VM Cloning via Controller Virtual Machine Shadow Copying
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional virtual computing systems face inefficiencies in cloning virtual machines (VMs) due to time-consuming operations and significant storage requirements, especially when dealing with multiple snapshots, and are often hypervisor-dependent.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a method where a controller virtual machine (CVM) uses shadow copying to create software shadow copies of virtual disks and associated files, reducing the need for complete duplicates, thus enabling faster cloning with reduced storage needs and hypervisor-agnostic compatibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional VM cloning methods are used to ensure complete VM state duplication, then cloning reliability is improved, but storage requirements increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses shadow copying to create a pointer-based reference copy of the parent VM state instead of a complete physical duplicate. The shadow copy contains metadata pointers that reference the original parent state blocks, enabling space-efficient cloning while maintaining data integrity through the pointer structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements nested differencing snapshots where child snapshots contain pointers to parent snapshot blocks, creating a hierarchical reference structure. This nested arrangement allows multiple snapshots to share common blocks without duplication, reducing overall storage requirements while preserving complete VM state history.
2Manufacturing precision
If conventional VM cloning methods are used to ensure complete data duplication, then cloning accuracy is improved, but cloning time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The shadow copying mechanism creates an immediate pointer-based reference structure rather than physically copying data blocks. This metadata-only copying approach dramatically reduces cloning time from hours to minutes while maintaining cloning accuracy through the integrity of the pointer references to original data blocks.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-establishing the shadow copy pointer structure and metadata relationships before actual data transfer is needed. This preliminary setup enables rapid cloning operations while ensuring data accuracy through pre-validated reference structures.
3Reliability
If conventional snapshot copying methods are used to preserve VM state history, then snapshot integrity is improved, but storage consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a nested hierarchy of differencing snapshots where each child snapshot contains selective pointers to blocks from its parent snapshot. This nested structure allows multiple snapshots to coexist with shared blocks, preserving complete VM state history at each snapshot point while consuming minimal additional storage space.
Solution Approach 2:
Each snapshot creates a shadow copy with pointer references to the parent snapshot's data blocks rather than duplicating the entire parent state. This copying approach maintains snapshot integrity through the pointer chain while dramatically reducing storage consumption compared to full duplication methods.
Data Source
AI summary
An illustrative embodiment disclosed herein is a method including receiving, by a controller virtual machine (CVM) and from a hypervisor, a request to clone a virtual machine (VM) state. The VM state includes a parent state and a snapshot. The method further includes cloning, by the CVM, the parent state and the snapshot to generate a cloned parent state and a cloned snapshot, respectively, and sending, by the CVM and to the hypervisor, data indicating successful cloning of the parent state and the snapshot.