Cloud Application Redundancy via Unified Description Information

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing cloud application redundancy methods based on virtual machine granularity are inefficient and cannot completely and rapidly recover cloud applications due to manual configuration and incomplete recovery of virtual machines.

Innovation Solution

The proposed method acquires and generates detailed description information of cloud applications to configure and recover cloud applications at a redundancy site, enabling complete and rapid recovery by utilizing a cloud management module to create and manage virtual machines and networks based on application-level redundancy.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If manual configuration is used to create and configure virtual machines at the redundancy site, then the administrator can specify individual virtual machines for redundancy, but the recovery process becomes slow and inefficient

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveManual configuration capabilityVSAvoidRecovery speed
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system pre-generates description information for the entire cloud application before any disaster occurs. This description information includes all necessary configuration details for virtual machines and networks. When a disaster strikes, the redundancy site can directly use this pre-prepared information to rapidly recover without manual configuration, thus resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and recovery speed.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent creates a complete copy of the cloud application's description information (including virtual machine configurations and network settings) and stores it at the redundancy site. This copy can be instantly deployed without manual intervention, eliminating the slow manual configuration process while maintaining operational simplicity through automated copying of the entire application state.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

2Adaptability or versatility

If individual virtual machines are specified for redundancy, then configuration can be done selectively, but incomplete specification leads to incomplete cloud application recovery

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveSelective redundancy configurationVSAvoidComplete recovery assurance
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the redundancy configuration from individual virtual machine level to the entire cloud application level. By generating and managing a unified description information that encompasses all virtual machines and their interconnections within a cloud application, the system ensures that when redundancy is activated, the entire application is recovered together, eliminating the risk of incomplete recovery while maintaining selective configuration capability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Device complexity

If virtual machine granularity redundancy is used, then resource utilization can be optimized, but the complexity of managing multiple virtual machine configurations increases

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveVirtual machine management complexityVSAvoidRecovery efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent creates a universal description information structure that can represent an entire cloud application and all its constituent virtual machines in a single unified format. This multi-functional description information serves multiple purposes: it enables selective redundancy configuration, ensures complete application-level recovery, and simplifies management by providing a single point of control for what would otherwise require managing multiple individual virtual machine configurations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentEP3627358B1Method, system, and apparatus for cloud application redundancy
Publication Date: 2022.08.17 HUAWEI CLOUD COMPUTING TECHNOLOGIES CO LTD
  • EP3627358B1 patent drawingFigure 1(a)
  • EP3627358B1 patent drawingFigure 1(b)
  • EP3627358B1 patent drawingFigure 1(c)

AI summary

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a redundancy method, system, and apparatus, which can acquire first description information of a cloud application needing redundancy, where the first description information includes information about a source virtual machine and a source network which are used at a production site by the cloud application needing redundancy; and can generate second description information of the cloud application needing redundancy at a redundancy site based on the first description information that gives an overall description about the cloud application needing redundancy, where the second description information gives an overall description about the deployment of the cloud application needing redundancy at the redundancy site; and the redundancy site is capable of acquiring the second description information, to recover the cloud application needing redundancy at the redundancy site, thereby implementing redundancy based on a cloud application. Different from a manner of redundancy based on a virtual machine granularity in the prior art, the embodiments of the present invention implement configuration and recovery for redundancy at an application level, and avoid a possible problem, which is caused by the redundancy based on a virtual machine granularity, that a cloud application cannot be completely and rapidly recovered.