Server Cloning for Automated Provisioning in Computing-on-Demand Systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
Inefficient and time-consuming processes for provisioning and managing multiple identical or similar virtual/physical servers, requiring manual intervention and individual configuration, which can be labor-intensive and prone to errors.
Innovation Solution
An integrated resource provisioning system that allows users to connect via a web portal to input parameters for desired resources, automatically provisioning and allocating virtual and physical resources, including the ability to clone servers, thereby streamlining the process and reducing manual effort.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If manual provisioning and individual configuration of each server is performed, then customization and flexibility are improved, but time consumption and labor intensity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements server cloning by creating virtual copies of a reference server configuration. The system captures the configuration state of a reference server and automatically replicates it to multiple target servers, eliminating manual reconfiguration while maintaining consistency. This copying mechanism resolves the contradiction by automating the provisioning process without sacrificing configuration flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary configuration by establishing a reference server with desired settings before cloning. Configuration parameters, software installations, and system settings are prepared in advance on the reference server, then automatically applied to all cloned servers. This preliminary action eliminates repeated manual configuration steps while preserving customization capabilities.
2Measurement precision
If manual configuration of each server is performed, then configuration accuracy can be monitored, but human errors and inconsistencies increase
Solution Approach 1:
By copying the exact configuration state from a reference server to multiple target servers, the system ensures identical configurations across all servers. This automated copying process eliminates human errors and inconsistencies that occur during manual configuration, thereby improving both configuration accuracy and reliability simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements configuration validation and verification mechanisms that compare cloned server configurations against the reference server. Any deviations are detected and corrected automatically, ensuring configuration consistency across the server fleet. This feedback loop maintains high accuracy and reliability in server provisioning.
3Productivity
If individual server setup is performed manually, then each server can be optimized individually, but productivity and deployment speed decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The cloning mechanism replicates proven optimal configurations from a reference server to multiple targets simultaneously. This approach maintains individual optimization capability while dramatically increasing deployment speed, as all cloned servers inherit the optimized settings without requiring separate manual optimization processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The reference server configuration serves as a universal template that can be cloned to multiple servers with different hardware specifications. The system adapts the reference configuration to various target environments while maintaining core optimized settings, enabling both high productivity and individual optimization through a single master template.
Data Source
AI summary
A system may convert a server into a reference server, create a clone of the reference server in a selected network, place the clone in a user network, and notify a user that the clone server is ready for use.