Virtual Machine Redundancy via Orchestrator Diversity Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing virtualized networks often lack effective fault tolerance mechanisms, making them susceptible to catastrophic failures as they may not always be able to provide redundancy for virtual machines at the component level, especially when specialized hardware and software are replaced by generic COTS hardware.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of an orchestrator application that analyzes virtual machine instantiation requests, determines redundancy requirements, and identifies the most diverse resources to instantiate virtual machines and their redundant copies across a pool of available resources, enhancing fault tolerance by maximizing diversity in compute environments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple instances of virtual machines are deployed behind a load balancer to provide fault tolerance, then system reliability is improved, but resource diversity and independence are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the virtual machine deployment by creating multiple independent instances distributed across different compute resources. Each virtual machine instance is separated and placed on distinct hardware platforms, preventing single-point failures from affecting all instances simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by ensuring each compute resource has unique characteristics (different hardware configurations, software versions, or operational environments). This diversity in local qualities across resources enhances fault tolerance while maintaining functional equivalence of the virtual machine instances.
2Reliability
If redundant virtual machine images are created for each virtual machine instance, then fault tolerance is improved, but system complexity and storage requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses copying by creating virtual machine instances that replicate the functional behavior and software environment of the original virtual machine. These copies are deployed across diverse compute resources, providing redundancy without requiring complex backup infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies universality by using a single load balancer and DNS infrastructure to manage multiple virtual machine instances. This universal control mechanism simplifies the system by providing centralized management while the underlying compute resources maintain diversity for fault tolerance.
3Ease of manufacture
If virtual machines are deployed on generic COTS hardware to replace specialized hardware, then cost and accessibility are improved, but fault tolerance and reliability are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by systematically varying hardware and software parameters across different compute resources. This includes using different CPU models, memory configurations, operating system versions, or virtualization platforms to create diversity that enhances fault tolerance in cost-effective COTS hardware environments.
Data Source
AI summary
Concepts and technologies are disclosed herein for using diversity to provide redundancy of virtual machines. A server computer that executes an orchestrator application can receive a virtual machine instantiation request. The server computer can analyze the request to determine needs associated with a virtual machine (including a redundancy requirement). The server computer can obtain resource availability data that indicates availability of resources and includes diversity data used to provide diversity-based redundancy of the virtual machine. The server computer can identify a pool of resources and identify, among the pool, two or more resources. The two or more resources can include a most diverse group of resources of the pool of resources and can be identified based upon the diversity data. The server computer can trigger instantiation of the virtual machine and a copy of the virtual machine on the resources.