File System for Virtual Environment Migration

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current technologies face challenges in cross-platform saving and restoration of computing systems due to differences in data formats, peripheral devices, and settings, making it difficult to migrate Virtual Machines between hardware platforms without data loss or system disruption.

Innovation Solution

A method for migrating Execution Environments by suspending their state, updating drivers for new hardware, and restoring them on new platforms, allowing on-the-fly migration of containers between network nodes while preserving process and network connectivity states.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If a Virtual Machine is migrated between different hardware platforms, then hardware adaptability is improved, but data format compatibility and system integrity deteriorate due to differences in peripheral devices and settings

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvehardware adaptabilityVSAvoidsystem integrity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a file system migration mechanism that acts as an intermediary between the virtual machine and different hardware platforms. The migration manager coordinates the suspension, state transfer, and restoration processes, while the file system handles data format conversion and peripheral device abstraction, ensuring system integrity is maintained during migration

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies preliminary action by suspending the virtual machine before migration and restoring it after migration. This ensures the system state is captured and preserved before transitioning to a new hardware platform, maintaining data consistency and system integrity throughout the migration process

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Speed

If on-the-fly migration of containers is performed, then migration speed is improved, but process state preservation and network connectivity deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemigration speedVSAvoidprocess state preservation

Core Design Contradiction:

SpeedVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent suspends the container and all its processes before migration to capture the complete process state. This preliminary suspension ensures that process memory, file descriptors, and network connections are properly preserved, allowing the container to resume with full state integrity after migration

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The migration mechanism is designed to handle multiple functions simultaneously: process state preservation, network connection maintenance, and file system migration. This universal approach ensures all aspects of container state are preserved during on-the-fly migration

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS8984510B1Blocking file system for on-the-fly migration of a virtual execution environment

Publication Date: 2015.03.17 PARALLELS INT GMBH

AI summary

This invention relates to a method, system and computer program product for performing migration of a virtual execution environment from one network node to another node on the network. All active processes executing on a virtual execution environment are frozen and the state of these processes, including virtual execution environment network connectivity information, are saved into a dump file. The dump file is transferred to the destination network node. Using the information stored in the dump file, the execution state of all active processes and the state of network connections of the virtual execution environment are restored at the destination node to the state existing immediately prior to the migration.