Dynamic Virtual Function Management on SR-IOV Hypervisors
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Solution Overview
Problem
The management of virtual functions in virtualized computer systems, particularly with SR-IOV capable hypervisors, is complicated by the need for direct access to host machines, lack of persistent configuration across restarts, and difficulty in determining current and maximum virtual function assignments, leading to inefficient resource allocation and increased administrative burdens.
Innovation Solution
A centralized virtualization manager provides dynamic management of virtual functions, allowing for persistent configuration changes across hypervisor restarts by maintaining information about physical functions and their capabilities, enabling users to modify virtual function numbers through a user interface without direct access to hypervisors, ensuring that changes are persisted and within supported limits.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If direct access to host machines is required to modify virtual function configuration, then configuration changes can be made, but administrative complexity and operational difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a virtualization manager as an intermediary between users and the hypervisor. This manager provides a simplified interface that abstracts away the complexity of direct host machine access, allowing users to configure virtual functions without needing to directly access or manage the hypervisor infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables self-service configuration through the virtualization manager, which automatically handles the complex tasks of modifying virtual function assignments, persisting configurations, and managing hypervisor communications. Users can perform configuration changes through simple interfaces without needing to understand or directly access the underlying complex systems.
2Reliability
If virtual function configuration is not persisted across hypervisor restarts, then system flexibility is maintained, but configuration reliability and consistency deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The virtualization manager performs preliminary actions by persisting virtual function configurations to storage before hypervisor restarts occur. This ensures that when the hypervisor restarts, the configuration information is already available and can be automatically restored, maintaining both reliability and flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where the virtualization manager monitors hypervisor status and automatically restores configurations after restarts. This feedback loop ensures configuration consistency is maintained without requiring manual intervention or sacrificing system flexibility.
3Ease of operation
If centralized management interface is implemented, then ease of operation improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple management functions (configuration, monitoring, persistence, and restoration) into a single virtualization manager interface. This consolidation provides centralized management that improves ease of operation while the internal complexity is encapsulated within the manager itself, not exposed to users.
Data Source
AI summary
A virtualization manager receives a request to change a current number of virtual functions associated with at least one physical interface that provides virtual function capability to a new number of virtual functions. Responsive to determining that that new number of virtual functions is not greater than a maximum number of virtual functions for the at least one physical interface, configuring, by the virtualization manager, the at least one physical interface with the new number.