Central Orchestrator Suspend Resume Virtual Machines
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for providing cloud infrastructure for development and testing environments lead to increased processing costs due to continuous running of virtual machines in sandboxes, as developers and testers keep them active for extended periods, resulting in higher IT spending for organizations.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for orchestrating SDN/NFV/cloud solutions on public/private cloud infrastructure that allows for the suspension and resumption of virtual machines, where a central orchestrator manages the hypervisor to save and restore virtual machine states, including memory and storage images, enabling efficient resource utilization and cost reduction by allowing VMs to be saved and resumed as needed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If virtual machines are continuously running in sandboxes for development and testing, then developers and testers can maintain active work environments, but processing costs and IT expenditures increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by saving the complete state of virtual machines (including memory and storage) to persistent storage before shutdown. This allows the VMs to be quickly restored to their exact previous state without needing to remain continuously running, thereby maintaining development readiness while eliminating continuous processing costs.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of continuous operation, the system implements periodic action by suspending virtual machines when not in use and resuming them when needed. The suspend/resume functionality enables developers to reactivate their development environments on-demand, transforming continuous resource consumption into periodic, controlled resource usage that aligns with actual work patterns.
2Loss of energy
If virtual machines are suspended and saved to storage, then processing costs are reduced, but the complexity of managing save and resume operations increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a central orchestrator as an intermediary component that manages the complexity of suspend/resume operations. This orchestrator coordinates between the hypervisor, storage systems, and development environments, handling the intricate details of state capture, storage, and restoration. By centralizing this management function, the system reduces the operational complexity burden on individual developers while achieving cost savings through VM suspension.
Data Source
AI summary
In one aspect, a computerized method useful for saving a virtual machine comprising: creating a virtual machine on a hypervisor; issuing a request to a central orchestrator to save the virtual machine, wherein the central orchestrator is accessed via a monitor interface, and wherein the central orchestrator communicates with a plurality of virtual machines that includes the virtual machine; with the central orchestrator, connecting to a hypervisor manager located on the hypervisor where the virtual machine is located on the hypervisor and passes a set of information comprising a VM storage image location.