Patents by Inventor Eric Paul Forgette

Eric Paul Forgette has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 9990257
    Abstract: 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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2018
    Assignee: NetApp Inc.
    Inventors: Eric Paul Forgette, Deepak Kenchammana-Hosekote, Shravan Gaonkar, Arthur Franklin Lent
  • Patent number: 9372710
    Abstract: One or more techniques and/or systems are provided for describing virtual machine dependencies. In particular, data objects, such as virtual hard drives, associated with virtual machines may be identified and/or examined to identify data structures, such as configuration files, comprising configuration data. The configuration data may be analyzed to determine dependency relationships between virtual machines to describe virtual machine dependencies. Identifying virtual machine dependencies, among other things, allows virtual machines that are no longer used to be repurposed, deleted, reset, etc. with little to no adverse effect on other virtual machines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
    Inventors: Deepak Kenchammana-Hosekote, Eric Paul Forgette, Shravan Gaonkar
  • Publication number: 20150378850
    Abstract: 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.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 7, 2015
    Publication date: December 31, 2015
    Inventors: Eric Paul Forgette, Deepak Kenchammana-Hosekote, Shravan Gaonkar, Arthur Franklin Lent
  • Patent number: 9170831
    Abstract: While current solutions for cloning virtual machines can involve copying and duplicating files associated to a virtual machine (VM), systems and techniques can be devised to create thin clones of a VM using the VM's associated storage system to copy and deduplicate storage for the VMs. One can create a base VM in a directory of a storage container attached to a hypervisor, and then map the storage container to a volume on a storage system. One can clone the base VM using a snapshot of respective files associated to the base VM, which can comprise creating metadata that identified a physical storage location of the files. Further, the metadata can then be copied to a desired location on the storage container, to create a VM clone. Once copied, the cloned VM can be customized and registered within the hypervisor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2015
    Assignee: NETAPP, INC.
    Inventors: Matthew Douglas Robinson, Peter R. Learmonth, Michael Vaughn Stewart, Eric Paul Forgette
  • Patent number: 9128884
    Abstract: 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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2015
    Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
    Inventors: Eric Paul Forgette, Deepak Kenchammana-Hosekote, Shravan Gaonkar, Arthur Franklin Lent
  • Publication number: 20150046926
    Abstract: One or more techniques and/or systems are provided for describing virtual machine dependencies. In particular, data objects, such as virtual hard drives, associated with virtual machines may be identified and/or examined to identify data structures, such as configuration files, comprising configuration data. The configuration data may be analyzed to determine dependency relationships between virtual machines to describe virtual machine dependencies. Identifying virtual machine dependencies, among other things, allows virtual machines that are no longer used to be repurposed, deleted, reset, etc. with little to no adverse effect on other virtual machines.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 24, 2014
    Publication date: February 12, 2015
    Inventors: Deepak Kenchammana-Hosekote, Eric Paul Forgette, Shravan Geonkar
  • Patent number: 8910156
    Abstract: One or more techniques and/or systems are provided for describing virtual machine dependencies. In particular, data objects, such as virtual hard drives, associated with virtual machines may be identified and/or examined to identify data structures, such as configuration files, comprising configuration data. The configuration data may be analyzed to determine dependency relationships between virtual machines to describe virtual machine dependencies. Identifying virtual machine dependencies, among other things, allows virtual machines that are no longer used to be repurposed, deleted, reset, etc. with little to no adverse effect on other virtual machines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2014
    Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
    Inventors: Deepak Kenchammana-Hosekote, Eric Paul Forgette, Shravan Gaonkar
  • Patent number: 8819383
    Abstract: One or more techniques and/or systems are provided for non-disruptively addressing misalignment between a virtual data format and an underlying data format. Virtual data, such as a guest operating system of a virtual machine, may be stored within a virtual structure, such as a virtual machine disk, according to a virtual data format. The virtual structure may be stored within a storage device according to a storage data format. If misalignment is detected, then a new data container may be created within the storage device. A shim, sized according to a misalignment offset, may be inserted into the new data container in order to align the new data container with the storage device. Virtual data may be migrated from the virtual structure to the new data container to achieve alignment. During the migration, the virtual data may remain available from the virtual structure (e.g., a virtual machine may still execute).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2014
    Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
    Inventors: Varun Jobanputra, Andrew Tucker, Eric Paul Forgette, Subramaniam V. Periyagaram, Mohit Gupta, Jose Mathew, Vishwajith Shivappa, Sisir Shekhar
  • Publication number: 20140053022
    Abstract: 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.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 25, 2013
    Publication date: February 20, 2014
    Applicant: NetApp Inc.
    Inventors: Eric Paul Forgette, Deepak Kenchammana-Hosekote, Shravan Gaonkar, Arthur Franklin Lent
  • Patent number: 8621274
    Abstract: 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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2013
    Assignee: NetApp Inc.
    Inventors: Eric Paul Forgette, Deepak Kenchammana-Hosekote, Shravan Gaonkar, Arthur Franklin Lent
  • Publication number: 20130346976
    Abstract: While current solutions for cloning virtual machines can involve copying and duplicating files associated to a virtual machine (VM), systems and techniques can be devised to create thin clones of a VM using the VM's associated storage system to copy and deduplicate storage for the VMs. One can create a base VM in a directory of a storage container attached to a hypervisor, and then map the storage container to a volume on a storage system. One can clone the base VM using a snapshot of respective files associated to the base VM, which can comprise creating metadata that identified a physical storage location of the files. Further, the metadata can then be copied to a desired location on the storage container, to create a VM clone. Once copied, the cloned VM can be customized and registered within the hypervisor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 23, 2013
    Publication date: December 26, 2013
    Applicant: NetApp Inc.
    Inventors: Matthew Douglas Robinson, Peter R. Learmonth, Michael Vaughn Stewart, Eric Paul Forgette
  • Patent number: 8566821
    Abstract: While current solutions for cloning virtual machines can involve copying and duplicating files associated to a virtual machine (VM), systems and techniques can be devised to create thin clones of a VM using the VM's associated storage system to copy and deduplicate storage for the VMs. One can create a base VM in a directory of a storage container attached to a hypervisor, and then map the storage container to a volume on a storage system. One can clone the base VM using a snapshot of respective files associated to the base VM, which can comprise creating metadata that identified a physical storage location of the files. Further, the metadata can then be copied to a desired location on the storage container, to create a VM clone. Once copied, the cloned VM can be customized and registered within the hypervisor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2013
    Assignee: NetApp Inc.
    Inventors: Matthew Douglas Robinson, Peter R. Learmonth, Michael Vaughn Stewart, Eric Paul Forgette
  • Publication number: 20100122248
    Abstract: While current solutions for cloning virtual machines can involve copying and duplicating files associated to a virtual machine (VM), systems and techniques can be devised to create thin clones of a VM using the VM's associated storage system to copy and deduplicate storage for the VMs. One can create a base VM in a directory of a storage container attached to a hypervisor, and then map the storage container to a volume on a storage system. One can clone the base VM using a snapshot of respective files associated to the base VM, which can comprise creating metadata that identified a physical storage location of the files. Further, the metadata can then be copied to a desired location on the storage container, to create a VM clone. Once copied, the cloned VM can be customized and registered within the hypervisor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 11, 2008
    Publication date: May 13, 2010
    Applicant: NETAPP
    Inventors: Matthew Douglas Robinson, Peter R. Learmonth, Michael Vaugh Stewart, Eric Paul Forgette