Operation transfer from an origin virtual machine to a destination virtual machine while continue the execution of the operation on the origin virtual machine

• US 9,189,271 B2
• Filed: 09/13/2011
• Issued: 11/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Empire Technology Development LLC (Allied Inventors Management, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Empire Technology Development LLC (Allied Inventors Management, LLC)
• Inventors: Kruglick, Ezekiel
• Primary Examiner(s): An, Meng
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ghaffari, Abu
• Application Number:
  US13/497,529
• Publication Number:
  US 20130067471A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,526 Days
• Field of Search: 718/1, 711/203, 711/207, 711/E12.058, 711/E12.065, 811/206
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/4557 Distribution of virtual machine instances; Migration and load balancing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4856 resumption being on a different machine, e.g. task migration, virtual machine migration G06F9/5088 takes precedence

Abstract

Technologies and implementations for transferring operation from an origin virtual machine to a destination virtual machine while the origin virtual machine continues to execute an origin executable are generally disclosed.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method to transfer operation from an origin virtual machine to a destination virtual machine, comprising:

identifying, from uncompiled code, delta data comprising uses of dynamic memory on the origin virtual machine including at least one of variable declarations, procedure calls and procedure returns;

launching a destination executable on a destination virtual machine while the origin virtual machine continues to execute an origin executable, wherein the destination virtual machine has different characteristics from the origin virtual machine;

transferring persistent state data from the origin virtual machine to the destination virtual machine;

transferring delta data from a delta queue associated with the origin virtual machine to the destination virtual machine while the origin virtual machine continues to execute the origin executable; and

switching operation from the origin virtual machine to the destination virtual machine when the launching of the destination executable has been completed and the delta queue is empty,

wherein transferring the delta data further comprises;

gathering past delta data from the delta queue associated with the origin virtual machine;

locating an origin variable read location by looking up the gathered past delta data via an origin pointer index;

determining a destination write location by referring through a destination pointer index based at least in part on the located origin variable read location; and

writing a memory state in destination memory based at least in part on the destination write location.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the launching of the destination executable on the destination virtual machine comprises running the destination executable with an initially empty memory to declare variables and determine memory locations associated with the declared variables.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein transferring the delta data further comprises transferring the delta data from the origin virtual machine to the destination virtual machine based at least in part on an origin pointer index, wherein the origin pointer index comprises a plurality of persistent pointers associated with corresponding origin variables, wherein the plurality of persistent pointers indicate where corresponding origin variable pointers are located in the origin executable, wherein the origin variable pointers indicate where corresponding origin variables are located in an origin memory.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein transferring the delta data further comprises transferring the delta data from the origin virtual machine to the destination virtual machine based at least in part on a destination pointer index, wherein the destination pointer index comprises a plurality of persistent pointers associated with corresponding destination variables, wherein the plurality of persistent pointers indicate where corresponding destination variable pointers are located in the destination executable, wherein the destination variable pointers indicate where corresponding destination variables are located in a destination memory.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein transferring the delta data further comprises:

gathering past delta data from the delta queue associated with the origin virtual machine;

locating an origin variable read location by looking up the gathered past delta data via an origin pointer index, wherein the origin pointer index comprises a plurality of persistent pointers associated with corresponding origin variables, wherein the plurality of persistent pointers indicate where corresponding origin variable pointers are located in the origin executable, wherein the origin variable pointers indicate where corresponding origin variables are located in an origin memory;

determining a destination write location by referring through a destination pointer index based at least in part on the origin variable read location, wherein the destination pointer index comprises a plurality of persistent pointers associated with corresponding destination variables, wherein the plurality of persistent pointers indicate where corresponding destination variable pointers are located in the destination executable, wherein the destination variable pointers indicate the destination write location where corresponding destination variables are located in a destination memory; and

writing a memory state in destination memory based at least in part on the destination write location.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein switching operation from the origin virtual machine to the destination virtual machine comprises switching operation from the origin virtual machine to the destination virtual machine when the launching of the destination executable has been completed, the delta queue is empty, and an execution address for the destination executable is associated with one of a plurality of bookmark pointers in the destination pointer index;

and

wherein the plurality of bookmark pointers in the destination pointer index are associated with individual points within the destination executable designated as logical points to switch to the destination virtual machine.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein transferring the delta data further comprises:

transferring the delta data from the origin virtual machine to the destination virtual machine based at least in part on an origin pointer index and a destination pointer index,

wherein the origin pointer index comprises a plurality of persistent pointers associated with corresponding origin variables, wherein the plurality of persistent pointers indicate where corresponding origin variable pointers are located in the origin executable, wherein the origin variable pointers indicate where corresponding origin variables are located in an origin memory,

wherein the destination pointer index comprises a plurality of persistent pointers associated with corresponding destination variables, wherein the plurality of persistent pointers indicate where corresponding destination variable pointers are located in the destination executable, wherein the destination variable pointers indicate where corresponding destination variables are located in a destination memory, and

wherein the destination pointer index comprises a plurality of bookmark pointers, wherein the plurality of bookmark pointers are associated with individual points within the destination executable designated as logical points to switch to the destination virtual machine.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein transferring the delta data further comprises updating an execution reference value when the delta data is associated with an execution reference, wherein the execution reference comprises one or more of a procedure location within the destination executable, a return location within the destination executable, and/or a return register from procedures.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

running the origin virtual machine and the destination virtual machine in parallel with duplicate inputs, wherein the destination virtual machine comprises a just-in-time-type compiler; and

comparing output from the origin virtual machine and the destination virtual machine based at least in part on the duplicate inputs prior to switching operation from the origin virtual machine to the destination virtual machine.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein different characteristics comprise one or more of a memory capacity-type characteristic, a processing capacity-type characteristic, an address-type characteristic, an operating system-type characteristic, and/or an application programming interface-type characteristic.

11. A computing device, comprising:

a processor;

a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising logic instructions which, when executed by the processor, configure the processor to;

identify, from uncompiled code, delta data comprising uses of dynamic memory on an origin virtual machine including at least one of variable declarations, procedure calls and procedure returns;

generate an origin pointer index associated with an origin executable, wherein the origin executable is configured to be executed on the origin virtual machine;

generate a destination pointer index associated with a destination executable, wherein the destination executable is configured to be executed on a destination virtual machine, wherein the destination virtual machine has different characteristics from the origin virtual machine;

transfer persistent state data from the origin virtual machine to the destination virtual machine; and

transfer delta data from a delta queue associated with the origin virtual machine to the destination virtual machine while the origin virtual machine continues to execute the origin executable based at least in part on the origin pointer index and the destination pointer index, wherein the transfer of the delta data further comprises;

gather past delta data from the delta queue associated with the origin virtual machine;

locate an origin variable read location by looking up the gathered past delta data in the origin pointer index;

determine a destination write location by referring through the destination pointer index based at least in art on the origin variable read location; and

write a memory state in destination memory based at least in part on the destination write location.

12. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the origin pointer index comprises a plurality of persistent pointers associated with corresponding origin variables, wherein the plurality of persistent pointers indicate where corresponding origin variable pointers are located in the origin executable, wherein the origin variable pointers indicate where corresponding origin variables are located in an origin memory.

13. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the destination pointer index comprises a plurality of persistent pointers associated with corresponding destination variables, wherein the plurality of persistent pointers indicate where corresponding destination variable pointers are located in the destination executable, wherein the destination variable pointers indicate where corresponding destination variables are located in a destination memory.

14. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the transfer of the delta data via the fourth module further comprises the fourth module being configured to:

gather past delta data from the delta queue associated with the origin virtual machine;

locate an origin variable read location by looking up the gathered past delta data in the origin pointer index, wherein the origin pointer index comprises a plurality of persistent pointers associated with corresponding origin variables, wherein the plurality of persistent pointers indicate where corresponding origin variable pointers are located in the origin executable, wherein the origin variable pointers indicate where corresponding origin variables are located in an origin memory;

determine a destination write location by referring through the destination pointer index based at least in part on the origin variable read location, wherein the destination pointer index comprises a plurality of persistent pointers associated with corresponding destination variables, wherein the plurality of persistent pointers indicate where corresponding destination variable pointers are located in the destination executable, wherein the destination variable pointers indicate the destination write location where corresponding destination variables are located in a destination memory; and

write a memory state in destination memory based at least in part on the destination write location.

15. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the transfer of the delta data via the fourth module further comprises the fourth module being configured to transfer the delta data from the origin virtual machine to the destination virtual machine based at least in part on a destination pointer index, wherein the destination pointer index comprises a plurality of bookmark pointers, wherein the plurality of bookmark pointers are associated with individual points within the destination executable designated as logical points to switch to the destination virtual machine.

16. The computing device of claim 11,

wherein the origin pointer index comprises a plurality of persistent pointers associated with corresponding origin variables, wherein the plurality of persistent pointers indicate where corresponding origin variable pointers are located in the origin executable, wherein the origin variable pointers indicate where corresponding origin variables are located in an origin memory,

wherein the destination pointer index comprises a plurality of persistent pointers associated with corresponding destination variables, wherein the plurality of persistent pointers indicate where corresponding destination variable pointers are located in the destination executable, wherein the destination variable pointers indicate where corresponding destination variables are located in a destination memory, and

wherein the destination pointer index comprises a plurality of bookmark pointers, wherein the plurality of bookmark pointers are associated with individual points within the destination executable designated as logical points to switch to the destination virtual machine.

17. The computing device of claim 11, wherein different characteristics comprise one or more of a memory capacity-type characteristic, a processing capacity-type characteristic, an address-type characteristic, an operating system-type characteristic, and/or an application programming interface-type characteristic.

18. An article comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising machine-readable instructions stored thereon, which, if executed by one or more processors, operatively enable a computing device to;

identify, from uncompiled code, delta data comprising uses of dynamic memory on an origin virtual machine including at least one of variable declarations, procedure calls and procedure returns;

launch a destination executable on a destination virtual machine while the origin virtual machine continues to execute an origin executable, wherein the destination virtual machine has different characteristics from the origin virtual machine;

transfer persistent state data from the origin virtual machine to the destination virtual machine;

transfer delta data from a delta queue associated with the origin virtual machine to the destination virtual machine while the origin virtual machine continues to execute the origin executable; and

switch from the origin virtual machine to the destination virtual machine when the launching of the destination executable has been completed and the delta queue is empty, wherein transferring the delta data further comprises;

gathering past delta data from the delta queue associated with the origin virtual machine;

locating an origin variable read location by looking up the gathered past delta data via an origin pointer index; and

determining a destination write location by referring through a destination pointer index based at least in part on the located origin variable read location; and

writing a memory state in destination memory based at least in part on the destination write location.

19. The article of claim 18, wherein the launch of the destination executable on the destination virtual machine comprises running the destination executable with an initially empty memory to declare variables and determine memory locations associated with the declared variables.