Abstract: An illustrative embodiment disclosed herein is a method including receiving, by a controller virtual machine (CVM) and from a hypervisor, a request to clone a virtual machine (VM) state. The VM state includes a parent state and a snapshot. The method further includes cloning, by the CVM, the parent state and the snapshot to generate a cloned parent state and a cloned snapshot, respectively, and sending, by the CVM and to the hypervisor, data indicating successful cloning of the parent state and the snapshot.

Abstract: Examples described herein include imaging servers which may support asynchronous imaging of one or more computers (e.g., computing nodes). The imaging server may use out-of-band communication to install requested images on one or more computing nodes. The imaging server may support multiple concurrent installation sessions, and may maintain a log specific to each session. This may facilitate session-specific status reporting. In this manner, operating systems, hypervisors, or other software may be installed on computing nodes.

Abstract: An illustrative embodiment disclosed herein is a method including receiving, by a controller virtual machine (CVM) and from a hypervisor, a request to clone a virtual machine (VM) state. The VM state includes a parent state and a snapshot. The method further includes cloning, by the CVM, the parent state and the snapshot to generate a cloned parent state and a cloned snapshot, respectively, and sending, by the CVM and to the hypervisor, data indicating successful cloning of the parent state and the snapshot.

Abstract: A system and method for maintaining a virtual computing system in a desired state defined by a service definition includes parsing, by a health-check system of the virtual computing system, the service definition for identifying a component to which the service definition applies. The component is one of a virtual machine and a container of the virtual computing system. To maintain the desired state, the health-check system is configured to collect operating values of one or more parameters from the component, determine that the component is in violation of the service definition based on the operating values of the one or more parameters, and troubleshoot the component upon finding the violation for maintaining the virtual computing system in the state defined by the service definition.

Abstract: Examples described herein include imaging servers which may support asynchronous imaging of one or more computers (e.g., computing nodes). The imaging server may use out-of-band communication to install requested images on one or more computing nodes. The imaging server may support multiple concurrent installation sessions, and may maintain a log specific to each session. This may facilitate session-specific status reporting. In this manner, operating systems, hypervisors, or other software may be installed on computing nodes.