Virtual Machine Update Scheduling With Snapshots and Rollback

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current cloud computing systems face inefficiencies and inaccuracies in virtual machine update management, leading to resource wastage and data loss due to rigid resource allocation during updates, and lack flexibility across different operating systems.

Innovation Solution

A virtual machine update system that utilizes machine-learning models to determine optimal offline update times, captures OS disk images for snapshots, and performs rollbacks to ensure efficient, accurate, and flexible updates without data loss, supporting various operating systems.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If virtual machines wait for updates to complete before deallocating resources, then update integrity is maintained, but computing resources are tied up and inefficiency increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveupdate integrityVSAvoidcomputing resource efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system creates a snapshot of the virtual machine's state before applying the update. This preliminary action allows the VM to be deallocated immediately after the snapshot is taken, without waiting for the update to complete. The snapshot serves as a backup that enables restoration if needed, resolving the contradiction between maintaining update integrity and improving resource efficiency.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system creates a copy (snapshot) of the virtual machine's disk image before the update. This copy allows the original VM to be deallocated while the snapshot preserves the pre-update state. If the update fails or causes issues, the snapshot can be used to restore the VM to its previous state, thus maintaining reliability while enabling faster deallocation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

2Productivity

If users perform hard shutdowns to avoid update wait time, then resource allocation flexibility improves, but data loss and corruption occur

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveresource allocation flexibilityVSAvoiddata loss

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The system takes a snapshot of the VM state before the update is applied. This preliminary action provides a safe backup point that prevents data loss. If a hard shutdown occurs or the update fails, the snapshot can be restored to recover any lost data, thus maintaining information integrity while allowing flexible resource allocation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The snapshot acts as a cushioning backup created beforehand. It protects against the harmful effects of hard shutdowns or update failures by providing a restore point. This beforehand cushioning ensures that even if data loss occurs during flexible resource allocation, the data can be recovered from the snapshot.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #11Beforehand cushioning (Prior cushioning)

3Reliability

If user-initiated system backups are used, then data protection improves, but the process is time-consuming and unreliable

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata protectionVSAvoidbackup time

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system automatically creates a snapshot before the update is applied, eliminating the need for manual user-initiated backups. This preliminary action is performed automatically and quickly, providing data protection without the time consumption and unreliability of manual backup processes.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs the backup action automatically without requiring user intervention. The snapshot is created autonomously before the update, providing self-service data protection that is both time-efficient and reliable, overcoming the limitations of manual backup processes.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

4Ease of manufacture

If conventional update systems are used, then operating system updates are applied, but deep native integration with cloud virtual machine lifecycles is lacking

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveupdate applicationVSAvoidintegration with cloud VM lifecycles

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The system provides a universal solution that works across different cloud virtual machine platforms and lifecycle stages. By creating snapshots before updates and enabling flexible deallocation with restore capabilities, the system integrates deeply with various cloud VM scenarios, making it adaptable to different operating systems and cloud environments.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS12360796B2Managing updates on virtual machine systems

Publication Date: 2025.07.15 MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING LLC

AI summary

The present disclosure relates to systems, methods, and computer-readable media for determining optimal index configurations for intelligently managing updates of virtual machines in an offline manner in a cloud computing system. For instance, a virtual machine (VM) update system can efficiently determine when to apply updates to virtual machines in an intelligent manner that prevents the updates from interfering with the deallocation of virtual machines. In addition, the VM update system can utilize the operating system (OS) disk image snapshots to automatically provide safeguards and ensure that updates do not degrade the performance of the virtual machines, or in the case of an update failure, that the virtual machines are restored to their previous state without the data loss.