Abstract: In one embodiment, a system for managing a virtualization environment comprises a plurality of host machines, one or more virtual disks comprising a plurality of storage devices, a virtualized file server (VFS) comprising a plurality of file server virtual machines (FSVMs), wherein each of the FSVMs is running on one of the host machines, wherein the VFS is configured to detect a failure of one of the FSVMs on a first one of the host machines, wherein the first host machine is located within a first block of host machines. The VFS may then identify a failover path to a second FSVM. For each storage resource associated with the first FSVM, the VFS may migrate the storage resource to the second FSVM.

Abstract: Particular embodiments provide a plurality of host machines, one or more virtual disks comprising a plurality of storage devices, and a virtualized file server (VFS) comprising a plurality of file server virtual machines (FSVMs), wherein each of the FSVMs is running on one of the host machines and conducts I/O transactions with the one or more virtual disks. A distributed health monitoring service (HMS) may be running on each of the host machines running a FSVM. The HMS may monitor the FSVMs to determine whether any of the FSVMs has failed or is having problems. The HMS may detect that a plurality of the FSVMs have failed, wherein the failed FSVMs form a portion of the FSVMs comprising the VFS. For each of the failed FSVMs, the HMS may reassign an IP address corresponding to the failed FSVM to a live one of the FSVMs.

Abstract: Systems for computing cluster management. One embodiment commences upon receiving a set of observed workload parameters corresponding to one or more observable workloads that run in a computing cluster. While the workloads are running, workload stimulus and cluster response observations are taken and used to generate a workload resource usage predictive model based on mappings or correlations between the observable workloads parameters and observed resource usage measurements. A set of planned workloads are applied to the workload resource usage predictive model to predict a set of corresponding predicted resource usage demands. The predicted resource usage demands are then mapped to a set of recommended hardware to form resource deployment recommendations that satisfy at least some of the corresponding resource usage demands while also observing a set of hardware model compatibility constraints.

Abstract: A method for indexing virtual machine version snapshots in a virtualization environment commences upon receiving a request (e.g., from an administrator or agent) to initiate a virtual machine version snapshot operation on a subject virtual machine. Processes within or controlled by the subject virtual machine are requested to temporarily suspend transactions and file I/O. When the processes that have been requested to temporarily suspend transactions and file I/O acknowledge quiescence, the method continues by generating a virtual machine version snapshot data structure. An entry in an index is formed from the virtual machine version snapshot data structure. Multiple instances of virtual machine version snapshot data structures can be stored in the index, and the index can be queried to determine the state that a virtual machine had at any of the snapshotted moments in time.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a computing device receives a request from a client device to view one or more entities of a virtualization environment. Based on the received request, the computing device accesses an entity-relationship graph that corresponds to entities of the virtualization environment. Each of the entities is represented by an entity-type node in the entity-relationship graph, and relationships between the entities are represented by edges between the entity-type nodes. The computing device creates a user interface to manage the one or more entities, and the computing device sends information to the client device to display the user interface.

Abstract: Particular embodiments provide a system for managing a virtualization environment, the system comprising a plurality of host machines, one or more virtual disks comprising a plurality of storage devices, and a virtualized file server (VFS) comprising a plurality of file server virtual machines (FSVMs), wherein each of the FSVMs is running on one of the host machines and conducts I/O transactions with the one or more virtual disks, and the host machines form a cluster. A health monitoring service may monitor the FSVMs to determine whether any of the FSVMs has failed or is having problems. If the health monitoring service detects a failure of one of the FSVMs on a first one of the host machines, for each resource lock associated with the first FSVM, the health monitoring service may reassign the resource lock to another one of the FSVMs.

Abstract: Examples described herein includes initialization of a computing node cluster. An example method providing a query request from an initialization application/service of a computing node for a default configuration management server identifier via a network, and receiving, from a network management server, an internet protocol address associated with the default configuration management server identifier. The example method further includes providing a configuration request from the computing node to the internet protocol address requesting configuration information, and receiving the configuration information at the computing node from a configuration management server associated with the internet protocol address.

Abstract: Systems for managing a distributed computing system. A method embodiment commences upon receiving user-provided specification parameters that describe a target state of a computing entity. After generating a set of resource management commands to achieve the specified target state of a computing entity, the resource management commands are scheduled for execution. As execution of the resource management commands is being carried out, the execution status of the resource management commands is continuously monitored. If performance of the resource management commands raises an error and/or the resource entity state is different than predicted, a set of remediation actions are determined, and an additional set of processing operations are invoked to accomplish the remediation actions. When all resource management commands and/or any remediation actions have completed successfully, the target resource entity state has been achieved.

Abstract: Examples of systems and methods are described for selecting firmware versions of multiple components for a distributed computing system (e.g., a cluster). Multiple selection interfaces may be presented to a user who may select at least one firmware version of at least one component. Based on the user selection(s), a service manager may evaluate firmware component dependencies and identify compatible firmware versions of other components for installation. In this manner, a set of firmware versions may be installed and/or upgraded which may be different than a current set of versions and/or a set of versions recommended in a wholly automated manner.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a system for managing a virtualization environment includes a set of host machines, each of which includes a hypervisor, virtual machines, and a virtual machine controller, one or more virtual disks comprising a plurality of storage devices, the one or more virtual disks being accessible by the virtual machine controllers, where the virtual machine controllers conduct I/O transactions with the virtual disks, and an upgrade system configured to receive a request to upgrade a virtualized file server on a plurality of host machines from a first program code version to a second program code version, for each host machine, generate a snapshot of a code image associated with the second program code version, and provide the snapshot to the host machine via the virtual disk. The virtual machine controller located on the host machine stores the snapshot on a first storage device associated with the host machine.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a system for managing a virtualization environment includes a set of host machines, each of which includes a hypervisor, virtual machines, and a virtual machine controller, one or more virtual disks comprising a plurality of storage devices and accessible by the virtual machine controllers, and a deployment system configured to receive a request to upgrade a virtualized file server on a plurality of host machines from a first program code version to a second program code version, and, for each host machine, request an upgrade token. When the host machine acquires the upgrade token, the deployment system is configured to generate a snapshot of a code image associated with the second program code version, and provide the snapshot to the host machine via the virtual disk. The virtual machine controller located on the host machine stores the snapshot on a storage device associated with the host machine.

Abstract: Resource allocation techniques for distributed data storage. A set of distributed storage system historical resource usage measurements are collected and stored using distributed storage system measurement techniques. The resource usage metrics are associated with and/or derived from processing entities in the distributed storage computing system. An analysis module determines a training window time period corresponding to a portion of the collected distributed storage system historical resource usage measurements. The training window time period is determined so as to provide an earlier time boundary and a later time boundary that defines a periodically recurring portion of the distributed storage system historical resource usage measurements. A latest cycle of those periodically recurring measurements are then used to train a predictive model, which in turn is used to produce distributed storage system predicted resource usage characteristics.

Abstract: Systems and methods for key-value pair management. A method embodiment commences upon receiving data records comprising key-value pairs. The key-value pairs are stored in two locations, (1) in an in-memory data structure in a first storage tier, and (2) in a log file in a second storage tier. At some moment in time, an event causes a flush of the in-memory data structure. The flush operations comprise renaming the log file to refer to it as a uniquely identifiable data file in the second storage tier, and populating an index file in the second storage tier. Requests for a value corresponding to a key is satisfied by using the index file to access the uniquely identifiable data file by byte or word offset to a location in the data file so as to retrieve the value of the corresponding key.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides an improved approach to implement a management infrastructure for computing environments. The user interfaces for local management nodes are cached at a central management node. The cached copies of the local node UIs can then be executed as if the user was actually operating from the local node.

Abstract: A data center communicates with a cloud-based backup system. Client-server roles are established such that a client role is assigned to the data center and a server role is assigned to the cloud-based backup system. On an ongoing basis, backup operations are performed. In the event of disaster or other cause of an outage of the data center, a failover protocol might be invoked such that the cloud-based backup system takes on additional processing operations beyond the aforementioned backup operations. After remediation, the data center issues a data restoration message to the cloud-based backup system. The remediated data center initiates a failback protocol that reverses the client-server roles of the data center and the cloud-based backup system such that the server role is assigned to the data center and the client role is assigned to the cloud-based backup system. After performing system restoration operations, the roles may be reversed again.

Abstract: Systems for low-latency data access in distributed computing systems. A method embodiment commences upon generating a first storage area in local storage of a first computing node. Access to the first storage area is provided through the first computing node. A second storage area is generated wherein the second storage area comprises a first set of metadata that comprises local storage device locations of at least some of the local storage areas of the first storage area. A set of physical access locations of the second storage area is stored to a database that manages updates to the second set of metadata pertaining to the second storage area. Accesses to the first storage area are accomplished by querying the database retrieve a location of the second set of metadata, and then accessing the first storage area through one or more additional levels of metadata that are node-wise collocated.

Abstract: A request to create a set of security policies for an application is received at a graphical user interface. Information identifying a set of source VMs, a set of destination VMs, and a set of target VMs also are received, wherein the target VMs are executing the application and are supported by (a) node(s) in a clustered virtualization environment. A set of inbound rules identifying (a) category(ies) of source VMs permitted to initiate connections with a subset of target VMs and a set of outbound rules identifying (a) category(ies) of destination VMs to which the subset of target VMs are permitted to initiate connections are received at the graphical user interface. Upon receiving a request to apply the security policies, the policies are configured based at least in part on the inbound and outbound rules and a visual representation of the security policies is presented in the graphical user interface.

Abstract: Methods, systems and computer program products for user-specific curation of applications from heterogeneous application sources. Multiple components are interconnected to perform user-specific curation operations. The user-specific curation operations comprise accessing application metadata corresponding to a plurality of applications from a plurality of application sources. The application sources may be heterogeneous and may be situated at local sites or at remote sites. A set of rules are applied to the application metadata to determine if one or more applications are authorized for use by a particular user or group. Publication attributes that control accessibility by a particular user or particular group of users are associated with the authorized applications. Based on the publication attributes as they apply to a particular user, one or more curated applications are selected from the authorized applications.

Abstract: A data storage site receives data from different data producer sites. Each of the data producer sites has a particular relationship to the data storage site, and each particular relationship carries corresponding data storage policies, constraints and commitments. When a data storage site receives a data storage request from a data producer, and that particular data is already present from a prior storage operation at the data storage site, the characteristics of the policies, constraints and commitments that were applied when that data was saved by the prior storage operation are reconciled with the policies, constraints and commitments of the requesting data producer. Deduplication logic reconciles different sets of policies, constraints and commitments such that the data can be effectively deduplicated by saving data-producer-specific metadata. Alternatively, the data can be effectively deduplicated by promoting the storage of the data so it covers a broader set of policies, constraints and commitments.

Abstract: Systems for alerting in computing systems. A method commences by defining a plurality of analysis zones bounded by respective ranges of system metric values, which ranges in turn correspond a plurality of system behavior classifications. System observations are taken while the computing system is running. A system observation comprising a measured metric value is classified into one or more of the behavior classifications. Based on the classification, one or more alert analysis processes are invoked to analyze the system observation and make a remediation recommendation. An alert or remediation is raised or suppressed based on one or more zone-based analysis outcomes. An alert is raised when anomalous behavior is detected. The system makes ongoing observations to learn how and when to classify a measured metric value into normal or anomalous behaviors. As changes occur in the system configuration, the analysis zones are adjusted to reflect changing bounds of the zones.