Temporary Virtual Disk for Space Efficiency

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Solution Overview

Problem

Thin virtual disks in virtualized systems tend to occupy more physical storage space than necessary due to temporary data written to unused blocks, which are not reclaimed when deleted, leading to inefficient space usage.

Innovation Solution

A temporary virtual disk is created within the virtual machine to store temporary files, with write operations routed to a delta disk that is discarded upon shutdown, ensuring the base disk remains minimal in size and does not grow unnecessarily.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If guest software writes temporary data to a thin virtual disk, then the virtual machine can store temporary files, but the thin virtual disk grows in size and occupies more physical storage space than necessary

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetemporary file storage capabilityVSAvoidphysical storage space occupied

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent divides the virtual disk into two separate entities: a base virtual disk for permanent data and a temporary virtual disk for transient files. This segmentation allows temporary data to be isolated from the base disk, preventing unnecessary growth of the permanent storage allocation while maintaining full functionality for temporary file operations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements a disposable temporary virtual disk that is created when the virtual machine starts and discarded when it shuts down. This temporary disk serves as a cheap, short-lived storage medium that absorbs all temporary file write operations, eliminating the need for permanent allocation of physical storage space for transient data.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

2Quantity of substance

If a thin virtual disk is used to save physical storage space, then initial allocation is minimized, but the disk does not shrink when temporary data is deleted

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveinitial physical storage allocationVSAvoidreclaimed storage space

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSLoss of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the temporary storage function from the base virtual disk by creating a separate temporary virtual disk. All temporary file operations are redirected to this extracted component, allowing the base disk to maintain its minimal allocation without being affected by temporary data growth or deletion cycles.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The temporary virtual disk is automatically discarded upon virtual machine shutdown, recovering all the physical storage space that was allocated for temporary files. This ensures that no storage space is permanently consumed by temporary data, as the entire temporary disk is reused or discarded with each VM lifecycle.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #34Discarding and recovering

3Ease of operation

If temporary files are stored in the main virtual disk file system, then file access is straightforward, but the virtual disk size grows unnecessarily

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefile access simplicityVSAvoidvirtual disk structure

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a temporary virtual disk as an intermediary layer between the guest software and the base virtual disk. This intermediary handles all temporary file operations, allowing guest software to access temporary files through standard file system operations while preventing direct writes to the base disk, thus maintaining simplicity for the user while managing complexity internally.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS8726273B2Space efficient virtual machines

Publication Date: 2014.05.13 VMWARE INC

AI summary

A method and a system of making a virtual machine space efficient are disclosed. The virtual machine includes a virtual disk. The method includes creating a temporary virtual disk and adding the temporary virtual disk to the virtual machine. The temporary virtual disk works in conjunction with the virtual disk. The virtual machine is configured to store temporary files in the temporary virtual disk rather than the virtual disk.