Automated Virtual Machine Failure Resolution via Health Validation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional approaches to determining and resolving virtual machine failures in data management platforms are inefficient, leading to prolonged downtime and operational challenges, especially in real-time data delivery systems.

Innovation Solution

An automated system that uses a processing device to ping virtual machines, generate status notifications, and publish HTML code, including error codes with embedded links, to facilitate quick identification and resolution of failures, utilizing a REST API and job scheduler for sequential shutdown or startup of virtual machines based on type and size.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If conventional manual approaches are used to determine and resolve virtual machine failures, then operational procedures can be executed, but downtime is prolonged and system availability deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesystem availabilityVSAvoiddowntime
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system automatically detects virtual machine failures through health validation checks, identifies the specific failure type, and executes appropriate remediation scripts without human intervention. This self-service automation eliminates manual response time and enables immediate failure resolution, directly reducing downtime while maintaining system availability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The system pre-configures multiple failure scenarios with corresponding remediation scripts and job scheduler configurations before failures occur. When a failure is detected, the appropriate pre-prepared script is automatically executed, eliminating the need for manual analysis and response planning, thus reducing downtime.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Speed

If automated health validation and status monitoring are implemented, then failure detection speed improves, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefailure detection speedVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
SpeedVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The health validation process is segmented into discrete checks for different failure types (host connect errors, SSL errors, monitor timeouts, etc.). Each failure type has its own dedicated detection logic and remediation script. This segmentation enables fast, targeted failure detection without requiring a monolithic complex system, as each component remains relatively simple and focused.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system monitors multiple parameters (connection status, SSL certificate validity, monitor response time, thread pool status) to detect different failure types. By changing which parameters are monitored based on the specific failure scenario, the system achieves comprehensive coverage while keeping each monitoring mechanism relatively simple and specialized.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Stability of the object's composition

If sequential shutdown and startup procedures are implemented based on virtual machine type and size, then system stability improves, but operational time increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesystem stabilityVSAvoidoperational time
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSDuration of action of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The job scheduler pre-determines the optimal shutdown and startup sequence based on virtual machine type (streaming, batch group, user group) and size before operations begin. This preliminary ordering ensures that dependent virtual machines are shut down in the correct sequence and started in the proper order, maintaining system stability while minimizing total operational time through optimized scheduling.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS20240160460A1Systems and methods providing automated failure resolution in virtual machines
Publication Date: 2024.05.16 BANK OF AMERICA CORP
  • US20240160460A1 patent drawing
  • US20240160460A1 patent drawing
  • US20240160460A1 patent drawing

AI summary

Systems, computer program products, and methods are described herein for automated failure resolution in virtual machines. The present disclosure is configured to provide a one-click restart automation across both lower and production environments for various virtual machines. This leads to consistent and predictable virtual machine outages and leverages a secure application programming interface service for reliable, automated virtual machine health validation. The process is standardized, centralized, and updatable or upgradable over time. In addition, the process is also transparent, in that success or failure reporting with error codes is provided via detailed notification processing architecture.