VM and Container Allocation Metering Over a Separate Management Network
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current cloud computing models face challenges in accurately metering and billing for virtual machines and containers due to the need for periodic collection of usage data from customer data centers to off-premises servers, which is crucial for proper billing but often inefficient and incomplete.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus for gathering virtual structure allocation data from on-premises servers, including virtual machines and containers, and transmitting this data over a management network to off-premises owner servers for billing, using secure communication protocols to ensure accurate calculation of resource allocation costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If usage metering data are collected periodically from on-premises deployment to off-premises servers, then billing accuracy is improved, but system complexity and data transmission overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary component (metering agent or hypervisor module) that collects usage data locally at the customer data center and transmits it to off-premises servers. This intermediary handles the complexity of periodic collection, filtering, and transmission, thereby improving billing accuracy without significantly increasing overall system complexity for the end users.
2Reliability
If metering data collection is implemented from customer data center resources, then billing completeness is improved, but implementation difficulty and operational overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements self-service by deploying automated metering agents or utilizing hypervisor-built-in capabilities at the customer data center. These components automatically collect usage data from virtual machines and containers without requiring manual intervention from customers, thereby improving billing completeness while minimizing implementation and operational overhead.
3Reliability
If allocation data for virtual machines and containers is transmitted over management network, then data security is improved, but network bandwidth consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential allocation data (CPU, memory, storage metrics) from the full set of available telemetry data and transmits this filtered subset over the management network. This selective extraction maintains data security through encrypted management channels while minimizing network bandwidth consumption by avoiding transmission of redundant or less critical information.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for allocation metering for virtual machines and containers includes gathering virtual structure (“VS”) allocation data for one or more virtual structures running on one or more servers at a customer location of a customer. a virtual structure includes a virtual machine (“VM”) or a container. The VS allocation data is for a virtual structure of the one or more virtual structures that include allocation of virtual resources for the virtual structure. The customer leases computing resources from an owner. The method includes periodically transmitting VS allocation data to an owner server of the owner over a management network different than a computer network servicing workloads of the virtual structures. The owner server is located off-premises from the customer location. Billing information is calculated at the owner server from the VS allocation data and includes a cost for virtual resources allocated to the virtual structures for the billing period.