Selective Controller and Service Engine Upgrades in Virtualized Systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing distributed service infrastructure in virtualized computing systems requires a monolithic upgrade approach, which is not conducive for multi-tenant environments as it forces upgrades across all tenants and applications, lacking flexibility and fault-tolerance.
Innovation Solution
A method for performing selective upgrades on distributed services in virtualized computing systems, where the centralized controller and service engine groups can be upgraded independently, allowing for tenant-specific and incremental updates without affecting the entire infrastructure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a monolithic upgrade approach is used for distributed services, then system consistency is maintained, but flexibility and fault-tolerance are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The distributed service infrastructure is segmented into independent upgradeable units: service engine groups and individual service engines. This allows selective upgrading of specific segments without requiring monolithic upgrades across the entire system, thereby improving fault-tolerance and upgrade flexibility simultaneously
2Productivity
If the entire distributed service infrastructure is upgraded, then system-wide improvements are achieved, but system disruption risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system allows partial upgrades where only specific service engine groups or individual service engines are upgraded rather than the entire infrastructure. This enables targeted improvements while minimizing system disruption risk, as non-upgraded components continue to operate normally
3Adaptability or versatility
If selective upgrades are implemented for different tenants, then resource efficiency is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The upgrade system is made dynamic through automated orchestration that adapts to different tenant requirements. The controller can dynamically determine which service engine groups require upgrading based on tenant-specific criteria, automatically managing the complexity while enabling selective tenant-specific upgrades
Data Source
AI summary
An example method of performing an upgrade operation for a distributed service in a virtualized computing system is described. The virtualized computing system includes a host cluster, the host cluster having hosts and a virtualization layer executing on hardware platforms of the hosts. The method includes: receiving, at a controller of the distributed service, a first upgrade operation from a user, the distributed service including the controller and a plurality of service engine groups, each of the plurality of service engine groups including a plurality of service engines; and performing, by the controller, the first upgrade operation on software of the controller exclusive of software of the service engines in each of the service engine groups, the software of the controller and the software of the plurality of service engines in each of the plurality of service engine groups executing in a plurality of hosts.