VM Migration for Storage Power Reduction

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Solution Overview

Problem

Data centers face high costs and power consumption due to the large size of virtual machine (VM) images stored on disk arrays, which are power-hungry devices, despite declining storage costs per gigabyte.

Innovation Solution

A method to manage power consumption by opportunistically powering down or up physical storage units in a shared storage system by migrating VM images between logical storage units based on utilization levels and correlation data, using a virtual machine management unit and controller to direct migrations and control power states of physical storage units.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Quantity of substance

If disk arrays are used to store large VM images in data centers, then storage capacity is provided, but power consumption increases significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestorage capacityVSAvoidpower consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent consolidates multiple logical storage units that share the same physical storage units into a single active storage unit. By migrating VM images between logical storage units and powering down physical storage units when not in use, the system merges redundant storage capacity into fewer active devices, thereby reducing overall power consumption while maintaining required storage capacity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements dynamic power management by continuously monitoring utilization levels of logical storage units and adjusting the power state of physical storage units accordingly. When utilization drops below a threshold, the system dynamically powers down physical storage units; when utilization increases, it powers them up, optimizing the balance between storage capacity and power consumption.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

2Reliability

If multiple physical storage units are kept powered on to provide storage capacity, then storage availability is maintained, but power consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestorage availabilityVSAvoidpower consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSUse of energy by stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent performs preliminary migration of VM images before powering down physical storage units. By proactively migrating data to other active storage units when utilization thresholds are approached, the system ensures data availability is maintained before power reduction, preventing service disruption while enabling power savings.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system continuously monitors utilization levels of logical storage units and uses this feedback to determine when to power down or power up physical storage units. This closed-loop control ensures storage availability is maintained by activating additional physical units only when necessary, optimizing the balance between reliability and power consumption.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Quantity of substance

If VM images are stored on shared physical storage units, then storage cost is reduced, but power management complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestorage costVSAvoidpower management complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments storage into logical storage units that can be independently managed and mapped to physical storage units. This segmentation allows the system to track utilization at the logical level and make granular power management decisions, simplifying the complexity by organizing data in a hierarchical manner rather than managing individual physical units directly.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces logical storage units as intermediaries between virtual machines and physical storage units. This intermediary layer abstracts the complexity of shared physical storage from the VM layer, allowing power management decisions to be made at the logical level without directly managing physical hardware complexity, thereby reducing overall system complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS9047087B2Power management and virtual machine migration between logical storage units based on quantity of shared physical storage units

Publication Date: 2015.06.02 VMWARE INC

AI summary

In a shared storage system for supporting virtual machines, virtual machine images are opportunistically migrated between logical storage units to free up physical storage units and achieve better storage hardware resource utilization and reduced power consumption by powering down freed-up physical storage units. The destination for the opportunistic migration of a virtual machine is selected based on the extent to which the physical storage units are shared between the logical storage unit in which the virtual image is currently stored and the destination. In situations where the demand for storage hardware resources increases, the powered-down physical storage units may be opportunistically powered up to meet the increased demand.