the third virtual hard disk during an installation process.

32. A tangible machine readable storage medium as defined in claim 23, wherein the first virtual hard disk is mounted to a virtual machine.

33. A tangible machine readable storage medium as defined in claim 23, wherein the first virtual hard disk is mounted to a container.