Automated Snapshot Consistency in Virtual Machines
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Solution Overview
Problem
In virtual network environments, creating consistent snapshots of virtual machine resources is cumbersome and prone to errors due to the need for manual preparation, which is inefficient and error-prone, especially in clustered file systems and single storage disks or memory.
Innovation Solution
An automated mechanism where a virtual manager entity coordinates with a virtual machine to initiate and manage snapshot creation, ensuring consistency by preparing the virtual machine for snapshot creation and handling snapshot preparation and cancellation processes, allowing for efficient creation of consistent snapshots.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual preparation is performed to ensure snapshot consistency, then snapshot consistency is improved, but operation complexity and error probability increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by automatically preparing the virtual machine state before snapshot creation. The virtual manager entity coordinates with the virtual machine to ensure proper preparation (such as flushing buffers, quiescing file systems) is completed before the actual snapshot is taken, eliminating the need for manual preparation while ensuring consistency.
Solution Approach 2:
The virtual machine and virtual manager entity work together in a self-service manner where the system automatically manages the snapshot preparation process. The virtual machine responds to notifications from the virtual manager and performs necessary preparation actions autonomously, reducing human intervention and potential errors.
2Productivity
If automated snapshot creation is implemented, then productivity is improved, but coordination complexity between virtual manager and virtual machine increases
Solution Approach 1:
The virtual manager entity serves as an intermediary that coordinates between the user/request and the virtual machine. It manages the notification process, receives responses, and controls the snapshot creation flow, thereby simplifying the overall coordination complexity while enabling automated operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The snapshot creation process is segmented into distinct phases: notification sending, preparation execution, result reporting, and snapshot creation. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function independently, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining high productivity.
3Reliability
If manual snapshot preparation is required, then snapshot consistency is ensured, but time consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs necessary preparation actions automatically and efficiently before snapshot creation. By implementing automated preliminary actions such as buffer flushing and file system quiescing, the system reduces the time required compared to manual operations while ensuring snapshot consistency is maintained.
Solution Approach 2:
Manual mechanical operations (manual preparation steps) are replaced with automated electronic/control system operations. The virtual manager entity electronically coordinates with the virtual machine to perform preparation actions, significantly reducing the time required compared to manual human operations while maintaining consistency.
Data Source
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AI summary
There are provided measures for enabling/realizing efficient snapshot creation in virtual network environment, especially for ensuring creation of consistent snapshots in an automated manner. Such measures exemplarily comprise that a virtual manager entity provides a notification of requested snapshot creation of a resource of a virtual machine entity for the virtual machine entity, the virtual machine entity executes snapshot preparation processing in response to the snapshot creation notification from the virtual manager entity, and the virtual manager entity executes snapshot processing on the basis of a snapshot preparation result provided by the virtual machine entity.