Virtual Machine Storage Allocation Automation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing virtual machine provisioning platforms require manual selection and allocation of storage resources, which is cumbersome and inefficient, especially for virtualized machines that lack pre-configured storage and resources.

Innovation Solution

A remote virtual machine installation client hosts a storage management engine that automatically identifies and allocates storage resources to virtual machines based on metadata, using a centralized provisioning server to determine resource distribution, ensuring each machine receives an appropriate share or type of storage according to its intended use or load, and dynamically adjusts allocations as needed.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If manual selection and allocation of storage resources is performed, then storage resources can be allocated to virtual machines, but the process becomes cumbersome and inefficient

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestorage allocation efficiencyVSAvoidmanual intervention requirement

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system enables automatic storage resource allocation where the provisioning platform autonomously identifies storage resources and assigns them to virtual machines based on metadata, eliminating the need for manual administrator intervention in the storage allocation process

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

Storage resources are pre-identified and prepared in a pool before virtual machine deployment, allowing the system to automatically allocate appropriate storage resources to newly provisioned virtual machines without requiring manual configuration during or after deployment

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Productivity

If automatic storage allocation is implemented, then provisioning efficiency is improved, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprovisioning speedVSAvoidstorage management system complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

A centralized provisioning server acts as an intermediary that manages the complexity of storage resource identification, allocation, and tracking, while presenting a simplified interface to both the storage infrastructure and the virtual machine provisioning process

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The provisioning platform integrates multiple functions including virtual machine provisioning, storage resource identification, storage allocation, and resource tracking into a single unified system that handles all these tasks through automated processes

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS8103776B2Systems and methods for storage allocation in provisioning of virtual machines

Publication Date: 2012.01.24 RED HAT INC

AI summary

Embodiments relate to systems and methods for storage allocation in the provisioning of virtual machines. A provisioning (or “cobbler”) server can interact with a local virtual machine installation client to initiate software provisioning to a set of virtual machines. The provisioning process can entail, for example, the selection and delivery of an operating system to the target set of virtual machines, as well as the installation of applications or other software. In conjunction with the provisioning process, the virtual machine installation client can identify and access a set of storage resources, such as hard disk or other storage, to be associated with the set of virtual machines, which themselves contain no local storage. That client can determine an allocation of the set of storage resources to each virtual machine in the set of virtual machines, for instance on a pro-rata basis or based on processing consumption or other factors.