Virtual Machine Live Snapshot Latency via Segmented Output
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems face challenges in managing virtual machines (VMs) in a fault-tolerant and low-latency manner, as creating live snapshots can introduce delays that lead to inconsistencies due to unblocked outputs, and blocking outputs to prevent this increases latency significantly.
Innovation Solution
The system treats multiple VMs as a group, creating live snapshots at the same points in time, allowing outputs between VMs but blocking outputs to external entities, thereby reducing latency without compromising fault tolerance or consistency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If live snapshots are created for virtual machines, then fault tolerance is improved, but latency increases due to output blocking requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments output destinations into internal VM-to-VM communications and external outputs. Internal outputs are allowed during snapshotting while external outputs are blocked, enabling fault tolerance without complete output blocking and thus reducing latency.
Solution Approach 2:
Different quality treatment is applied to different output destinations: internal outputs maintain normal flow characteristics during snapshotting, while external outputs are blocked. This local differentiation allows the system to achieve fault tolerance without the latency penalty of blocking all outputs.
2Stability of the object's composition
If outputs are blocked during live snapshotting, then consistency is maintained, but application latency increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments output destinations into internal VM-to-VM communications and external outputs. Internal outputs are allowed during snapshotting while external outputs are blocked, maintaining consistency for external observers without blocking internal application traffic and thus reducing latency.
Solution Approach 2:
Different quality treatment is applied to different output destinations: internal outputs maintain normal flow characteristics during snapshotting, while external outputs are blocked. This local differentiation allows the system to maintain consistency without the latency penalty of blocking all outputs.
3Stability of the object's composition
If all outputs are blocked during live snapshotting, then consistency is ensured, but productivity decreases due to suspended I/O operations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments output destinations into internal VM-to-VM communications and external outputs. Internal outputs are allowed during snapshotting while external outputs are blocked, maintaining consistency for external observers without blocking internal application traffic and thus preserving productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
Different quality treatment is applied to different output destinations: internal outputs maintain normal flow characteristics during snapshotting, while external outputs are blocked. This local differentiation allows the system to maintain consistency without the productivity penalty of blocking all outputs.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method are disclosed for managing a plurality of virtual machines (VMs) in a fault-tolerant and low-latency manner. In accordance with one example, a computer system executes a first VM and a second VM, and creates a first live snapshot of the first VM and a second live snapshot of the second VM. The computer system detects, after the creating of the first live snapshot and the second live snapshot, a failure that affects the executing of the first VM, and in response destroys the first VM and the second VM, creates a third VM from the first live snapshot and a fourth VM from the second live snapshot, and initiates execution of the third VM and the fourth VM. An output transmitted by the first VM to the second VM during the creating of the first live snapshot and the second live snapshot is not blocked.