Directory Service for Virtual Machine Resource Allocation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current virtualization environments lack a sophisticated approach to managing the existence, location, capabilities, availability, and current state of virtual machine resources, hosts, and virtual machine monitors, making it challenging to efficiently manage multiple virtual machines across multiple hosts.
Innovation Solution
A directory service-based system that populates a repository with resource objects for virtual machine resources, hosts, and managers, including authentication, authorization, and service-level agreement objects, to manage and route service requests effectively across the virtual execution environment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If virtualization is implemented to allow multiple operating systems to run on a host computer, then resource utilization is improved, but managing the execution of multiple VMs across multiple VM hosts becomes challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a directory service as an intermediary between VM administrators and the virtualized environment. This directory service maintains a centralized repository of information about VM hosts, VMMs, and VMs, enabling efficient location and management of virtual resources without increasing operational complexity. The directory service acts as a mediator that abstracts the complexity of managing multiple VMs across multiple hosts.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the size of the virtual execution environment grows to support more VMs, then service capability is improved, but managing information about VM resources, hosts, and VMMs becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The directory service implements a universal information infrastructure that handles multiple types of objects (VM hosts, VMMs, VMs, and their attributes) through a single standardized interface. This multi-functional approach allows the system to scale to support more VMs while maintaining ease of operation, as the same directory service mechanisms handle all virtual resources regardless of type or quantity.
3Productivity
If vendor-specific software is used to manage VMM-controlled resources, then resource management is improved, but managing multiple VMs across multiple VM hosts becomes challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges vendor-specific resource management capabilities with a standardized directory service interface. By combining the strengths of vendor-specific optimization with a universal directory service layer, the system achieves efficient resource management across multiple hosts without the integration complexity of multiple vendor-specific tools. The directory service unifies the management interface while preserving underlying vendor capabilities.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method are disclosed for using directory services to manage resources in a virtual execution environment. A directory repository is populated with resource, administration, roles, policy, and service-level agreement (SLA) objects. A service request is received by a virtual machine manager (VMM) administrator, which determines its requirements. The directory repository is queried with a directory service to identify available resources to fulfill the service request. The service request is routed to the VMM of the virtual machine (VM) host comprising the available resources. If an active VM comprises the available resources, then its roles, policy, and SLA objects are retrieved from the directory repository. The objects are then used to respectively determine if the service request has sufficient authentication and authorizations, if the VM's configuration meets the service request's resource requirements, and if service-levels requirements can be maintained.