Virtual Machine High Availability via Pre-established HA Daemon Channels
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing virtualization environments face challenges in providing high availability for virtual machines without the need for shutdown and restart, which can introduce errors and disrupt VM lifecycles.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of HA daemons that facilitate high availability by allowing virtual machines to remain operational without shutdown, using inter-process communication to detect failures and re-launch VMs on functional hypervisors without necessitating a shutdown state.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If VM shutdown and restart is performed for high availability, then VM can be re-launched on functional hypervisors, but VM deployment time increases and deployment errors may occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by having the HA agent register with the resource manager and pre-establish communication channels before VM failure occurs. The resource manager maintains a registry of available VMs and their states, so when a VM fails, the re-launch can proceed immediately using pre-collected information about available hypervisors and VM configurations, eliminating the need for shutdown and restart sequences.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the shutdown and restart operations from the high availability process. By separating these operations out, the system achieves high availability through direct re-launch on alternative hypervisors without requiring the VM to go through shutdown and restart cycles, thus reducing deployment time and avoiding associated errors.
2Reliability
If VM shutdown and restart is performed for high availability, then VM can be re-launched on functional hypervisors, but VM operations are disrupted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements continuity of useful action by enabling the VM to be re-launched on a functional hypervisor without shutdown. The HA agent continuously monitors hypervisor status and can immediately initiate re-launch on an alternative hypervisor when failure is detected, maintaining continuous VM operation and avoiding disruptions to VM lifecycle and operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses the HA agent and resource manager as intermediaries that facilitate seamless VM re-launch. The HA agent detects failures and communicates with the resource manager, which coordinates the re-launch process on alternative hypervisors. This intermediary mechanism abstracts away the complexity of failure recovery, allowing VM operations to continue without disruption.
3Reliability
If shutdown state is required for HA agent control transfer, then HA management can be implemented, but VM availability is reduced during the shutdown period
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by having the HA agent and resource manager establish their communication and coordination mechanisms before any failure occurs. The resource manager maintains up-to-date information about VM states and available hypervisors in advance, enabling immediate re-launch actions without requiring shutdown periods for setup or configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent achieves continuity of useful action by eliminating the shutdown requirement from the HA process. The VM can be re-launched on an alternative hypervisor while maintaining operational continuity, ensuring that the VM remains available throughout the failover process without experiencing downtime associated with shutdown and restart cycles.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for virtual machine high availability management. An example method may comprise: identifying a virtual machine; receiving information pertaining to the virtual machine; initiating virtual machine availability management, wherein the availability management commences without virtual machine shutdown; detecting a failure of the virtual machine; and causing re-launch of the virtual machine using the received information.