A cloud computer terminal multi-image management method based on a VHD small system

Abstract

The application provides a cloud computer terminal multi-image management method based on a VHD small system, and belongs to the technical field of cloud computing and terminal system management. The application deploys multiple sub-images based on differential VHD technology on a physical terminal, each sub-image corresponds to an independent operating system environment, and a lightweight VHD small system is additionally configured as an image management hub. A cloud management platform generates a management script including snapshot saving, image switching, image merging and other operations according to user demand or management strategy, and delivers the management script to the terminal. After receiving the instruction, the terminal is guided to enter the VHD small system to execute the corresponding script, so that flexible scheduling and efficient management of the target sub-image are realized. The method effectively solves the problems of inflexible image management and low switching efficiency of the traditional physical terminal system, has the advantages of lightweight deployment, centralized management, safe operation and strong expansibility, and is especially suitable for scenes such as education, enterprise office, test and development that require quick switching of system environments.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of cloud computing and terminal system management technology, and in particular to a method for managing multiple images of cloud computer terminals based on a VHD mini-system. Background Technology

[0002] With the widespread adoption of cloud computing and virtualization technologies, cloud PCs have become a crucial IT infrastructure for enterprises, education, and government sectors. Cloud PC management platforms typically need to manage a large number of physical terminal devices deployed in different locations. These terminals often need to support multiple operating system environments to meet the specific needs of different user groups (such as different departments, classes, or testing projects). Under traditional management models, managing system images of physical terminals faces numerous challenges: 1. Insufficient flexibility: Physical terminals can usually only install one main operating system, or switch between limited systems through multiple boots, and cannot achieve convenient snapshot, cloning and fast switching functions like virtual machines.

[0003] 2. Low management efficiency: When it is necessary to deploy a new system environment for the terminal or roll back to a historical state, it is often necessary to reinstall the system or restore the complete image over the network, which is time-consuming and labor-intensive, and puts a lot of pressure on network bandwidth and storage resources.

[0004] 3. Low resource utilization: Maintaining a complete mirror copy for each possible system environment will consume a lot of storage space and the isolation between systems is poor.

[0005] 4. Lack of lightweight management entry point: Mirror management operations (such as merging differential disks) usually need to be performed within the target system or rely on a complex pre-boot execution environment, which is inconvenient and risky.

[0006] While virtual machine technology can effectively achieve multi-system isolation and snapshot management, its performance overhead and resource consumption are unsuitable for direct use in performance-sensitive physical terminal scenarios. Furthermore, some container-based lightweight virtualization solutions struggle to achieve completely independent switching between operating system environments.

[0007] Therefore, the industry urgently needs a multi-image management solution that can achieve high efficiency, flexibility and lightweight operation at the physical terminal level, enabling a single physical device to support multiple completely isolated system environments like a virtual machine, and to switch quickly according to instructions, while also facilitating centralized management in the cloud. Summary of the Invention

[0008] To address the technical problems of rigid and inefficient image management of physical terminal systems in existing technologies, this invention provides a multi-image management method for cloud computer terminals based on a VHD mini-system. This method utilizes differential virtual hard disk (VHD) technology and a lightweight management system to quickly save, switch, and merge images, aiming to improve the system management efficiency and flexibility of physical terminals in multi-user, multi-scenario applications.

[0009] The technical solution of this invention is: A method for managing multiple images on a cloud computer terminal based on a VHD mini-system is disclosed. This method deploys multiple sub-images based on differential VHD technology on the physical terminal, each sub-image corresponding to an independent operating system environment. A lightweight VHD mini-system is also configured as the image management hub. The cloud management platform generates management scripts, including operations such as snapshot saving, image switching, and image merging, based on user needs or management strategies, and distributes them to the terminal. Upon receiving instructions, the terminal is guided into the VHD mini-system to execute the corresponding scripts, achieving flexible scheduling and efficient management of the target sub-images.

[0010] System core architecture and data flow: 1. Cloud-based image repository and management system: a) The cloud management platform maintains an image repository that stores all “golden images” (i.e., basic, clean system templates) and differential VHD sub-images generated by each terminal (including version images for release and snapshot images created by users).

[0011] b) The platform records the metadata of each image (such as ID, version, creation time, associated terminal, parent image relationship, etc.) to form a complete image family.

[0012] c) The platform serves as the sole authoritative source of the image. The image initially generated locally on the terminal is distributed by the platform. Locally created snapshots need to be uploaded to the platform for backup, and new base images generated by merging locally also need to be uploaded back to the platform for updated versions.

[0013] 2. Terminal local storage and boot structure: a) The physical terminal hard drive is divided into multiple partitions. One partition is used to install Ventoy as the master bootloader.

[0014] b) Storage within the Ventoy partition: (1) Ventoy core files: including the ventoy.json file used to dynamically configure the launch menu.

[0015] (2) VHD image files: including the “golden image” Base_Golden.vhd synchronized from the platform, multiple differential business sub-images (such as Win10_Office.vhd, Win10_Dev.vhd) and the independent VHD mini-system Mgmt_Console.vhd.

[0016] c) The business sub-image and the VHD mini-system itself are also VHD files that can be booted by Ventoy.

[0017] Dynamic startup control mechanism: 3. Configure the terminal locally to enable the execution task. a) When the cloud platform requires the terminal to perform switching or management operations, it sends a command to the agent. The agent dynamically modifies the ventoy.json configuration file under the Ventoy partition according to the command content.

[0018] b) The ventoy.json file defines the order of the boot menu items, the default selected item, and the displayed labels. By modifying this file, for example, setting the default boot item to Mgmt_Console.vhd and passing the operation script identifier issued by the cloud platform in its "boot parameters", you can control the behavior on the next restart.

[0019] c) After the terminal restarts, Ventoy reads the latest ventoy.json, automatically boots into the VHD mini-system, and passes the operation parameters to it.

[0020] 4. Management and execution process of the VHD mini-system: a) The VHD mini-system is a minimalist Windows environment with built-in image management tools (such as Hyper-V and PowerShell Disk modules) and a script engine.

[0021] b) After startup, it downloads the required operation scripts from the local cache or directly from the cloud platform based on the passed parameters.

[0022] c) Execute the script to complete the specific operations: (1) Switching images: The script only needs to record the target. The actual switching is completed by Ventoy after restarting based on the updated ventoy.json (the default item is set to the target business image).

[0023] (2) Create a snapshot: The script executes New-VHD -Path <subimage.vhdx>-ParentPath <parent image.vhdx> -Differencing on the currently active business sub-image to generate a new differential snapshot. Subsequently, the script uploads the snapshot file to the image repository of the cloud management platform and updates the local metadata.

[0024] (3) Merge Images: The script executes `Merge-VHD -Path <child image.vhdx> -DestinationPath <parent image.vhdx>` to merge its changes into its parent image. If the merged image is a base image, a new "golden image" version is generated. After merging, the script uploads the newly generated base image to the cloud platform, updates the version number, and synchronizes it to the image repository.

[0025] 5. Mirror synchronization and consistency guarantee: After an administrator uploads a new gold image or standard business differential image to the cloud platform, they can issue synchronization commands to specific terminal groups (such as "all R&D department terminals" or "Room 301, Third Teaching Building"). Upon receiving the command, the terminal management agent automatically downloads the target image file from the cloud platform image repository to the local Ventoy storage partition and updates the menu items in the local ventoy.json configuration.

[0026] The beneficial effects of this invention are This cloud-based PC terminal multi-image management method, based on Ventoy and VHD mini-systems, achieves intelligent full lifecycle management of physical terminal system images through a two-tier architecture combining a centralized cloud image repository and a local lightweight execution environment. The method stores all image assets uniformly on the cloud platform, enabling enterprise-level version control and secure backup; it achieves precise remote startup and switching through dynamic configuration of ventoy.json; and it utilizes independent VHD mini-systems to ensure secure isolation of management operations. The system supports one-click image distribution, rapid environment switching, and snapshot rollback, resulting in a significant improvement in operational efficiency. Even in the event of terminal hardware failure, a complete environment can be quickly restored from the cloud, ensuring business continuity. The entire solution is built on mature open-source technologies, featuring lightweight design, high reliability, and easy scalability. It can flexibly integrate various operational functions, providing an efficient, secure, and unified solution for large-scale cloud PC terminal management. Detailed Implementation

[0027] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below. Obviously, the described embodiments are some embodiments of the present invention, but not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0028] This invention relates to a technical solution for managing multiple operating system images of physical terminal devices under a cloud computer architecture, specifically a method for managing multiple images of cloud computer terminals based on a VHD mini-system.

[0029] By deploying multiple sub-images based on differential VHD technology on physical terminals, each sub-image corresponds to an independent operating system environment. A lightweight VHD mini-system is also configured as the image management hub. The cloud management platform generates management scripts, including operations such as snapshot saving, image switching, and image merging, based on user needs or management strategies, and distributes them to the terminals. Upon receiving instructions, the terminals are guided into the VHD mini-system to execute the corresponding scripts, achieving flexible scheduling and efficient management of the target sub-images.

[0030] Taking "Creating a user environment snapshot for the terminal and restoring it to a standard image" as an example, the detailed steps are as follows: 1. Initial state: The terminal is running in the personalized sub-image run.vhd, and the cloud platform stores the parent image Base_Golden_v2.vhd of this image.

[0031] 2. Create snapshot command: The administrator clicks "Create snapshot" on the target terminal on the cloud platform and enters the snapshot description "Test environment snapshot".

[0032] 3. Command issuance and start-up control: a) The cloud platform generates a script containing parameters such as operation type=CREATE_SNAPSHOT and target image=User_Env.vhd, and sends the instructions to the terminal agent.

[0033] b) The terminal agent receives the instruction and modifies ventoy.json: sets the syncWindows.vhd mini-image as the first boot device and generates a script in the current path.

[0034] c) Automatically trigger terminal restart.

[0035] 4. Perform snapshot creation: a) After the terminal restarts, Ventoy boots into the VHD minisystem.

[0036] b) The VHD mini-system reads parameters and executes the snapshot creation script: Snapshot_20231027.vhd is generated on the local Ventoy partition.

[0037] c) The script uploads the snapshot file to the specified directory on the cloud platform via the SMB service.

[0038] d) After the script executes successfully, modify ventoy.json again and specify run.vhd as the first startup order.

[0039] e) The VHD mini-system triggered a second reboot.

[0040] 5. Restore to standard environment: a) The terminal restarts for the second time, and is guided to run.vhd according to ventoy.json, restoring a clean standard environment.

[0041] b) The management agent reports the final status of the operation to the cloud platform: "Snapshot created successfully, terminal has been switched to base image".

[0042] 6. Subsequent operations: Administrators can view and manage this snapshot on the cloud platform. In the future, this snapshot can be distributed to other terminals as a template, or a new differential environment can be created based on it.

[0043] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is used only to illustrate the technical solution of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present invention are included within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for managing multiple images of a cloud computer terminal based on a VHD mini-system, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: a) The cloud management platform maintains a centralized image repository for storing and managing the gold base VHD image and the differential VHD sub-images and snapshot images generated by each terminal; b) Deploy Ventoy as a boot manager on a physical terminal, store the gold image, at least one differential business sub-image, and an independent VHD mini-system image in its storage partition, and control the boot items through the ventoy.json configuration file; c) The terminal management agent receives operation instructions from the cloud management platform, dynamically modifies the ventoy.json file, and guides the terminal to the VHD mini-system for the next startup, and transmits operation parameters; d) After the terminal starts up to the VHD mini-system, it executes the corresponding management script according to the operation parameters. The operation of the management script includes: switching the business sub-image, creating a snapshot of the current sub-image and uploading it to the cloud management platform, merging the differential images and uploading the merged new base image to the cloud management platform; e) After the management script is executed, modify the ventoy.json file again, redirect the terminal back to the target business sub-image, and report the operation results to the cloud management platform.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, By dynamically modifying the ventoy.json file, startup can be controlled, operating system updates and maintenance can be performed, and operating system snapshots can be created and restored. Such operations cannot be performed while the system is running.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The specific steps for creating a snapshot and uploading it to the cloud management platform are as follows: After the script in the VHD mini-system creates a differential snapshot file of the currently active sub-image locally, it immediately transmits the snapshot file to the image repository of the cloud management platform for archiving and storage. The cloud management platform records the metadata of the snapshot and its position in the image hierarchy, thereby realizing a complete multi-layer system snapshot function.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The specific steps for merging differential images and uploading the merged new base image to the cloud management platform are as follows: The VHD mini-system script merges the specified sub-image or snapshot into its parent base image, generates a new base image file, and uploads this new version file to the cloud management platform to update the gold image version on the platform. At the same time, it updates the dependencies of related images, realizing the operating system data update operation in a single running state of the terminal.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cloud management platform is also responsible for distributing and synchronizing the verified gold mirror or standard differential mirror version data files to the local Ventoy storage partitions of each terminal, ensuring data consistency between the local terminal image and the authoritative version in the cloud.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The VHD mini-system image is a lightweight operating system environment with built-in VHD image operation tools, script engine, and client module for communicating with the cloud management platform. It also exists as a VHD file that can be booted by Ventoy.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, VHD mini-system management and execution process: After startup, based on the input parameters, the system downloads the necessary operation scripts from the local cache or directly from the cloud platform; it then executes the scripts to complete the specific operations. (1) Switching images: The script only needs to record the target; the actual switching is done by Ventoy after restarting based on the updated ventoy.json. (2) Create a snapshot: The script executes New-VHD -Path <subimage.vhdx> -ParentPath <parent image.vhdx> -Differencing on the currently active business sub-image to generate a new differential snapshot; then, the script uploads the snapshot file to the image repository of the cloud management platform and updates the local metadata; (3) Merge images: The script executes Merge-VHD -Path <child image.vhdx> -DestinationPath <parent image.vhdx> to merge its changes into its parent image; If the merged image is a base image, a new gold image version will be generated. After the merge, the script will upload the newly generated base image to the cloud platform, update the version number, and synchronize it to the image repository.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, Includes the following modules a) Cloud management platform module, including image repository, metadata management, task scheduling and user interface; b) Terminal local module, including Ventoy boot manager, VHD image file set, VHD mini-system, and management agent for configuration management and communication; c) Secure communication module, used to transmit instructions, scripts and image files between the cloud platform and the terminal agent.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that, It also includes physical terminal devices that are booted by Ventoy and can respond to remote commands from the cloud platform. These devices can securely perform multi-image switching, snapshot backup, and incremental merging operations through a local VHD mini-system and keep synchronized with the cloud image repository.