Virtual Overlay Infrastructure for Physical Resource Sharing

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Solution Overview

Problem

Physical IT infrastructures are difficult to manage, leading to low resource utilization, sub-optimal configurations, and interference between tasks, as they can only have one configuration at a time, making it challenging to adapt to changing business demands or efficiently share resources.

Innovation Solution

A system with physical resources and virtual overlay infrastructures that allow dynamic mapping of virtual entities for data processing, storage, and networking, enabling multiple isolated virtual infrastructures to share common physical resources, with a mapping manager that optimizes resource allocation based on availability, performance, and utilization criteria.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If physical IT infrastructure is used with single configuration, then hardware utilization is low (15% for servers, 5% for desktops), but reconfigurability is limited

Engineering Contradiction:

ImprovereconfigurabilityVSAvoidresource utilization

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The physical IT infrastructure is segmented into multiple virtual infrastructures through virtualization. Each virtual infrastructure can be independently configured and managed, allowing simultaneous support for multiple workloads (e.g., desktop office applications during day, numerical analysis applications during night) on the same physical hardware, thereby improving resource utilization while maintaining reconfigurability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The physical infrastructure is designed to serve multiple functions through virtual overlay infrastructures. A single physical server can host multiple virtual machines with different configurations suitable for different tasks, making the infrastructure universal and adaptable to varying business demands without requiring dedicated hardware for each function

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Loss of energy

If virtual overlay infrastructures are introduced to improve resource sharing, then resource utilization increases, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveresource utilizationVSAvoidsystem complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of energyVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

A mapping manager is introduced as an intermediary component to manage the virtual overlay infrastructures and their mapping to physical resources. The mapping manager handles the complexity of resource allocation, isolation, and configuration dynamically, shielding users from the underlying system complexity while enabling efficient resource utilization through automated mapping optimization

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Ease of operation

If physical infrastructure reconfiguration is performed manually, then changes are expensive and error-prone, but automation requires specialized hardware

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvereconfiguration easeVSAvoidhardware requirements

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Manual mechanical reconfiguration operations (physical cable connections, hardware assembly) are replaced with software-based virtual overlay infrastructures. The mapping manager dynamically alters the mapping between virtual and physical resources through software commands, eliminating the need for specialized reconfiguration hardware while making reconfiguration easier, faster, and less error-prone

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

4Reliability

If physical machines are assigned to single farm in UDC, then isolation is provided, but utilization is limited requiring more hardware purchase

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveisolationVSAvoidhardware quantity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

Multiple virtual infrastructures are merged onto a single physical infrastructure through dynamic mapping. The mapping manager enables a physical machine to be shared across multiple farms simultaneously by dynamically altering the mapping, providing both isolation (through virtual overlay) and high utilization (through shared physical resources), thereby reducing the total hardware quantity needed

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentUS8719914B2Virtual computing infrastructure

Publication Date: 2014.05.06 RED HAT LLC

AI summary

A system has a virtual overlay infrastructure mapped onto physical resources for processing, storage and network communications, the virtual infrastructure having virtual entities for processing, storage and network communications. Virtual infrastructures of different users share physical resources but are isolated and have their own management entities. An interface between infrastructures allows controlled relaxation of the isolation, using a gateway between virtual nets, or shared virtual storage devices. This can allow businesses to share data or applications, while maintaining control of security.