Guest OS PIT Snapshots for Fast VM Cloning and Restore
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Solution Overview
Problem
Virtual machines (VMs) require significant computational burden and time for boot-up, and traditional restoration solutions using guest operating systems can introduce instabilities, making them less preferred and burdensome to manage.
Innovation Solution
Implementing guest operating system (OS) managed point-in-time (PIT) snapshots by determining a known good state of a virtual component (VC) and instructing the hypervisor to store a memory snapshot, which can be used as an instant clone or restoration point, reducing boot-up time and computational burden.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional restoration solutions are used to roll back guest OS updates, then the guest OS can be restored to a previous version, but application incompatibilities are introduced and system stability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent takes preliminary action by capturing a snapshot of the entire virtual machine state (including guest OS, applications, and configuration) at a known good point in time before any updates or changes are made. When restoration is needed, the entire captured state is restored simultaneously, preventing application incompatibilities that occur when only the guest OS is rolled back separately.
2Productivity
If VM clones are created to scale capacity with demand, then computing capacity increases, but boot-up time and computational burden increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses snapshot copying to create instant clones of virtual machines. Instead of performing a full boot-up process for each clone, the system captures a point-in-time snapshot of the VM state and uses it to rapidly provision new VM instances. This copying mechanism dramatically reduces boot-up time while maintaining full computing capacity.
3Productivity
If VM clones are created to scale capacity with demand, then computing capacity increases, but computational burden and resource consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by capturing VM state snapshots at optimal points in time when the VM is in a known good state. These pre-captured snapshots can be rapidly deployed to create clones without requiring the full computational burden of a complete VM boot-up process, thereby reducing energy consumption and computational resources while maintaining scaling capability.
Data Source
AI summary
Aspects of the disclosure provide solutions for managing point in time (PIT) snapshots by a guest operating system (OS) to provide more rapid start-up time for virtualized component (VC) clones (e.g., virtual machines, VMs) and simplify restoration. Examples include the guest OS determining that the VC has completed a boot process and is in a known good state. The guest OS instructs the hypervisor to store a PIT snapshot of the VC, including a memory state of the VC. Because the snapshot is captured while the VC is executing, it may be used as an instant clone that avoids delays caused by booting the clone. Some examples include the guest OS detecting a restoration point trigger (e.g., a configuration change) and determining that the VC currently has a stable configuration. The guest OS instructs the hypervisor to store a snapshot of the VC to use later as a restoration point.