Abstract: A method for managing a virtual machine image includes receiving a request to change a package configuration of a machine, processing an image action received in the request, wherein the processing the image action received includes, opening the image action with associated action inputs, comparing the opened image action inputs with inputs associated with action instances in a database, determining whether the compared opened image action inputs match the inputs associated with action instances, retrieving from the database, image difference data associated with the image action responsive to determining that the compared opened image action inputs match the inputs associated with action instances in the database, and applying the image difference data to an image to transform the image, determining whether each image action in the request has been processed and processing a second image action responsive to determining that each image action has not been processed.

Abstract: A method for creating a virtual machine image, includes: storing a first image manifest for a first virtual machine image, the first image manifest including a mapping from file names of the first virtual machine image to content descriptors; storing a second image manifest for a second virtual machine image, the second image manifest including a mapping from file names of the second virtual machine image to content descriptors; creating a first overlay mapping by: placing a file name and its content descriptor both from the second image manifest in the first overlay mapping; and placing a file name and its content descriptor both from the first image manifest in the first overlay mapping if the file name and its content descriptor are not mapped in the second image manifest; and constructing a third virtual machine image having an image manifest whose mapping is the first overlay mapping.

Abstract: A method for operating a file system includes receiving a write instruction including a file descriptor associated with a file and a content identifier, a content offset, and a content length, associating a region within the file with the content identifier, saving the association of the region and the content identifier.

Abstract: A method for performing software operations on virtual machine images, includes: receiving a virtual machine image that includes data; reclassifying the data into a plurality of parts; and performing a software operation on one of the parts, wherein the software operation is performed without running a virtual machine.

Abstract: A method comprises receiving a first virtual machine image, processing the first virtual machine image with a Mirage transformation, and generating a first manifest including a mapping of hierarchical names of content of the first virtual machine image to content identifiers.

Abstract: A method for performing software operations on virtual machine images, includes: receiving a virtual machine image that includes a mapping from a first file name to first file content; reformatting the virtual machine image by: creating a store that contains the first file content and that associates a content descriptor with the first file content, wherein the first file content can be reconstructed by using the content descriptor; and decoupling the mapping by creating an image manifest that maps the first file name to the content descriptor; and performing a software operation on the virtual machine image using the reformatted virtual machine image.

Abstract: A method for performing software operations on virtual machine images, includes: receiving a first virtual machine image that includes a mapping from a first file name to first file content; reformatting the first virtual machine image by: creating a unique ID for the first file content; and decoupling the mapping of the first virtual machine image by creating an image manifest that maps the first file name to the unique ID, and creating a store that contains the first file content and that maps the unique ID to the first file content; and performing a software operation on the first virtual machine image using the reformatted first virtual machine image.

Abstract: A method for performing software operations on virtual machine images, includes: receiving a virtual machine image that includes data; reclassifying the data into a plurality of parts; and performing a software operation on one of the parts, wherein the software operation is performed without running a virtual machine.

Abstract: A method for performing software operations on virtual machine images, includes: receiving a first virtual machine image that includes a mapping from a first file name to first file content; reformatting the first virtual machine image by: creating a unique ID for the first file content; and decoupling the mapping of the first virtual machine image by creating an image manifest that maps the first file name to the unique ID, and creating a store that contains the first file content and that maps the unique ID to the first file content; and performing a software operation on the first virtual machine image using the reformatted first virtual machine image.

Abstract: A method for creating a virtual machine image, includes: storing a first image manifest for a first virtual machine image, the first image manifest including a mapping from file names of the first virtual machine image to content descriptors; storing a second image manifest for a second virtual machine image, the second image manifest including a mapping from file names of the second virtual machine image to content descriptors; creating a first overlay mapping by: placing a file name and its content descriptor both from the second image manifest in the first overlay mapping; and placing a file name and its content descriptor both from the first image manifest in the first overlay mapping if the file name and its content descriptor are not mapped in the second image manifest; and constructing a third virtual machine image having an image manifest whose mapping is the first overlay mapping.

Abstract: A method for performing software operations on virtual machine images, includes: receiving a virtual machine image that includes a mapping from a first file name to first file content; reformatting the virtual machine image by: creating a store that contains the first file content and that associates a content descriptor with the first file content, wherein the first file content can be reconstructed by using the content descriptor; and decoupling the mapping by creating an image manifest that maps the first file name to the content descriptor; and performing a software operation on the virtual machine image using the reformatted virtual machine image.

Abstract: A method is provided for creating a virtual machine image. According to the method, at least one application is provided on a computer system. After the application is provided on the computer system, at least one optimization of the application is performed based on a runtime environment of the application to produce an optimized application, and the optimized application and at least a portion of the runtime environment are packaged in a virtual machine image. In one embodiment, the computer system is a virtual machine. Also provided is a system for creating a virtual machine image.

Abstract: A novel method is disclosed for capturing an installed state of a conventional application and converting the captured state into a virtual application. The novel method starts with a bare machine in a known state, preferably soon after the OS was installed. Installation scripts are used to install one or more software applications along with required components and dependencies. Other artifacts can be added and configured such as files, trees, directories, entries, data, values, among others. These also may include updates to various system databases, such as the Windows registry in which certain metadata is stored. The installed applications are tested and verified to work as desired. Undesired artifacts can be deleted manually or removed by the OS. The state of the virtual machine with the installed applications is captured. The installed applications can be tested on the frozen virtual machine.