Virtual Server Placement for Redundant Configuration Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing redundancy approaches for computer systems, particularly in data centers, face challenges in cost efficiency and reliability, as they require multiple physical servers for redundancy, and virtual machine technologies fail to ensure continuous operation if a physical server fails, as active and redundant virtual servers must be on different servers.
Innovation Solution
A redundant configuration management system that determines the placement of processing programs across physical servers to meet availability requirements, ensuring that active and redundant servers for the same subsystem are not on the same physical server, using input means and redundant configuration design to calculate and manage virtual server placement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If physical servers are provided for redundancy, then system reliability is improved, but system cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates virtual copies of servers through virtualization technology. Instead of providing physical redundant servers, virtual server instances are created and distributed across physical servers. These virtual copies provide the same functional redundancy at lower cost by sharing physical hardware resources.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables a single physical server to host multiple virtual servers that can serve different subsystems. This multi-functionality allows one physical server to provide redundancy for multiple different applications simultaneously, reducing the total number of physical servers needed compared to dedicated physical redundancy for each subsystem.
2Quantity of substance
If virtual machine technologies are used to reduce cost, then system cost decreases, but reliability deteriorates when physical server fails
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments virtual servers across multiple physical servers rather than concentrating them on a single physical server. This segmentation ensures that if one physical server fails, its virtual servers can be migrated or restarted on other physical servers, maintaining system reliability while keeping costs low through virtualization.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent dynamically changes the placement parameters of virtual servers across the physical server infrastructure. By monitoring physical server status and dynamically relocating virtual servers, the system maintains reliability even when physical servers fail, while still benefiting from the cost efficiency of virtualization.
Data Source
AI summary
Upon receipt of an availability requirement of a computer system under management, a redundant configuration management system determines placement of processing programs in physical servers equipped in the computer system to satisfy the availability requirement with reference to system configuration information indicative of the configuration of the computer system and restriction information for limiting the number of processing programs which can be run by the physical servers.