Automated Virtual Machine Restart via Storage Access Migration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Virtual machines in virtual computing environments often pause due to input/output errors resulting from loss of storage access, with existing methods failing to provide timely and automated recovery solutions.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a virtualization manager that determines the cause of the pause and, if possible, instantiates a new virtual machine instance on a different host with access to the shared storage, allowing for automated restart and resumption of paused virtual machines.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If virtual machines are paused due to I/O errors from storage access loss, then system stability is maintained, but productivity and service continuity deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The virtualization manager automatically detects I/O errors, identifies alternative hosts with access to the same storage, and migrates the virtual machine without human intervention. This self-service mechanism resolves the contradiction by automatically recovering service continuity while maintaining system stability through controlled migration processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The system pre-identifies alternative host computing devices that have access to the same storage devices before failures occur. When an I/O error is detected, the virtual machine can be quickly migrated to a pre-qualified host, minimizing downtime and maintaining service continuity while preserving system stability.
2Productivity
If automated restart mechanisms are implemented, then productivity and service continuity improve, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The virtualization manager performs multiple functions including error detection, host identification, migration coordination, and network connectivity verification through a single unified system. This multi-functionality improves service continuity while avoiding the complexity increase that would result from adding separate specialized systems for each function.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors I/O error conditions and automatically triggers migration processes when errors are detected. This feedback mechanism enables automated recovery that improves productivity while keeping the control logic centralized in the virtualization manager, avoiding the complexity of distributed automated recovery systems.
3Productivity
If virtual machines are migrated to alternative hosts, then service continuity improves, but measurement precision of storage access performance may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system selectively migrates virtual machines to alternative hosts based on the specific I/O error conditions and storage access requirements of each virtual machine. By evaluating individual host-storage connectivity and performance characteristics, the system maintains precise storage access performance measurements while ensuring service continuity through targeted migrations rather than blanket migrations.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus includes a storage device of a host computing device. The storage device is to store a virtualization manager. The apparatus also includes a processing device of the host computing device and operatively coupled to the storage device. The processing device is to determine that a first instance of a virtual machine on a first host computing device is paused based on an error associated with a connection to a storage device of the first host computing device, determine whether the second host computing device has access to the storage device of the first host computing device, instantiate a second instance of the virtual machine on the second host computing device when the second host computing device is determined to have access to the storage device of the first host computing device, and to stop the first instance of the virtual machine on the first host computing device.