Streaming OVA Template Files for Virtual Machine Deployment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Deploying virtual machines from OVA template files requires downloading and storing large files, which is inefficient in terms of storage and network resources, especially when the files are located remotely.
Innovation Solution
The intelligent deployment module selectively streams and processes specific files from the OVA template file, using headers to locate and transmit only the necessary files, such as disk image files, directly to the destination host computer, reducing the need to download and store the entire OVA file.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the entire OVA template file is downloaded and extracted before deployment, then all necessary files can be obtained for deployment, but significant storage space is required to temporarily store the large OVA template file
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and processes only the necessary files (OVF descriptor, manifest, certificate, disk image) from the OVA template file rather than downloading and storing the entire archive. The system locates these files using headers in the OVA structure and streams them individually to the destination host, eliminating the need to temporarily store the complete OVA file.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the OVA template file processing into distinct file operations. Instead of treating the OVA file as a single unit that must be fully downloaded, the system identifies and processes individual files (OVF descriptor, manifest, certificate, disk image) separately through streaming operations, allowing deployment without storing the complete archive.
2Reliability
If the entire OVA template file is downloaded before deployment, then all files are available for processing, but network bandwidth is consumed for transferring the complete file
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts only the essential files needed for deployment (OVF descriptor, manifest, certificate, and disk image) from the OVA template structure and streams them individually to the destination host. This selective extraction approach transfers only necessary data over the network, avoiding the bandwidth consumption of downloading the complete OVA archive.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent divides the OVA file transfer into separate streaming operations for individual files rather than transferring the entire archive at once. Each file (OVF descriptor, manifest, certificate, disk image) is located using headers and streamed independently, optimizing network utilization and reducing total bandwidth consumption.
3Reliability
If the OVA template file is processed as a complete archive, then all files are extracted and available, but the deployment process is slow due to the large file size
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts and processes only the critical files (OVF descriptor, manifest, certificate, disk image) needed for deployment from the OVA template structure. By avoiding extraction of unnecessary files and processing only essential components, the deployment speed is significantly improved while maintaining complete deployment functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the deployment process into parallel streaming operations for individual files rather than sequential extraction of a complete archive. Multiple files can be located and transferred simultaneously using header-based navigation, eliminating the time penalty of processing the entire OVA file as a single unit.
Data Source
AI summary
A management system and method for deploying a virtual processing instance from an open virtual appliance (OVA) template file involves accessing the OVA template file stored on a storage of a computer to stream at least one file from the storage of the computer for processing and to transmit a disk image file of the virtual processing instance in the OVA template file from the storage of the computer to a storage of a destination host computer on which the virtual processing instance is to be deployed.