VM Replacement Detection and Policy Inheritance in Cloud Infrastructure
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Solution Overview
Problem
In cloud computing environments, infrastructure administrators face inefficiencies due to the inability to distinguish between virtual machines (VMs) created for replacement and new VMs, leading to mismanagement of resources and loss of optimization policies, as application administrators treat computing environments as immutable, replacing them instead of reconfiguring existing ones.
Innovation Solution
A management computer and method that determine application type and topology information to establish relationships between VMs, identifying potential replacements and pairing new VMs with candidate VMs, allowing for resource migration and policy inheritance to manage new VMs effectively.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If application administrators replace computing environments instead of reconfiguring existing ones, then the operation status of environments is simplified, but infrastructure administrators cannot recognize replacement relationships leading to loss of optimization policies
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses copying by creating a virtual copy (the new VM) to replace the existing VM. The management computer detects this replacement relationship by analyzing topology information and application types, allowing it to transfer optimization policies from the old VM to the new VM, thus preventing policy loss while maintaining operational simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback by having the management computer continuously monitor and analyze VM topology information and application types. This feedback mechanism enables the system to automatically detect when a new VM replaces an existing one, triggering the policy inheritance process to preserve optimization knowledge.
2Productivity
If infrastructure administrators optimize IT resources for existing VMs, then resource allocation efficiency is improved, but optimizations become inefficiencies when VMs are replaced without recognition
Solution Approach 1:
When a replacement relationship is detected, the system copies the optimization policies and resource allocation configurations from the existing VM to the new VM. This ensures that the resource allocation efficiency achieved through previous optimizations is preserved and transferred to the replacement VM, preventing the loss of optimization benefits.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary analysis of topology information and application types to predict and prepare for potential VM replacements. By establishing the replacement relationship in advance, the system can proactively transfer optimization policies before the replacement becomes problematic, maintaining continuous optimization efficiency.
3Ease of operation
If application administrators treat computing environments as immutable and create new environments, then environment configuration management is simplified, but infrastructure administrators cannot distinguish replacement VMs from new VMs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent detects replacement relationships by identifying copying patterns in the VM topology. When a new VM is created with similar application type and topology characteristics to an existing VM, the system infers a replacement relationship, enabling automatic policy inheritance without requiring administrators to manually track changes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual tracking and identification mechanisms with an automated analysis system that uses topology information and application type data. This substitution of mechanical/administrative processes with automated detection algorithms makes it easy to distinguish replacement VMs from truly new VMs, even in large-scale environments.
4Device complexity
If infrastructure administrators cannot identify replacement relationships, then management complexity is reduced, but policy inheritance and optimization continuity are lost
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements self-service by automatically detecting replacement relationships and inheriting policies without requiring infrastructure administrator intervention. The management computer autonomously analyzes topology information, identifies replacement patterns, and transfers optimization policies, maintaining reliability while keeping management complexity low.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses feedback loops where the management computer continuously monitors VM configurations and topology changes. This automated feedback mechanism ensures that optimization policies are reliably inherited across replacements without adding manual management complexity, as the system self-corrects and maintains policy continuity automatically.
Data Source
AI summary
In example implementations, when a management program deploys new virtual machines, the management program may identify candidate virtual machines for replacement, score the possibilities of replacement and relate the new virtual machines to candidate virtual machines if it determines the probability of replacement is high. The management program may also migrate virtual machines and storage volumes used by the virtual machines to other physical servers and storage arrays by related pairs of virtual machines. The management program may also inherit management policies from existing virtual machines being replaced and leverage them to manage new virtual machines, which replace the existing virtual machines.