Live Cloning Virtual Machine Cluster Expansion
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing distributed computing systems face challenges in efficiently expanding or contracting clusters without the need for physical hardware installations, which can be time-consuming and require significant administrative effort.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of 'live cloning' technology, which allows for the creation of a copy of a virtual machine during runtime, enabling the expansion of clusters using virtualization technology, thereby eliminating the need for physical hardware installations and associated software provisioning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If physical hardware installations are used to expand clusters, then reliability and stability are improved, but time consumption and administrative effort increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies virtual machine cloning to create copies of existing virtual machines and deploy them as new cluster nodes. This copying mechanism allows rapid cluster expansion by replicating proven, stable configurations without requiring physical hardware installation, thereby maintaining reliability while dramatically reducing expansion time from days to minutes
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-configuring virtual machine templates with all necessary software, applications, and system settings before cloning. This preliminary preparation ensures that cloned nodes inherit stable, tested configurations, maintaining reliability while enabling rapid deployment without time-consuming post-installation configuration
2Stability of the object's composition
If physical hardware installations are used to expand clusters, then system stability is improved, but administrative burden increases
Solution Approach 1:
By cloning virtual machines, the system automatically replicates stable system configurations, software environments, and application settings. This eliminates manual configuration tasks and reduces administrative burden while preserving system stability through consistent, proven configurations across all cluster nodes
Solution Approach 2:
The cloning mechanism enables self-service expansion where the system automatically creates and configures new cluster nodes without requiring manual administrative intervention for each node. The virtualization platform handles the provisioning, configuration, and deployment automatically, significantly reducing administrative effort while maintaining stability through standardized templates
3Productivity
If virtualization technology is used for cluster expansion, then provisioning speed is improved, but hardware resource requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent consolidates multiple virtual machines onto fewer physical hosts through virtualization, allowing rapid cluster expansion by utilizing existing hardware resources more efficiently. This merging approach enables high provisioning speed by creating virtual nodes software-defined, while the physical hardware is shared across multiple virtual instances, reducing the need for additional physical resources
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, are provided for transitioning one or more aspect of a dynamic cluster of computers to one or more virtual machines. In one aspect, there is provided a computer-implemented method. The method may include receiving a selection representing a node of a cluster selected for cloning. An indication may be provided to the node to prepare for cloning. The indication may be provided by accessing an interface at the node. When the selection is received and the node is prepared for cloning, the cloning of the node may be initiated. In some implementations, the node comprises a virtual machine including an application. Related apparatus, systems, methods, and articles are also described.