Abstract: A method of managing configurations of a plurality of system services, including a first system service and a second system service, in each of a plurality of hosts, wherein each of the hosts is configured with a virtualization software for supporting execution of virtual machines therein includes steps of: upon receiving an application programming interface (API) call to apply configurations of the system services defined in a desired configuration file to the system services, parsing the desired configuration file to identify a first configuration for the first system service and a second configuration for the second system service, and storing the first and second configurations in accordance with a configuration schema defined for the first and second system services, wherein the first system service executes with the stored first configuration applied thereto and the second system service executes with the stored second configuration applied thereto.

Abstract: An example method of creating a software image from software executing on a host in a virtualized computing system includes: obtaining, by an image generator executing in the virtualized computing system, an image metadata from the host, the image metadata describing a running image of a hypervisor executing on the host; identifying, from the image metadata, a plurality of software installation bundles (SIBs) used to install the running image on the host; obtaining, from the image metadata, SIB descriptors and SIB signatures for the plurality of SIBs; obtaining, from storage on the host, payloads referenced in the image metadata for the SIBs; and recreating the plurality of SIBs from the SIB descriptors, the SIB signatures, and the payloads.

Abstract: An example method of upgrading a host in a cluster under management of a lifecycle manager in a virtualized computing system includes: receiving, from the lifecycle manager at a host in the cluster being upgraded, a desired software specification for a hypervisor of the host; determining, by the host, a list of required software installation bundles (SIBs) to satisfy the desired software specification; identifying a neighboring host in the cluster for the host; downloading, from the neighboring host to the host, at least a portion of the required SIBs; and executing an upgrade of the hypervisor in the host using the required SIBs.

Abstract: An image of a virtualization software and firmware in a plurality of hosts are upgraded by: retrieving metadata of a base image based on a first input that specifies a version of the base image, metadata of an add-on image based on a second input that specifies a server of an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) in which the virtualization software is to be installed, and metadata of drivers and agents based on a third input that specifies a firmware package for the server of the OEM; validating a desired image of the virtualization software by extracting dependencies and conflicts defined in metadata of all payloads of the desired image of the virtualization software, and confirming there are no violations of the extracted dependencies and conflicts; and upgrading the current image of the virtualization software to the desired image and upgrading the current version of the firmware to the desired version.

Abstract: Systems and methods are described for improved error logging during system boot and shutdown. A hardware initialization firmware on a computing device can include a logging module. When errors occur during early system booting or late system shutdown, the firmware can create error logs. The logging module can receive the error logs and prioritize them according to a set of rules. The logging module can select error logs of the highest priority up to a predetermined maximum amount. The logging module can modify the error logs using a shorthand form and write them to nonvolatile random-access memory. The firmware can initialize runtime services and launch an operating system. A system logger on the operating system can retrieve the error logs, save them to a file, and erase them from the memory.

Abstract: An image of a virtualization software and firmware in a plurality of hosts are upgraded by performing the steps of: in response to a user input, generating a software specification that specifies a desired state of the virtualization software and a desired state of the firmware; based on the software specification, preparing a desired image of the virtualization software that includes software components of a desired version of the firmware; and coordinating an upgrade to the desired image of the virtualization software and the desired version of the firmware in the hosts. The upgrade includes an upgrade in each of the hosts to the desired version of the firmware, and an upgrade in each of the hosts to the desired image of the virtualization software that includes the software components of the desired version of the base image and the software components of the desired version of the firmware.

Abstract: An example method of upgrading a host in a cluster under management of a lifecycle manager in a virtualized computing system includes: receiving, from the lifecycle manager at a host in the cluster being upgraded, a desired software specification for a hypervisor of the host; determining, by the host, a list of required software installation bundles (SIBs) to satisfy the desired software specification; identifying a neighboring host in the cluster for the host; downloading, from the neighboring host to the host, at least at portion of the required SIBs; and executing an upgrade of the hypervisor in the host using the required SIBs.

Abstract: An image of a virtualization software and firmware in a plurality of hosts are upgraded by performing the steps of: validating a desired image of the virtualization software by extracting dependencies and conflicts defined in metadata of all payloads of the desired image of the virtualization software, and confirming there are no violations of the extracted dependencies and conflicts; performing a pre-check of the desired image of the virtualization software against a current image of the virtualization software and a pre-check of the desired version of the firmware against a current version of the firmware; and upon determining from results of the pre-check that the virtualization software can be upgraded to the desired image and the firmware can be upgraded to the desired version, upgrading the current image of the virtualization software to the desired image and upgrading the current version of the firmware to the desired version.

Abstract: A method of remediating configurations of a plurality of system services running in each of a plurality of hosts, wherein each of the hosts is configured with a virtualization software for supporting execution of virtual machines therein, includes the steps of: retrieving actual configurations of the system services, wherein the actual configurations are stored in accordance with a configuration schema of the system services and include a user configuration, which is a configuration initiated by the user, and a system configuration, which is a configuration initiated by the host in response to the user configuration; retrieving desired configurations of the system services from a desired configuration file; comparing each of the actual configurations with a corresponding one of the desired configurations; and upon determining that at least one actual configuration, which is not a system configuration, is different from a corresponding one of the desired configurations, replacing the at least one actual config

Abstract: An example method of hypervisor lifecycle management in a virtualized computing system having a cluster of hosts includes: receiving, from a user at a lifecycle manager executing in the virtualized computing system, identification of a seed host; obtaining, by the lifecycle manager, a software specification from the seed host, the software specification describing a running image of the hypervisor executing on the seed host; generating, by the lifecycle manager, a software image from metadata and payloads stored on the seed host; setting, by the lifecycle manager, a host desired state for the cluster based on the software specification; and storing, by the lifecycle manager, the software image in a software depot in association with the host desired state.

Abstract: An example method of creating a software image from software executing on a host in a virtualized computing system includes: obtaining, by an image generator executing in the virtualized computing system, an image metadata from the host, the image metadata describing a running image of a hypervisor executing on the host; identifying, from the image metadata, a plurality of software installation bundles (SIBs) used to install the running image on the host; obtaining, from the image metadata, SIB descriptors and SIB signatures for the plurality of SIBs; obtaining, from storage on the host, payloads referenced in the image metadata for the SIBs; and recreating the plurality of SIBs from the SIB descriptors, the SIB signatures, and the payloads.

Abstract: An example method of upgrading a host in a cluster under management of a lifecycle manager in a virtualized computing system includes: receiving, from the lifecycle manager at a host in the cluster being upgraded, a desired software specification for a hypervisor of the host; determining, by the host, a list of required software installation bundles (SIBs) to satisfy the desired software specification; identifying a neighboring host in the cluster for the host; downloading, from the neighboring host to the host, at least at portion of the required SIBs; and executing an upgrade of the hypervisor in the host using the required SIBs.

Abstract: An image of a virtualization software in a plurality of hosts is installed or upgraded by performing the steps of: in response to a user input, generating a software specification that specifies a desired state of the virtualization software; based on the software specification, preparing a desired image of the virtualization software by retrieving metadata of the desired state of the virtualization software and determining components that make up the desired state of the virtualization software; and instructing each of the hosts to install the desired image of the virtualization software or upgrade a current image of the virtualization software to the desired image of the virtualization software. One of the components defines a set of payloads for a core kernel of the virtualization software.

Abstract: A method of validating a desired image of a virtualization software and a firmware package to be installed in a host against a hardware compatibility list (HCL) includes: acquiring a bill of materials for the host that lists hardware devices of the host; for each of the hardware devices, searching for firmware and a driver thereof in the HCL; for each driver included in the desired image that corresponds to one of the hardware devices, determining whether or not the driver is compatible according to the HCL; for each firmware included in the firmware package that corresponds to one of the hardware devices, determining whether or not the firmware is compatible according to the HCL; and validating the desired image of the virtualization software and the firmware package to be installed in the host if each of the hardware devices has a compatible driver and a compatible firmware.

Abstract: A virtualized computing system includes a plurality of hosts, each of which is configured with a virtualization software for supporting execution of virtual machines therein. A method of managing a configuration of a system service in the virtualized computing system includes: upon receiving an application program interface (API) call to operate on a configuration object for a system service that is backed by a configuration schema of the system service, updating a database in accordance with the configuration schema to update or store the configuration of the system service. The system service executes with a configuration that is a combination of a default configuration that is defined in a default configuration schema of the system service and the configuration stored in the database.

Abstract: Examples described herein include systems and methods for retaining information about bad memory pages across an operating system reboot. An example method includes detecting, by a first instance of an operating system, an error in a memory page of a non-transitory storage medium of a computing device executing the operating system. The operating system can tag the memory page as a bad memory page, indicating that the memory page should not be used by the operating system. The operating system can also store tag information indicating memory pages of the storage medium that are tagged as bad memory pages. The example method can also include receiving an instruction to reboot the operating system, booting a second instance of the operating system, and providing the tag information to the second instance of the operating system. The operating system can use the tag information to avoid using the bad memory pages.

Abstract: Virtualization software installed in a standalone host is remediated according to a desired state model using a desired image of a virtualization software that is used to remediate virtualization software running in hosts which are logically grouped as a cluster of hosts not including the standalone host. The method of remediating the virtualization software installed in the standalone host includes the steps of generating a desired image of the virtualization software of the standalone host from a desired image of the virtualization software of the hosts in the cluster, and upon detecting a difference between an image of the virtualization software currently running in the standalone host and the desired image of the virtualization software of the standalone host, instructing the standalone host to remediate the image of the virtualization software currently running therein to match the desired image of the virtualization software of the standalone host.

Abstract: An example method of hypervisor lifecycle management in a virtualized computing system having a cluster of hosts is described. The method includes: obtaining, by remediation software executing in a host of the hosts, a host state document from a distributed key-value store, the host state document defining a desired state of software in the host, the software including a hypervisor; and performing, by the remediation software in coordination with other hosts of the hosts through the distributed key-value store, a lifecycle operation on the software of the host in response to determining that a current state of the software does not match the desired state.

Abstract: A method of remediating configurations of a plurality of system services running in each of a plurality of hosts, wherein each of the hosts is configured with a virtualization software for supporting execution of virtual machines therein, includes the steps of: retrieving actual configurations of the system services, wherein the actual configurations are stored in accordance with a configuration schema of the system services and include a user configuration, which is a configuration initiated by the user, and a system configuration, which is a configuration initiated by the host in response to the user configuration; retrieving desired configurations of the system services from a desired configuration file; comparing each of the actual configurations with a corresponding one of the desired configurations; and upon determining that at least one actual configuration, which is not a system configuration, is different from a corresponding one of the desired configurations, replacing the at least one actual config

Abstract: Virtualization software installed in a standalone host is remediated according to a desired state model using a desired image of a virtualization software that is used to remediate virtualization software running in hosts which are logically grouped as a cluster of hosts not including the standalone host. The method of remediating the virtualization software installed in the standalone host includes the steps of generating a desired image of the virtualization software of the standalone host from a desired image of the virtualization software of the hosts in the cluster, and upon detecting a difference between an image of the virtualization software currently running in the standalone host and the desired image of the virtualization software of the standalone host, instructing the standalone host to remediate the image of the virtualization software currently running therein to match the desired image of the virtualization software of the standalone host.