VM Compliance Enforcement via Systems Management Partition
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Solution Overview
Problem
Managing virtual machines across different vendor environments is challenging due to proprietary formats, lack of centralized control, and difficulty in tracking VMs, leading to compliance and security issues.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a compliance scheme that enforces policies on virtual machines before execution, using a systems management partition to store metadata and manage VMs, and intercepting requests to control VM actions, ensuring compliance with signature-based policies and remedial actions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If VMs are allowed to execute freely across different vendor environments, then VM mobility and flexibility are improved, but compliance control and security are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by enforcing compliance policies on VMs before they are allowed to execute. The system intercepts VM execution requests, checks compliance with policies (such as security requirements, licensing, and configuration standards), and only permits execution if compliance is satisfied. This pre-execution compliance checking ensures that VM mobility is maintained while compliance control is enforced, resolving the contradiction between flexibility and reliability.
2Reliability
If centralized compliance management is implemented, then security and control are improved, but system complexity is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary compliance management system that sits between the VM execution environment and the policy enforcement mechanisms. This intermediary layer intercepts VM requests, communicates with policy definition systems, and coordinates compliance checking without requiring fundamental changes to existing VM infrastructure. By acting as a mediator, the system provides centralized security control while minimizing the complexity burden on individual components, thus resolving the contradiction between security improvement and system complexity.
3Reliability
If compliance policies are enforced before VM execution, then security and compliance are improved, but execution time is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary compliance checking that occurs in the background before VM execution is requested. By performing compliance verification in advance and caching compliance results, the system minimizes the time impact on actual VM execution. The compliance check is integrated into the VM request workflow, allowing parallel processing where possible, thus maintaining security and compliance enforcement while reducing the perceived execution time delay.
4Adaptability or versatility
If proprietary vendor formats are supported, then vendor compatibility is improved, but interoperability management is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal compliance management framework that can handle multiple vendor-specific VM formats and proprietary structures through a common interface. The system defines standardized policy schemas and compliance checking mechanisms that work across different vendor environments (such as VMware, Microsoft, and open-source virtualization platforms). This universal approach allows the system to support diverse vendor formats without requiring separate management mechanisms for each vendor, thus improving interoperability management while maintaining vendor compatibility.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques are disclosed for controlling and managing virtual machines and other such virtual systems. VM execution approval is based on compliance with policies controlling various aspects of VM. The techniques can be employed to benefit all virtual environments, such as virtual machines, virtual appliances, and virtual applications. For ease of discussion herein, assume that a virtual machine (VM) represents each of these environments. In one particular embodiment, a systems management partition (SMP) is created inside the VM to provide a persistent and resilient storage for management information (e.g., logical and physical VM metadata). The SMP can also be used as a staging area for installing additional content or agentry on the VM when the VM is executed. Remote storage of management information can also be used. The VM management information can then be made available for pre-execution processing, including policy-based compliance testing.