METHOD FOR PROVIDING AN ON-DEMAND SOFTWARE EXECUTION SERVICE

• US 20120331463A1
• Filed: 06/26/2012
• Published: 12/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Orange S.A.
• Original Assignee: Orange S.A.
• Inventors: Vandenbussche, Armand, Orveillon, Laurent
• Granted Patent: US 9,223,561 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 718/1
• 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 8/63 Image based installation; Cloning; Build to order
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45533 Hypervisors; Virtual machine monitors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/505 considering the load

Abstract

A method for providing an on-demand software execution service comprising the following steps: receiving from at least one terminal, at least one request for executing at least one software package, by a virtual machine launched on a virtual machine launching server from files from a set of files for launching virtual machines, and selecting from a set of servers at least one server to which the request will be directed, according to a rule for distributing the execution load of virtual machines by servers of said set of servers.

Claims

1. A method for providing an on-demand software execution service comprising the following steps:

receiving, from at least one terminal, at least one request for executing at least one software package, by a virtual machine launched on a virtual machine launching server from files of a set of files for launching virtual machines, and

selecting, from a set of servers for launching virtual machines, at least one server to which the request will be directed, according to a rule for distributing the execution load of virtual machines by the servers of said set of servers.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said at least one selected server stores at least one file of said set of files for executing said at least one software package.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising a step for requesting storage at said at least one selected server, of at least one file of said set of files for executing said at least one software package.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising a step for determining a level of use of said at least one file by virtual machines and wherein the storage request is carried out when said level of use is above a threshold.

5. The method according to claim 3, further comprising the following steps:

determining an execution load of virtual machines of a first server storing said at least one file for executing said at least one software package,

selecting said first server if the determined load meets a loading criterion and if the determined load does not meet the loading criterion,

requesting storage of at least one file at a second server and selecting said second server for executing said at least one software package.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the storage request is a request for displacing said at least one file for executing said at least one software package, from the first server to the second server.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein said at least one file for executing said at least one software package is copied from the first server to the second server.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the following steps:

determining a number of instances of execution of a same software package on a third server from a set of terminals localized in a same geographic area,

comparing this number of execution instances with a threshold, and if this number of instances is above this threshold;

transferring the execution of said instances to a fourth server found in a larger geographic proximity to said same geographic area as the third server, and

selecting said fourth server for transferring the requests for executing said same software package from terminals localized in said geographic area.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the distribution rule takes into account the bandwidth available for the servers storing the files for executing said software package.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising a step for analyzing the level of request for executing said software package by several terminals and wherein the server is selected according to said request level.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein said set of files comprises:

a first sub-set including at least one first file representing a first state of a virtual machine after installing an operating system on this machine;

a second sub-set including at least one second file representing a set of operations for bringing the virtual machine from the first state to a second state wherein a software package is installed on the machine; and

a third sub-set including at least one third file representing a third state of the machine after launching the software package on the machine;

and wherein, in order to execute said at least one software package by launching a virtual machine, at least three files from among each of the first, second and third sub-sets are selected, said at least three files corresponding to said at least one software package and to an operating system associated with said at least one software package.

12. A non-transitory computer program comprising instructions for applying a method for providing an on-demand software execution service comprising the following steps:

receiving, from at least one terminal, at least one request for executing at least one software package, by a virtual machine launched on a virtual machine launching server from files of a set of files for launching virtual machines, and

selecting, from a set of servers for launching virtual machines, at least one server to which the request will be directed, according to a rule for distributing the execution load of virtual machines by the servers of said set of servers, when the computer program is executed by a processor of a server for controlling a method for providing an on-demand software execution service.

13. A server for controlling a method for providing an on-demand software execution service comprising:

a communications unit configured for receiving from at least one terminal, at least one request for executing at least one software package by a virtual machine launched on a virtual machine launching server from files of a set of files for launching virtual machines, and

a processing unit configured for selecting from a set of virtual machine launching servers, at least one server to which the requests will be directed, according to a rule for distributing the execution load of virtual machines by servers of said set of servers.

14. A system for providing an on-demand software execution service comprising:

a control server for controlling a method for providing an on-demand software execution service comprising;

a communications unit configured for receiving from at least one terminal, at least one request for executing at least one software package by a virtual machine launched on a virtual machine launching server from files of a set of files for launching virtual machines, and

a processing unit configured for selecting from a set of virtual machine launching servers, at least one server to which the requests will be directed, according to a rule for distributing the execution load of virtual machines by servers of said set of servers, and

at least one virtual machine launching server configured for launching virtual machines from files of a set of files for launching virtual machines.

15. The system according to claim 14, wherein said at least one virtual machine launching server includes a memory unit for storing said set of files which comprises:

a first sub-set including at least one first file representing a first state of a virtual machine after installing an operating system on this machine;

a second sub-set including at least one second file representing a set of operations for bringing the virtual machine from the first state to a second state in which a software package is installed on the machine; and

a third sub-set including at least one third file representing a third state of the machine after launching the software package on the machine;

and wherein, in order to execute said at least one software package by launching a virtual machine, at least three files from among each of the first, second and third sub-sets are selected, said at least three files corresponding to said at least one software package and to an operating system associated with said at least one software package.