Universal Virtual Disk Booting Physical and Virtual Machines
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current virtual disk configurations require separate versions for booting physical and virtual machines, leading to inefficiencies and complexity in distributed computing environments with both machine types.
Innovation Solution
A method and system for creating a single virtual disk that can boot both physical and virtual machines, utilizing a boot manager and installer program to select appropriate network interface cards and establish connections, allowing the virtual disk to function across different machine types.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If separate virtual disk versions are created for physical and virtual machines, then booting compatibility is ensured, but system complexity and storage requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal virtual disk image that can be used by both physical machines and virtual machines. The system detects the machine type during boot and automatically configures the appropriate network interface card bindings, eliminating the need for separate virtual disk versions while maintaining compatibility for both machine types.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses different parameter values (device IDs) for network interface card bindings depending on the machine type. The virtual disk contains multiple binding configurations with different device IDs, and the system selects the appropriate binding based on whether the booting machine is physical or virtual, thereby achieving universal compatibility through parameter variation.
2Reliability
If separate virtual disk versions are created for physical and virtual machines, then machine-specific booting is supported, but information storage requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple machine-specific virtual disk versions into a single universal virtual disk image. By combining the boot configurations for both physical and virtual machines into one image file with multiple binding options, the system reduces storage requirements while maintaining the ability to support machine-specific booting through automatic detection and configuration.
3Manufacturing precision
If separate creation processes are used for physical and virtual machine virtual disks, then creation accuracy is maintained, but manufacturing efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent develops a universal creation process that can generate virtual disk images suitable for both physical and virtual machines from a single template. The creation tool automatically configures the appropriate binding information and device IDs based on the intended machine type, eliminating the need for separate creation processes while maintaining creation accuracy through automated configuration.
Data Source
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AI summary
Methods and systems are described for provisioning a common virtual disk to both a physical and a virtual computing machine. These methods and systems can include creating a virtual disk that has binding information for both a paravirtual network interface card and a physical network interface card so that, either a virtual machine having a paravirtual network interface card, or a physical machine having a physical network interface card, may boot from the created virtual disk. Creation of the virtual disk can include exposing the paravirtual network interface card to a physical machine so that an installer program may bind to both the paravirtual network interface card and the physical network interface card.