Virtualization Infrastructure Upgrade Path Management

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Solution Overview

Problem

In conventional virtual computing environments, managing the lifecycle of components such as Points of Delivery (PODs) and workload PODs is complex, and ensuring compatibility between management and workload components is challenging due to the distributed nature of these environments, making updates difficult and prone to version incompatibilities.

Innovation Solution

A method utilizing a directed acyclic graph of available upgrade paths is employed to manage upgrades of virtualization infrastructure components, where metadata manifests are used to populate the graph, identifying source and target versions and software upgrade bundles, and updating the graph as new bundles are received, to determine the fewest number of upgrade paths required to maintain compatibility between management and workload PODs.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If conventional virtual computing environments are used, then the distributed nature enables flexibility and scalability, but compatibility management between components becomes complex and cumbersome

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveflexibility and scalabilityVSAvoidcompatibility management complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

A compatibility checker is introduced as an intermediary component that automatically verifies compatibility between management components and workload components before upgrades. This mediator system manages the complexity by centralizing compatibility verification logic, allowing the distributed environment to maintain flexibility while reducing manual compatibility management burden through automated checking and validation processes

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Productivity

If updates are performed to ensure application performance and functionality, then system functionality improves, but update management becomes difficult due to distributed nature

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveapplication performanceVSAvoidupdate management ease

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary compatibility checking before executing updates. The compatibility checker validates upgrade paths and identifies compatible target versions in advance, allowing administrators to plan updates proactively rather than reactively. This preliminary verification simplifies update management by pre-resolving compatibility issues and validating upgrade sequences before changes are applied across the distributed environment

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The compatibility checker provides feedback about version compatibility and potential issues before updates are applied. This feedback mechanism guides update decisions by highlighting compatible target versions and potential conflicts, making update management more straightforward despite the distributed architecture by providing clear, actionable information about upgrade implications

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Adaptability or versatility

If multiple version combinations are possible, then upgrade flexibility increases, but determining compatible paths becomes complex

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveupgrade flexibilityVSAvoidcompatibility path determination

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDifficulty of detecting and measuring

Solution Approach 1:

The system replaces manual compatibility analysis with an automated compatibility checker that uses algorithmic verification. Instead of mechanically checking each possible version combination manually, the system uses automated software tools to detect compatible upgrade paths, significantly reducing the difficulty of measuring and determining compatibility while maintaining the flexibility to choose from multiple valid upgrade routes

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Data Source

PatentUS12020011B2Managing an upgrade of a virtualization infrastructure component

Publication Date: 2024.06.25 VMWARE INC

AI summary

In a method for managing an upgrade of a virtualization infrastructure component, a plurality of metadata manifests corresponding to a plurality of software upgrade bundles is received, a software upgrade bundle for upgrading a virtualization infrastructure component from a source version to a target version, a metadata manifest comprising a listing of applications comprised within a corresponding software upgrade bundle and installation instructions for the applications comprised within the corresponding software upgrade bundle for upgrading the virtualization infrastructure component from a particular source version to a particular target version. A directed acyclic graph of available upgrade paths for the virtualization infrastructure component is populated based on the plurality of metadata manifests, wherein nodes identify the source versions and the target versions and edges identify the software upgrade bundle for upgrading the virtualization infrastructure component from the particular source version to the particular target version identified by the corresponding software upgrade bundle.