Dynamic Quorum Arbitration for Virtual Infrastructure Managers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing virtualization management platforms in software-defined datacenters face challenges in maintaining high availability and minimizing downtime due to hardware and software failures, requiring effective failover mechanisms without additional administrative overhead.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a highly available virtualization management platform with active and standby virtual infrastructure managers using dynamic, managed host devices as passive witness nodes for quorum-based arbitration, where management data is replicated to enable seamless role switching and maintain low downtimes without a separate quorum node.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a separate quorum node is added for arbitration, then system reliability is improved, but device complexity and administrative overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes existing host devices serve dual purposes: as compute resources for running virtual machines and as witness nodes for quorum-based arbitration. This eliminates the need for separate dedicated quorum nodes while maintaining arbitration functionality, directly resolving the contradiction between reliability and device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the arbitration function with existing host devices by having them store and provide witness information to both active and standby VIMs. This merging of functions reduces the number of separate components needed in the system, addressing both the reliability requirement and the complexity concern
2Reliability
If manual configuration of witness nodes is performed, then arbitration reliability is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to administrative overhead
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables witness nodes to be automatically selected from existing host devices and dynamically configured without manual intervention. The system self-manages the witness node selection, configuration, and updates, eliminating administrative overhead while maintaining arbitration reliability through automated processes
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic witness node selection where host devices can be automatically added or removed from the witness node set based on system state changes. This dynamic approach maintains reliable arbitration configuration without requiring manual updates, resolving the contradiction between reliability and ease of operation
3Device complexity
If static witness nodes are used, then device complexity is reduced, but adaptability deteriorates when host devices are added or removed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamic witness node model where the set of witness nodes automatically adapts when host devices are added or removed from the system. The arbitration mechanism dynamically updates to include or exclude witness nodes based on current system state, maintaining both simplicity and adaptability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent pre-configures all host devices with the capability to serve as witness nodes, but only activates them dynamically when needed. This preliminary preparation allows the system to maintain simple base configuration while adapting to scale, as devices are already prepared but only activated when system changes require it
Data Source
AI summary
Exemplary methods, apparatuses, and systems include a first virtual infrastructure manager (VIM) determining that the first VIM is to be an active manager of a plurality of virtual machines running on a plurality of host devices and that a second VIM is to be a standby manager of the plurality of virtual machines. The first VIM selects a first host device from the plurality of host devices to serve as a passive witness node in arbitrating active and standby roles between the first VIM and second VIM. The first host device runs one or more virtual machines and is managed by the active manager. The first VIM selects a first host device by confirming that the first host device is available to each of the first VIM and the second VIM. The first VIM writes a file on the first host device indicating that the first VIM is the active manager.