Cloud Restart for Non-Critical Virtual Machines
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Solution Overview
Problem
In high availability virtualization systems, reserved hosts for failover capacity often remain idle, leading to inefficient resource allocation and increased investment in unnecessary infrastructure.
Innovation Solution
A method is introduced to restart virtual machines (VMs) from a failed host in an on-premises cluster to a cloud computing system based on priority levels, where VM images are transmitted and updated, allowing for efficient resource utilization by activating VMs in the cloud only when needed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If hosts are reserved for failover capacity in high availability systems, then service availability is improved, but resource utilization deteriorates as many reserved hosts remain idle
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by transmitting and storing VM images to a secondary data center in advance, but does not activate them. When failure occurs, the pre-positioned images can be quickly activated without requiring physical hardware preparation, thus resolving the contradiction between maintaining availability and avoiding idle resource consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a copy of the VM image from the primary data center to a secondary data center. This copy can be rapidly activated if needed, providing failover capability without requiring permanent physical hosts to be maintained in standby, thereby improving resource utilization while maintaining service availability.
2Reliability
If VM images are transmitted and stored in a second data center for cloud restart, then failover capability is improved, but system complexity increases due to additional data transmission and management operations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential VM image data from the primary data center and stores it in the secondary data center, rather than replicating entire virtualization environments. This selective extraction reduces the complexity of system synchronization and management while maintaining failover capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces an intermediary mechanism (the secondary data center acting as a buffer) that simplifies the failover process. Instead of directly managing complex host-to-host failover, the intermediary storage of VM images enables straightforward activation and restart operations.
3Reliability
If all virtual machines are restarted in the cloud during failure, then service continuity is improved, but resource costs increase due to activation of both critical and non-critical VMs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by differentiating between critical and non-critical VMs and applying different restart strategies to each. Critical VMs are prioritized for immediate restart in the cloud, while non-critical VMs are deferred or handled differently, thus maintaining service continuity for essential functions while reducing unnecessary resource consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs partial action by selectively restarting only the necessary VMs in the cloud during failover, rather than restarting all VMs. This partial activation approach ensures service continuity for critical functions while avoiding the excessive resource costs of activating non-essential VMs.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of restarting a virtual machine running in a cluster of hosts in a first data center, in a second data center, wherein each virtual machine is assigned a priority level, includes: transmitting virtual machines images running in the cluster at a first time to the second data center; selecting virtual machines to be restarted in the second data center according to priority levels assigned; and for each selected virtual machine, (a) generating difference data in an image of the selected virtual machine at a second time and at the first time, (b) transmitting the difference data to the second data center, (c) setting the virtual machine inactive in the first data center, and (d) communicating with the second data center to set as active; and power on, a virtual machine in the second data center using the image of the virtual machine transmitted to the second data center.