Virtual Machine Fault Tolerance via Snapshot Conversion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Virtual machines often lack adequate fault tolerance, leading to limited error reporting and recovery options, making them inaccessible if they fail, especially since legacy applications may not have been designed with error handling in mind.
Innovation Solution
Virtual machines can be hosted or instantiated from snapshots on secondary computing devices, allowing for fault tolerance by creating backup images of the virtual machine's state on a primary device and restoring it on a secondary device in case of failure, ensuring continuous availability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If virtual machines are hosted on a primary computing device without backup mechanisms, then device complexity is reduced, but reliability deteriorates as the virtual machine becomes inaccessible upon failure
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates snapshots of the virtual machine state in advance on a primary computing device before failures occur. These snapshots are prepared and stored proactively, enabling rapid restoration without adding complex real-time backup mechanisms during operation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates copies of the virtual machine state through snapshots that can be restored to recover the virtual machine. This copying mechanism provides reliability without requiring complex redundant systems, as simple state snapshots suffice for recovery
2Reliability
If snapshots are created and stored for fault tolerance, then reliability improves, but loss of storage space increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts only the necessary state information from the virtual machine to create snapshots, storing only the essential data needed for restoration rather than complete redundant copies. This selective extraction reduces storage requirements while maintaining fault tolerance capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a snapshot management system that discards older or redundant snapshots automatically, keeping only those necessary for fault tolerance. This selective retention minimizes storage space consumption while ensuring adequate recovery options remain available
Data Source
AI summary
One or more techniques and/or systems are provided for hosting a virtual machine from a snapshot. In particular, a snapshot of a virtual machine hosted on a primary computing device may be created. The virtual machine may be hosted on a secondary computing device using the snapshot, for example, when a failure of the virtual machine on the primary computing device occurs. If a virtual machine type (format) of the snapshot is not supported by the secondary computing device, then the virtual machine within the snapshot may be converted to a virtual machine type supported by the secondary computing device. In this way, the virtual machine may be operable and/or accessible on the secondary computing device despite the failure. Hosting the virtual machine on the secondary computing device provides, among other things, fault tolerance for the virtual machine and/or applications comprised therein.