Hypervisor Synchronization for High Availability Virtual Machines
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fault-tolerant server systems require dual redundant main components and dedicated hardware, making them expensive and inflexible, and struggle to efficiently utilize server resources due to separate I/O and OS/application processing, which limits their ability to maintain high availability during maintenance or load imbalances.
Innovation Solution
A high availability system utilizing two server computers with virtual computers and hypervisors that synchronize input events and processing states through synchronization information transmission and reception units, allowing for seamless matching of input events and interrupt timings between the main and clone virtual computers, enabling efficient resource utilization and fault concealment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If dedicated hardware is used for duplexing control, then fault tolerance reliability is improved, but device cost and complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces dedicated hardware control mechanisms with software-based hypervisor control. The hypervisor manages virtual computer execution and coordinates failover operations through software logic, eliminating the need for specialized hardware controllers while maintaining fault tolerance capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates virtual copies of computer systems through virtualization. Multiple virtual computers are instantiated on physical hardware, with each virtual computer being a software-based replica that can assume another's workload. This software copying approach replaces hardware redundancy with virtual instance replication.
2Device complexity
If two independent servers are combined for fault tolerance, then device cost decreases, but synchronization capability and resource utilization efficiency worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges I/O processing and OS/application processing onto the same CPU resources within virtual computers. This consolidation allows both processing types to share hardware resources dynamically, improving resource utilization while maintaining synchronization through hypervisor-coordinated virtualization rather than separate hardware paths.
3Stability of the object's composition
If I/O processing and OS/application processing are separated on different CPUs, then system stability is improved, but resource utilization efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges I/O processing and OS/application processing onto the same CPU resources within virtual computers. This consolidation allows both processing types to share hardware resources dynamically, improving resource utilization while maintaining synchronization through hypervisor-coordinated virtualization rather than separate hardware paths.
Data Source
AI summary
A high availability system includes a first computer on which a first virtual computer and a first hypervisor managing the first virtual computer operate, and a second computer on which a second virtual computer and a second hypervisor managing the second virtual computer operate. The first hypervisor includes an acquisition unit which acquires synchronization information associated with an event, wherein the event has occurred in the first virtual computer and accompanies an input to the first virtual computer, and a transmission unit which transmits the acquired synchronization information to the second hypervisor. The second hypervisor includes a reception unit which receives the synchronization information from the first hypervisor, and a control unit which performs control to match an input to the second virtual computer with an input to the first virtual computer in accordance with the received synchronization information.