Diskless VM Cloning via Storage Controller Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current virtual machine cloning methods in distributed data storage systems are inefficient, as they require cloning entire storage containers, leading to redundant data duplication and resource consumption, which can result in prolonged processing times and potential communication errors.
Innovation Solution
The solution involves separating the cloning of virtual drives from other VM components and offloading these operations to a storage controller, allowing for concurrent and resource-efficient cloning of virtual machines by creating a temporary repository for virtual drive image files and diskless virtual machines, which can be cloned independently to meet desired clone numbers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If entire storage containers are cloned to create VM clones, then complete VM functionality is preserved, but redundant data duplication occurs and processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the storage container into separate virtual drive image files and configuration data. The virtual drive images are stored separately from the VM configuration, allowing the images to be cloned independently and reused across multiple VM instances. This segmentation eliminates redundant data duplication while maintaining complete VM functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the virtual drive image files from the traditional bundled storage container structure. By taking out the image files and storing them separately in a dedicated location, the system enables efficient cloning of only the necessary configuration data while reusing the extracted image files, thereby reducing cloning time and resource consumption.
2Reliability
If entire storage containers are cloned, then all VM data is copied, but resource consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The storage container is segmented into virtual drive image files and VM configuration data. The image files are extracted and stored separately, allowing multiple VMs to share the same image files. This segmentation dramatically reduces the quantity of data that needs to be copied during cloning operations while maintaining data completeness.
Solution Approach 2:
The virtual drive image files serve multiple functions: they can be used by different VM configurations, cloned independently, and reused across multiple instances. This multi-functionality eliminates the need to copy the same image data for each VM clone, reducing overall resource consumption and data duplication.
3Reliability
If storage container cloning is performed, then complete VM clone is created, but communication errors may occur
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the cloning process into independent steps (cloning image files separately from configuration data), the system reduces the complexity and potential for communication errors. Each component can be cloned and validated independently, improving overall clone integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The virtual drive image files are cloned and prepared in advance before the VM configuration data is processed. This preliminary action allows for validation and error checking of the image files before they are attached to the new VM instances, preventing communication errors and ensuring clone integrity.
Data Source
AI summary
One or more techniques and/or systems are disclosed that provide for cloning VMs, where different parts of the same VM are cloned separately. A temporary repository directory in a datastore of a storage controller is populated with a copy of one or more source virtual drive image files, which were generated from a source virtual machine (SVM) that is being cloned. A diskless virtual machine (DVM) is created in a destination container using configurations from the SVM. The copy of the one or more source virtual drive image files is cloned a desired number of times corresponding to a desired number of virtual machine clones. The DVM is cloned a desired number of times corresponding to a desired number of virtual machine clones. The DVM clones are combined with the source virtual drive image file clones in the destination container.