Virtual Disk Migration Preserving Hierarchy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cloud migration technologies face challenges in efficiently migrating linked clone tree structures between private and public cloud environments, as they often result in redundant replication of shared virtual disks and loss of parent-child virtual disk hierarchies, leading to increased computational and network resource usage.
Innovation Solution
The system handles leaf and shared virtual disks differently on a level-by-level basis, replicating leaf virtual disks and creating dummy virtual computing instances for shared disks to preserve the parent-child relationships during migration, thereby avoiding redundant replication and maintaining the tree structure's integrity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple redundant virtual disks are replicated at destinations for VCI migration, then VCI migration can be supported between on-premise data centers and public cloud, but significant computational and network resources are required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the virtual disk replication process by distinguishing between shared virtual disks and leaf virtual disks. Shared virtual disks are replicated only once at the destination, while leaf virtual disks are replicated individually with their parent pointers updated to point to the shared disk's replica. This segmentation eliminates redundant replication of shared disks across multiple VCIs, significantly reducing computational and network resources required for migration.
2Adaptability or versatility
If shared virtual disks are replicated for each VCI, then VCI migration is achieved, but redundant replication of shared virtual disks occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the replication of shared virtual disks by processing them at the disk level rather than at the VCI level. A single replication operation creates one copy of the shared virtual disk at the destination, and multiple VCIs then point to this single replica through updated parent pointers. This merging approach eliminates the redundant replication that would occur if each VCI triggered a separate disk replication.
3Adaptability or versatility
If conventional migration methods are used, then VCI migration between cloud environments is achieved, but parent-child virtual disk hierarchies are lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary actions by first identifying and classifying virtual disks as either shared or leaf type, and by pre-establishing the mapping relationships between VCIs and their respective disks. During migration, this preliminary structure allows the system to preserve parent-child hierarchies by updating parent pointers of leaf disks to reference the replicated shared disk, thereby maintaining the hierarchical composition intact in the destination environment.
Data Source
AI summary
System and computer-implemented method for migrating a tree structure with multiple virtual disks and multiple virtual computing instances from a source computing environment to a destination computing environment involves handling leaf and shared virtual disks of the tree structure differently on a level-by-level basis to produce a replicated tree structure in the destination computing environment. For a leaf virtual disk, the leaf virtual disk and a virtual computing instance attached to the leaf virtual disk are replicated in the destination computing environment. For a shared virtual disk, creating a dummy virtual computing instance is created in the source computing environment and the shared virtual disk and the dummy virtual computing instance are replicated in the destination computing environment. Any dummy virtual computing instances replicated in the destination computing environment for the migration can then be removed.