Virtual Disk Manager for Nested Guest Storage Automation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Managing the lifecycle of storage devices for nested virtualized guests is challenging, especially when hypervisors do not support pass-through or partial virtualization of storage devices, making it difficult to automate the attachment, detachment, and updates of storage devices available for use by guests.
Innovation Solution
A virtual disk manager detects and manages storage devices by creating and assigning virtual disks to guests through atomic operations, ensuring that instructions for these operations are performed without interruption, thereby automating the discovery and management of attached storage devices and maintaining the integrity of virtual disk management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual management of virtual disks is used, then flexibility in assignment is maintained, but the risk of orphaned disks and security vulnerabilities increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically detects attached storage devices and performs atomic operations to create and assign virtual disks to guests without manual intervention. The hypervisor monitors storage attachment events and triggers automated virtual disk management, eliminating the need for manual assignment while ensuring accuracy through atomic operations that prevent orphaned disks
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements event-driven feedback mechanisms where the hypervisor monitors storage attachment events and automatically responds by creating and assigning virtual disks. This closed-loop feedback ensures that virtual disk assignment accurately reflects actual storage attachment status, preventing security vulnerabilities from mismatched assignments
2Reliability
If non-atomic operations are used for creating and assigning virtual disks, then system simplicity is maintained, but the risk of orphaned disks and security attacks increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges the creation and assignment of virtual disks into a single atomic operation. Instead of performing these as separate steps that could leave virtual disks in an orphaned state, the patent combines them into one indivisible transaction that either completes fully or fails entirely, eliminating security vulnerabilities from partial executions
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs temporary placeholder virtual disks during the atomic operation that are automatically discarded if the operation fails. These short-lived objects ensure that no orphaned virtual disks remain in the system, as any failed creation/assignment pair is cleanly removed without manual intervention
3Productivity
If automated detection and management of storage devices is implemented, then resource management efficiency improves, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The hypervisor is enhanced with multi-functional capabilities to simultaneously perform storage device detection, virtual disk creation, and assignment operations. This universal approach consolidates multiple management functions into a single system component, improving efficiency without proportionally increasing overall system complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary layer in the hypervisor that mediates between physical storage devices and virtual machines. This intermediary automatically manages the translation and assignment process, improving resource management efficiency while containing complexity within a dedicated mediation layer rather than distributing it throughout the entire system
Data Source
AI summary
A computer implemented method manages virtual disks. A number of processor units detects attachment of a storage to a host operating system. The number of processor units mounts the storage to a set of mount points. The number of processor units creates a set of virtual disks and assigning, by the number of processor units, the set of virtual disks to a guest in operation in which instructions for the operation are performed without interruption. According to other illustrative embodiments, a computer system and a computer program product for managing virtual disks are provided.