Virtual Switch Listener for Wake-on-LAN in Virtualized Environments
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing Wake-on-LAN technology does not support virtualized environments as there is no network interface card on reserve power for each virtual machine to listen for the Magic Packet, making it impossible to remotely power on virtual machines.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that assigns unique addresses to virtual machines, uses a virtual switch with a Listener to receive and decode power-on messages, and powers on virtual machines whose addresses match the extracted unique addresses, enabling Wake-on-LAN functionality in virtualized environments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If virtual machines are powered off to save energy, then energy efficiency is improved, but the ability to remotely power them on using Wake-on-LAN is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a hypervisor as an intermediary layer between the physical network interface and the virtual machines. The hypervisor captures Wake-on-LAN magic packets and translates them into appropriate power-on commands for the targeted virtual machines, enabling remote power-on capability while maintaining the energy savings from powered-off states.
Solution Approach 2:
The hypervisor is designed to handle multiple functions: it manages virtual machine lifecycle operations, handles network traffic routing, and processes Wake-on-LAN packets. This multi-functionality allows a single component to enable remote power-on across multiple virtual machines without requiring individual network interfaces for each VM.
2Reliability
If a physical network interface card is allocated to each virtual machine, then Wake-on-LAN functionality is enabled, but device complexity and resource utilization increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the network interface functionality for multiple virtual machines into a single physical network interface. The hypervisor virtualizes this shared interface, allowing multiple VMs to share the same physical NIC while maintaining individual Wake-on-LAN capabilities through virtual network interface cards and packet filtering.
Solution Approach 2:
The hypervisor creates virtual copies of network interface functionality for each virtual machine. These virtual network interface cards (vNICs) provide each VM with its own network identity and Wake-on-LAN capability without requiring dedicated physical hardware, reducing overall system complexity.
3Productivity
If virtual machines share a common network interface, then device utilization is improved, but the ability to selectively power on individual virtual machines is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the network traffic handling at the hypervisor level. The hypervisor intercepts Wake-on-LAN packets and segments the processing by extracting the target virtual machine identifier from the packet, then routing the power-on command to the specific VM. This allows selective power-on of individual VMs while maintaining shared network interface utilization.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where the hypervisor monitors incoming Wake-on-LAN packets, identifies the target virtual machine based on embedded identifiers, and provides appropriate power-on commands. This feedback loop enables selective power-on capability while maintaining efficient shared interface usage.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and system for supporting Wake-on-LAN technology in a virtualized environment is described. An improved virtual switch comprises a listener, which receives a power-on message on behalf of virtual machines, extracts addresses of the virtual machines to be powered on, which are embedded in the power-on message, compares the extracted addresses with addresses of the virtual machines stored in a database, and selectively powers on those virtual machines for which the extracted and stored addresses match.