Abstract: In one embodiment, a system includes host machines that form elements of the virtualization environment, and that include a hypervisor, a user virtual machine (UVM), a connection agent, and an I/O controller. The system further includes a virtual disk comprising a plurality of storage devices, the virtual disk being accessible by all of the I/O controllers. At least one of host machines receives a request associated with one of the elements using an application programming interface (API), and including a context-specific identifier. The host machine determines, using reflection, a type of the context-specific identifier and processes the request based on a mapping, according to the determined type, from the context-specific identifier to a unique identifier associated with the element.

Abstract: An architecture for accessing data between different virtual disk formats. A virtual machine may be migrated or cloned from a first server that uses a first virtual disk format to a second server using a second virtual disk format. In response to an I/O request from the virtual machine, a real-time mapper compares the virtual disk format used by the virtual machine with the virtual disk format of the virtual disk that the request is directed to. If the formats are different, a set of mapping metadata is used to map between data of the different virtual disk formats. Due to the mapping being performed in real time, the virtual machine is able to operate upon the virtual disk without the need to perform a potentially costly format conversion of the virtual disk or the underlying data.

Abstract: A method for providing backup to a networked virtualization environment for storage management by a remote storage environment having a block storage device and an object storage device, includes deploying a controller virtual machine at the remote storage environment, wherein the controller virtual machine provides a block storage device interface, receiving, at the controller virtual machine, a write request for data in a block-based format, translating the data from the block-based format to an object-based format, writing the data in the object-based format to the object storage device, and updating metadata corresponding to the write request in the block storage device.

Abstract: A method for transitioning a data replication policy from an asynchronous data replication policy to a synchronous data replication policy for data replication between a source vDisk at a source networked virtualization environment and a destination vDisk at a destination networked virtualization environment.

Abstract: Disclosed is an improved approach to optimize link-based cloning in a virtualization architecture. In some approaches, each of the remote nodes is allowed to maintain its own snapshot of the linked/shared image. In this way, the processing power of each remote node can be used in a decentralized manner to administratively handle access to the shared data, rather than requiring the CPU resources of only the host node to centrally handle administrative access to the data. In addition, each of nodes can maintain copies of the shared image in a local cache. This allows the caching resources to also be decentralized, as each of the nodes can use its own caching resources to hold the shared data.

Abstract: A method for implementing erasure coding, including identifying a plurality of storage units, determining a number of storage unit failures to be tolerated, organizing data within the plurality of storage units as a matrix of rows and columns for computing one or more parity data, configuring the matrix to include one or more additional rows having preset values, computing the one or more parity data from the matrix that corresponds to the number of storage unit failures to be tolerated, wherein the one or more parity data comprises a row parity, a first diagonal parity, and a second diagonal parity, wherein the one or more additional rows having the preset values are used to compute the first diagonal parity and the second diagonal parity; and wherein the first diagonal parity comprises a different slope from the second diagonal parity.

Abstract: Described is an architecture for providing access to administrative functionality in a virtualization system using implied authentication. This approach avoids the problems associated with the requirements to use a user ID and password to access an admin console. The user ID and password can be rendered completely unnecessary, or where the user ID and password combination is only used as a supplement to the implied authentication.

Abstract: A method for providing real time replication status for a networked virtualization environment for storage management, includes scanning metadata to identify replication status for all virtual disks (vDisks) in the networked virtualization environment, generating replication tasks for vDisks that are identified as under replicated based on the scan, performing the replication tasks, monitoring the progress of the replication tasks and determining the real time replication status of the networked virtualization environment based on the scanned metadata and the monitored progress of the replication tasks.

Abstract: Performing a hot-swap of a storage device for a node in a virtualization environment having a plurality of storage devices, includes performing pass-thru of a storage manager managing the plurality of storage devices to a service virtual machine, such that the service virtual machine communicates with the plurality of storage devices without going through a storage software layer of its corresponding hypervisor, booting the hypervisor from a device other than the plurality of storage devices and performing the hot-swap of the storage device.

Abstract: A method for handling failure in a networked virtualization environment having distributed virtual machine management.

Abstract: Described is an architecture for providing access to administrative functionality in a virtualization system using implied authentication. This approach avoids the problems associated with the requirements to use a user ID and password to access an admin console. The user ID and password can be rendered completely unnecessary, or where the user ID and password combination is only used as a supplement to the implied authentication.

Abstract: Performing a hot-swap of a storage device for a node in a virtualization environment having a plurality of storage devices, includes performing pass-thru of a storage manager managing the plurality of storage devices to a service virtual machine, such that the service virtual machine communicates with the plurality of storage devices without going through a storage software layer of its corresponding hypervisor, booting the hypervisor from a device other than the plurality of storage devices and performing the hot-swap of the storage device.

Abstract: Systems for high-performance computing. A storage control architecture is implemented by a plurality of nodes, where a node comprises combinations of executable containers that execute in cooperation with virtual machines running above a hypervisor. The containers run in a virtual machine above a hypervisor, and/or can be integrated directly into the operating system of a host node. Sensitive information such as credit card information may be isolated from the containers in a separate virtual machine that is configured to be threat resistant, and which can be accessed through a threat resistant interface module. One of the virtual machines of the node may be a node-specific control virtual machine that is configured to operate as a dedicated storage controller for a node. One of the virtual machines of the node may be a node-specific container service machine that is configured to provide storage-related and other support to a hosted executable container.

Abstract: A method for providing real time replication status for a networked virtualization environment for storage management, includes scanning metadata to identify replication status for all virtual disks (vDisks) in the networked virtualization environment, generating replication tasks for vDisks that are identified as under replicated based on the scan, performing the replication tasks, monitoring the progress of the replication tasks and determining the real time replication status of the networked virtualization environment based on the scanned metadata and the monitored progress of the replication tasks.

Abstract: A method for implementing quality of service (QoS) for network communications sharing a network in a networked virtualization environment for storage management, includes receiving a network communication from a controller VM, identifying whether the network communication is a data communication type issued by a user VM or a control communication type issued by the controller VM, applying a set of rules to the network communication based on its communication type, and placing the network communication in a prioritization class queue based on a result of applying the set of rules to the network communication.

Abstract: A method for providing real time replication status for a networked virtualization environment for storage management, includes scanning metadata to identify replication status for all virtual disks (vDisks) in the networked virtualization environment, generating replication tasks for vDisks that are identified as under replicated based on the scan, performing the replication tasks, monitoring the progress of the replication tasks and determining the real time replication status of the networked virtualization environment based on the scanned metadata and the monitored progress of the replication tasks.

Abstract: A method for handling failure in a networked virtualization environment having distributed virtual machine management.

Abstract: Disclosed is an improved approach to implement erasure coding, which can address multiple storage unit failures in an efficient manner. The approach can effectively address multiple failures of storage units by implementing diagonal parity sets.

Abstract: Disclosed is an approach for implementing disaster recovery for virtual machines. Consistency groups are implemented for virtual machines, where the consistency group link together two or more VMs. The consistency group includes any set of VMs which need to be managed on a consistent basis in the event of a disaster recovery scenario.

Abstract: Disclosed is an approach for implementing disaster recovery for virtual machines. Consistency groups are implemented for virtual machines, where the consistency group link together two or more VMs. The consistency group includes any set of VMs which need to be managed on a consistent basis in the event of a disaster recovery scenario.