Abstract: The present disclosure relates to systems, methods, and computer readable media for rightsizing virtual machine deployments on a cloud computing system. For example, systems disclosed herein may predict utilization of resources for a customer deployment and determine a desired goal state including a deployment of virtual machines having rightsized specifications that align more closely with the predicted utilization. Systems disclosed herein may utilize the goal state in view of the deployment data, policies, and other information to determine an action plan including deployment actions for transitioning a current state of a customer deployment to the goal state. By rightsizing virtual machine deployments, systems described herein may affect more efficient utilization of cloud computing resources and decrease costs associated with over-allocation of cloud computing resources.

Abstract: A virtual machine hosting environment executing on a physical machine is operable to instantiate a virtual machine that is capable of initiating I/O operations directed to a remote storage. The virtual machine hosting environment is operable to determine when an unavailability condition exists with respect to the remote storage and when such unavailability condition no longer exists. The virtual machine hosting environment is further operable to suspend the virtual machine based at least on the determination that the unavailability condition exists and to resume the virtual machine based at least on the determination that the unavailability condition no longer exists. The virtual machine hosting environment may be still further operable to save one or more pending I/O requests generated by the virtual machine in conjunction with pausing the virtual machine and to send the pending I/O request(s) to the remote storage in conjunction with resuming the virtual machine.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer-readable media for deploying an updated image to nodes propagated throughout a distributed computing platform are provided. Upon receiving an indication to install a patch to an operating system residing on the nodes, an existing image of the operating system is accessed at a staging service. The staging service generates the updated image by applying the patch to the existing image. The process of applying the patch includes mounting the existing image of the operating system to a virtual machine, copying the patch to the mounted existing image, setting a command within the existing image that executes upon activating the virtual machine, and activating the virtual machine, thereby executing the command. This directs the patch to be installed. The updated image is pushed to the nodes. The nodes are configured to utilize the updated image as the operating system without performing an individual installation of the patch.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a device obtains telemetry data regarding a plurality of traffic flows in a network. The device forms a directed graph based on the telemetry data, wherein nodes of the graph represent devices in the network. The device simulates traffic for one or more of the devices by performing random walks starting at a particular node on the directed graph to generate a set of trails, each trail representing a sequence of one or more flows. The device clusters the set of trails to form one or more clusters. The device generates an application fingerprint for an application based on one of the one or more clusters. The device uses the application fingerprint to identify traffic in the network as associated with the application.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a device obtains telemetry data regarding a plurality of traffic flows in a network. The device forms a directed graph based on the telemetry data, wherein nodes of the graph represent devices in the network. The device simulates traffic for one or more of the devices by performing random walks starting at a particular node on the directed graph to generate a set of trails, each trail representing a sequence of one or more flows. The device clusters the set of trails to form one or more clusters. The device generates an application fingerprint for an application based on one of the one or more clusters. The device uses the application fingerprint to identify traffic in the network as associated with the application.

Abstract: Embodiments described herein are directed to migrating affected services away from a faulted cloud node and to handling faults during an upgrade. In one scenario, a computer system determines that virtual machines running on a first cloud node are in a faulted state. The computer system determines which cloud resources on the first cloud node were allocated to the faulted virtual machine, allocates the determined cloud resources of the first cloud node to a second, different cloud node and re-instantiates the faulted virtual machine on the second, different cloud node using the allocated cloud resources.

Abstract: According to examples, a system may include a plurality of clusters of nodes and a plurality of container manager hardware processors, in which each of the container manager hardware processors may manage the nodes in a respective cluster of nodes. The system may also include at least one service manager hardware processor to manage deployment of customer services across multiple clusters of the plurality of clusters of nodes through the plurality of container manager hardware processors.

Abstract: Embodiments provide migration of services across different clusters to balance utilization and meet customer demands. Different service migration options may be performed with or without downtime. The artifacts of the service are moved to a new destination cluster. The service is created on the new destination cluster and staged so that the service is almost ready to start. In one embodiment, the service is stopped on the old cluster and started on the new cluster. After stopping the service, DNS is updated to point to the service on the new cluster. In another embodiment, the service is stopped on the old cluster and started on the new cluster with the same IP address to avoid DNS reprogramming and associated delays. In a further embodiment, the migration is performed without downtime by moving the service part by part from one cluster to another.

Abstract: Tenant and server platform coordination of the performance of atomic tasks that are to be performed by the platform, but which have at least a potential impact on the tenant. The server platform allows a particular tenant a timeframe within which the tenant itself may approve of initiation of each of one or more tasks. The server platform may protect itself from delayed action by imposing time constraints on the timeframe such that after the timeframe is elapsed, the tenant no longer has control over triggering the initiation of the particular task. Accordingly, the tenant is provided with flexibility on controlling initiation of a task performed by the server platform, while the server platform maintains a level of control to protect its resources and balances the needs of the various tenants.

Abstract: Embodiments described herein are directed to migrating affected services away from a faulted cloud node and to handling faults during an upgrade. In one scenario, a computer system determines that virtual machines running on a first cloud node are in a faulted state. The computer system determines which cloud resources on the first cloud node were allocated to the faulted virtual machine, allocates the determined cloud resources of the first cloud node to a second, different cloud node and re-instantiates the faulted virtual machine on the second, different cloud node using the allocated cloud resources.

Abstract: In an environment that includes a host computing system that executes virtual machines, and a secure cloud computing channel that communicatively couples the host to a client computing system that is assigned to a particular one of the virtual machines, the particular virtual machine generates a certificate, install the certificate on the itself, and returns a certificate representation to the client. This may occur when the virtual machine is provisioned. During a subsequent connection request from the client to the virtual machine, the virtual machine returns the certificate to the client. The client compares the certificate representation that was returned during provisioning with the certificate returned during the subsequent connection, and if there is a match, then the virtual machine is authenticated to the client. Thus, in this case, the virtual machine authenticates without the client having to generate, install, and manage security for a certificate.

Abstract: Embodiments described herein are directed to migrating affected services away from a faulted cloud node and to handling faults during an upgrade. In one scenario, a computer system determines that virtual machines running on a first cloud node are in a faulted state. The computer system determines which cloud resources on the first cloud node were allocated to the faulted virtual machine, allocates the determined cloud resources of the first cloud node to a second, different cloud node and re-instantiates the faulted virtual machine on the second, different cloud node using the allocated cloud resources.

Abstract: A virtual machine hosting environment executing on a physical machine is operable to instantiate a virtual machine that is capable of initiating I/O operations directed to a remote storage. The virtual machine hosting environment is operable to determine when an unavailability condition exists with respect to the remote storage and when such unavailability condition no longer exists. The virtual machine hosting environment is further operable to suspend the virtual machine based at least on the determination that the unavailability condition exists and to resume the virtual machine based at least on the determination that the unavailability condition no longer exists. The virtual machine hosting environment may be still further operable to save one or more pending I/O requests generated by the virtual machine in conjunction with pausing the virtual machine and to send the pending I/O request(s) to the remote storage in conjunction with resuming the virtual machine.

Abstract: Embodiments provide migration of services across different clusters to balance utilization and meet customer demands. Different service migration options may be performed with or without downtime. The artifacts of the service are moved to a new destination cluster. The service is created on the new destination cluster and staged so that the service is almost ready to start. In one embodiment, the service is stopped on the old cluster and started on the new cluster. After stopping the service, DNS is updated to point to the service on the new cluster. In another embodiment, the service is stopped on the old cluster and started on the new cluster with the same IP address to avoid DNS reprogramming and associated delays. In a further embodiment, the migration is performed without downtime by moving the service part by part from one cluster to another.

Abstract: The provisioning of a virtual machine when booted from virtual storage. During virtual machine boot from an image, the virtual machine detects storage media. The virtual machine acquires a provisioning agent and provisioning data from the detected storage media. The virtual machine uses the provisioning data to provision itself, and executes the provisioning agent. The provisioning agent may monitor the progress of the provisioning and/or report a status of the provisioning. The virtual machine may operate in a cloud computing environment, the status of the provisioning agent being returned to the user through the cloud environment. The user need not generate the provisioning data in a format readable by the virtual machine. Instead, perhaps some naturally entered user input is used to automatically generate the properly formatted provisioning data using perhaps a service in the cloud.

Abstract: Embodiments provide migration of services across different clusters to balance utilization and meet customer demands. Different service migration options may be performed with or without downtime. The artifacts of the service are moved to a new destination cluster. The service is created on the new destination cluster and staged so that the service is almost ready to start. In one embodiment, the service is stopped on the old cluster and started on the new cluster. After stopping the service, DNS is updated to point to the service on the new cluster. In another embodiment, the service is stopped on the old cluster and started on the new cluster with the same IP address to avoid DNS reprogramming and associated delays. In a further embodiment, the migration is performed without downtime by moving the service part by part from one cluster to another.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer-readable media for deploying an updated image to nodes propagated throughout a distributed computing platform are provided. Upon receiving an indication to install a patch to an operating system residing on the nodes, an existing image of the operating system is accessed at a staging service. The staging service generates the updated image by applying the patch to the existing image. The process of applying the patch includes mounting the existing image of the operating system to a virtual machine, copying the patch to the mounted existing image, setting a command within the existing image that executes upon activating the virtual machine, and activating the virtual machine, thereby executing the command. This directs the patch to be installed. The updated image is pushed to the nodes. The nodes are configured to utilize the updated image as the operating system without performing an individual installation of the patch.

Abstract: Software deployment to server nodes within large-scale networked systems is provided using image-based deployment. A mostly immutable image is provided at a central service and transferred from the central service to the server nodes. The image includes a base image, which is immutable, and a delta image, which is writable and provides role-specific and/or node-specific state to the base portion. When a server node receives an image from the central server, the server node stores the image intact without installation. The server node then runs software directly from the stored image.

Abstract: In an environment that includes a host computing system that executes virtual machines, and a secure cloud computing channel that communicatively couples the host to a client computing system that is assigned to a particular one of the virtual machines, the particular virtual machine generates a certificate, install the certificate on the itself, and returns a certificate representation to the client. This may occur when the virtual machine is provisioned. During a subsequent connection request from the client to the virtual machine, the virtual machine returns the certificate to the client. The client compares the certificate representation that was returned during provisioning with the certificate returned during the subsequent connection, and if there is a match, then the virtual machine is authenticated to the client. Thus, in this case, the virtual machine authenticates without the client having to generate, install, and manage security for a certificate.

Abstract: Tenant and server platform coordination of the performance of atomic tasks that are to be performed by the platform, but which have at least a potential impact on the tenant. The server platform allows a particular tenant a timeframe within which the tenant itself may approve of initiation of each of one or more tasks. The server platform may protect itself from delayed action by imposing time constraints on the timeframe such that after the timeframe is elapsed, the tenant no longer has control over triggering the initiation of the particular task. Accordingly, the tenant is provided with flexibility on controlling initiation of a task performed by the server platform, while the server platform maintains a level of control to protect its resources and balances the needs of the various tenants.