Virtual Machine Migration for Fault Domain Separation
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Solution Overview
Problem
In virtualized computing environments, primary and secondary virtual machines can fail simultaneously due to being located in the same fault domain, leading to service disruptions and data loss, as conventional approaches do not adequately account for fault domain awareness.
Innovation Solution
Implementing fault domain awareness by migrating secondary virtual machines from one fault domain to another to ensure they are not co-located with their primary counterparts, using either a swapping approach for balanced load distribution or a migration approach based on resource availability to maintain service continuity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If secondary virtual machines are deployed in the same fault domain as primary virtual machines, then resource utilization is improved, but fault tolerance deteriorates due to simultaneous failures
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the virtualized environment into distinct fault domains, ensuring that primary and secondary virtual machines are placed in different fault domains. This segmentation prevents single-point failures from affecting both VMs simultaneously while maintaining efficient resource utilization across domains.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by assigning different fault domain characteristics to different regions of the virtualized environment. Each fault domain has specific resource pools and failure characteristics, allowing the system to optimize resource allocation locally while ensuring global fault tolerance through cross-domain secondary VM placement.
2Reliability
If secondary virtual machines are migrated to different fault domains, then fault tolerance is improved, but system complexity increases due to migration management
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements self-service through automated fault domain detection and secondary VM migration. The virtualization management platform automatically identifies fault domain boundaries, determines appropriate migration targets, and executes migrations without manual intervention, reducing the perceived complexity for users while maintaining high fault tolerance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs feedback mechanisms where the system continuously monitors fault domain status, resource availability, and VM performance. Based on this feedback, the management platform dynamically adjusts secondary VM placement and migration decisions, simplifying the overall system operation through intelligent automated control.
Data Source
AI summary
An example method is described to provide fault tolerance in a virtualized computing environment with a first fault domain and a second fault domain. The method may comprise determining whether a primary virtualized computing instance and a secondary virtualized computing instance are both in the first fault domain. The secondary virtualized computing instance may be configured as a backup for the primary virtualized computing instance and supported by a first host. The method may further comprise: in response to determination that the primary virtualized computing instance and secondary virtualized computing instance are both in the first fault domain, selecting, from the second fault domain, a second host based on a resource availability of the second host; and migrating the secondary virtualized computing instance from the first host to the second host, thereby migrating the secondary virtualized computing instance from the first fault domain to the second fault domain.