Hybrid Cloud VM Fault Tolerance via Secondary Instance Sync
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current hybrid cloud computing systems lack effective fault tolerance mechanisms to seamlessly manage and synchronize the execution states of virtual machines between private data centers and public cloud platforms, leading to potential service disruptions and data loss during failures.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a hybrid cloud management system that instantiates a secondary virtual machine in a public cloud, synchronized with a primary virtual machine in a private data center using a record/replay mechanism, with an additional virtual disk for state data and configuration, allowing for seamless failover without shared virtual disk dependencies.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a secondary virtual machine is instantiated in a public cloud to provide fault tolerance for a primary virtual machine in a private data center, then system reliability is improved, but device complexity increases due to the need for synchronization mechanisms and state management
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a secondary virtual machine as a copy of the primary virtual machine in a different cloud environment. The secondary VM replicates the execution state, virtual disk, and configuration files of the primary VM, enabling failover capability without requiring complex real-time synchronization protocols. This copying approach simplifies the fault tolerance mechanism while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The secondary virtual machine is instantiated and configured in advance before any failure occurs. The execution state and virtual disk are pre-synchronized, so that when failover is needed, the system can immediately switch to the pre-prepared secondary VM without complex real-time coordination. This preliminary preparation reduces the complexity of the synchronization mechanism during operation.
2Reliability
If the execution state of the primary virtual machine is continuously synchronized to the secondary virtual machine, then fault tolerance is improved, but data transmission time and energy consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of continuous real-time synchronization, the patent implements periodic synchronization of the execution state from the primary to the secondary virtual machine. The state changes are transmitted at intervals or upon significant events, reducing the data transmission time and energy consumption while still maintaining adequate fault tolerance capability. The secondary VM is updated periodically with the latest execution state.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses lightweight state representation and incremental synchronization mechanisms that transmit only the necessary state changes rather than complete state copies. This reduces the amount of data transmitted and the time required for synchronization, making the fault tolerance mechanism more efficient in terms of time and energy consumption.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a secondary virtual machine is set up in a different cloud system for disaster recovery, then adaptability is improved, but device complexity increases due to heterogeneous environment management
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs the secondary virtual machine with universal interfaces and configurations that can operate across different cloud environments (private data center and public cloud). The virtual machine uses standardized formats for execution state, virtual disk, and configuration files, enabling it to function in heterogeneous environments without requiring environment-specific adaptations. This multi-functionality approach simplifies the management of diverse cloud systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary layer (the virtualization management system) that handles the complexity of heterogeneous environment management. This intermediary translates and coordinates between the primary and secondary virtual machines across different cloud platforms, abstracting away the environmental differences. The intermediary manages the synchronization and failover processes, reducing the complexity exposed to the user while maintaining adaptability across diverse cloud systems.
Data Source
AI summary
A technique for providing fault tolerance for virtual machines in a hybrid cloud computing system is discussed. When a primary virtual machine (VM) in a private data center is configured for fault tolerance, a secondary VM is instantiated in a public cloud computing system. Changes to the execution state of the primary VM are recorded and relayed to the secondary VM by way of caching modules, which provide acknowledgements messages back to the primary VM. A technique for failback from the public cloud computing system to the private data center is also discussed.