Abstract: A mechanism is provided for creating a virtual appliance. The mechanism receives input of an unmodified virtual appliance and a list of target models. The mechanism creates a modified virtual appliance with an ISO file, a conversion tool, and a list of validated target models based on the input. The modified virtual appliance is configured to boot on the ISO file containing a mini operating system working on all validated target models. Responsive to a deployment of the modified virtual appliance being triggered on a target model, the mini operating system is booted on the corresponding target model. The mini operating system determines the model of the current target model on which the mini operating system is running, and responsive to determining the current target model is a validated target model, applies modifications to an operating system of the virtual appliance in accordance with current target model to form a portable virtual appliance running on target model.

Abstract: A method for live-migration of an operating system and an application is provided. The operating system runs on a first computer. The application may run on the operating system. The live-migration may be performed to a second computer while the application showing no externally detectable downtime during live-migration of the application. The method may comprise operating a tracking tool that may track and store data modifications to a disk-system of the computer in a tracking file, triggering a shutdown of the first computer while the tracking tool continues to operate in tracking mode and shut down the first computer completely. Then restarting the first computer and sending the data modifications stored prior to the complete shutdown of the first computer to the second computer, which then may be started based on the sent data, followed by starting the application such that from an external perspective no application disruption is detectable.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for data handling in a computing environment. A data access request is generated to access data by a requesting VM. VMs of an ordered list are sequentially checked for data cache hit corresponding to the data in an order given by a ranking. The data is read from the checked VM in response to at least one data cache hit of a checked VM being found, and thereafter a ranking value of the checked VM is updated, thereby updating ranking based on the ranking value. The data is requested from the at least one storage server in response to no data cache hot being found.

Abstract: A mechanism is provided for creating a virtual appliance. The mechanism receives input of an unmodified virtual appliance and a list of target models. The mechanism creates a modified virtual appliance with an ISO file, a conversion tool, and a list of validated target models based on the input. The modified virtual appliance is configured to boot on the ISO file containing a mini operating system working on all validated target models. Responsive to a deployment of the modified virtual appliance being triggered on a target model, the mini operating system is booted on the corresponding target model. The mini operating system determines the model of the current target model on which the mini operating system is running, and responsive to determining the current target model is a validated target model, applies modifications to an operating system of the virtual appliance in accordance with current target model to form a portable virtual appliance running on target model.

Abstract: A method for live-migration of an operating system and an application is provided. The operating system runs on a first computer. The application may run on the operating system. The live-migration may be performed to a second computer while the application showing no externally detectable downtime during live-migration of the application. The method may comprise operating a tracking tool that may track and store data modifications to a disk-system of the computer in a tracking file, triggering a shutdown of the first computer while the tracking tool continues to operate in tracking mode and shut down the first computer completely. Then restarting the first computer and sending the data modifications stored prior to the complete shutdown of the first computer to the second computer, which then may be started based on the sent data, followed by starting the application such that from an external perspective no application disruption is detectable.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for data handling in a computing environment. A data access request is generated to access data by a requesting VM. VMs of an ordered list are sequentially checked for data cache hit corresponding to the data in an order given by a ranking. The data is read from the checked VM in response to at least one data cache hit of a checked VM being found, and thereafter a ranking value of the checked VM is updated, thereby updating ranking based on the ranking value. The data is requested from the at least one storage server in response to no data cache hot being found.