Abstract: A virtualized computer platform is established and maintained by virtualization software on one or more physical computers. A multicomponent software application may execute on the virtualized computer platform, with different components of the application executing in different virtual machines, which are supported by the virtualization software. The virtualization software may also provide the provision of one or more services that may be beneficial to the operation of the multicomponent software application, such as automated provisioning, resource allocation, VM distribution, performance monitoring, resource management, high availability, backup, disaster recovery, alarms, security, etc. In some embodiments of the invention, some of these services are provided through coordinated efforts of a system resource manager, a VM manager, an application monitor and an application resource manager.

Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention is a system including: (a) plural virtualization systems configured in a cluster; (b) storage accessible to each virtualization system of the cluster, wherein for each virtual machine operative in a virtualization system of the cluster, the storage maintains a representation of virtual machine state that includes at least a description of a hardware system virtualized and an image of virtualized memory state for the virtual machine; and (c) a failover system that, responsive to an interruption of, or on, a particular one of the virtualization systems, transitions at least one affected virtual machine to another virtualization system of the cluster and resumes computations of the transitioned virtual machine based on state encoded by a corresponding one of the virtual machine states represented in the storage.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture are disclosed to perform web-based installations and/or upgrade architectures for enterprise software. An example method disclosed herein includes obtaining configuration information at an installation handler via a web-based interface, the configuration information including a source locator identifying a source location of a source package and a target locator identifying a target machine on which to install the source package, the target machine being separate from the installation handler and the source location. The example method also includes validating the configuration information, and, in response to determining that the configuration information is valid, deploying the source package to the target machine.

Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention is a system including: (a) plural virtualization systems configured in a cluster; (b) storage accessible to each virtualization system of the cluster, wherein for each virtual machine operative in a virtualization system of the cluster, the storage maintains a representation of virtual machine state that includes at least a description of a hardware system virtualized and an image of virtualized memory state for the virtual machine; and (c) a failover system that, responsive to an interruption of, or on, a particular one of the virtualization systems, transitions at least one affected virtual machine to another virtualization system of the cluster and resumes computations of the transitioned virtual machine based on state encoded by a corresponding one of the virtual machine states represented in the storage.

Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention includes a method of making a bootable image for a computer, wherein the bootable image corresponds to a first virtual machine but is bootable on a target machine, the method comprising: (a) instantiating the first virtual machine within a virtualization system and executing computations thereof, the computations operating upon an encapsulation of virtual machine state for the instantiated virtual machine; and (b) introducing into the encapsulation, a boot loader that defines at least one transformation to be performed on the encapsulation to allow the target machine to boot from the virtual machine state.

Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention is a system including: (a) plural virtualization systems configured in a cluster; (b) storage accessible to each virtualization system of the cluster, wherein for each virtual machine operative in a virtualization system of the cluster, the storage maintains a representation of virtual machine state that includes at least a description of a hardware system virtualized and an image of virtualized memory state for the virtual machine; and (c) a failover system that, responsive to an interruption of, or on, a particular one of the virtualization systems, transitions at least one affected virtual machine to another virtualization system of the cluster and resumes computations of the transitioned virtual machine based on state encoded by a corresponding one of the virtual machine states represented in the storage.

Abstract: A disclosed example method to aggregate resources in a cloud involves receiving a request for a resource at a first tenant application programming interface provider of an internal cloud service. The example method involves using a virtualization platform application programming interface client of the internal cloud service to access the resource when the resource is an internal resource. When the resource is an external resource, a tenant application programming interface client of the internal cloud service is used to send a second request for the resource to a second tenant application programming interface provider of an external cloud service.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus to provide a protocol-enabled interface definition language are disclosed. An example method includes generating, using a processor, first computer readable instructions to specify a message to be transmitted by a non-initiating device of a transaction for delivery to a second device based on a protocol, and storing, in a storage device, second computer readable instructions to implement the protocol, the second computer readable instructions including the first computer readable instructions.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention include methods, systems, apparati, computer program products and other tangible realizations of techniques to support interchange of role for guest and host operating system instances executed (or executable) within a virtualization system.

Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention is a system including: (a) plural virtualization systems configured in a cluster; (b) storage accessible to each virtualization system of the cluster, wherein for each virtual machine operative in a virtualization system of the cluster, the storage maintains a representation of virtual machine state that includes at least a description of a hardware system virtualized and an image of virtualized memory state for the virtual machine; and (c) a failover system that, responsive to an interruption of, or on, a particular one of the virtualization systems, transitions at least one affected virtual machine to another virtualization system of the cluster and resumes computations of the transitioned virtual machine based on state encoded by a corresponding one of the virtual machine states represented in the storage.

Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention is a system including: (a) plural virtualization systems configured in a cluster; (b) storage accessible to each virtualization system of the cluster, wherein for each virtual machine operative in a virtualization system of the cluster, the storage maintains a representation of virtual machine state that includes at least a description of a hardware system virtualized and an image of virtualized memory state for the virtual machine; and (c) a failover system that, responsive to an interruption of, or on, a particular one of the virtualization systems, transitions at least one affected virtual machine to another virtualization system of the cluster and resumes computations of the transitioned virtual machine based on state encoded by a corresponding one of the virtual machine states represented in the storage.

Abstract: In a specific embodiment, a secure two-way multi-message communication channel between a virtualization platform and a guest running on a virtual machine hosted on the virtualization platform is provided using the OVF environment channel. The OVF environment may be used to transmit communication parameters from the platform to the virtual machine during power-on. At runtime, a guest executing on the virtual machine may use the communication parameters to establish a secure two-way communication channel with the virtualization platform.

Abstract: Virtual machines may be configured in a complex computing environment having dependencies among themselves and on the virtualization platform they operate on. The present disclosure formalizes these dependencies by defining a component framework that enables a deployer to know about the dependencies at deployment time and allow the platform to ensure that all required dependencies are satisfied at runtime. Disclosed is a set of Open Virtualization Format (OVF) sections that allow an OVF package to express dependencies to services using OVF meta-data. At deployment time, those OVF sections allow the platform to recognize and honor those dependencies, and at runtime provide the virtual machines with appropriate configuration meta-data.

Abstract: A virtualized computer platform is established and maintained by virtualization software on one or more physical computers. A multicomponent software application may execute on the virtualized computer platform, with different components of the application executing in different virtual machines, which are supported by the virtualization software. The virtualization software may also provide the provision of one or more services that may be beneficial to the operation of the multicomponent software application, such as automated provisioning, resource allocation, VM distribution, performance monitoring, resource management, high availability, backup, disaster recovery, alarms, security, etc. In some embodiments of the invention, some of these services are provided through coordinated efforts of a system resource manager, a VM manager, an application monitor and an application resource manager.

Abstract: A virtualized computer platform is established and maintained by virtualization software on one or more physical computers. A multicomponent software application may execute on the virtualized computer platform, with different components of the application executing in different virtual machines, which are supported by the virtualization software. The virtualization software may also provide, and/or facilitate the provision of, one or more services that may be beneficial to the operation of the multicomponent software application, such as automated provisioning, resource allocation, VM distribution, performance monitoring, resource management, high availability, backup, disaster recovery, alarms, security, etc. In some embodiments of the invention, some of these services are provided through coordinated efforts of a system resource manager, a VM manager, an application monitor and an application resource manager.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention include methods, systems, apparati, computer program products and other tangible realizations of techniques to support interchange of role for guest and host operating system instances executed (or executable) within a virtualization system.

Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention includes a method of making a bootable image for a computer, wherein the bootable image corresponds to a first virtual machine but is bootable on a target machine, the method comprising: (a) instantiating the first virtual machine within a virtualization system and executing computations thereof, the computations operating upon an encapsulation of virtual machine state for the instantiated virtual machine; and (b) introducing into the encapsulation, a boot loader that defines at least one transformation to be performed on the encapsulation to allow the target machine to boot from the virtual machine state.

Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention is a system including: (a) plural virtualization systems configured in a cluster; (b) storage accessible to each virtualization system of the cluster, wherein for each virtual machine operative in a virtualization system of the cluster, the storage maintains a representation of virtual machine state that includes at least a description of a hardware system virtualized and an image of virtualized memory state for the virtual machine; and (c) a failover system that, responsive to an interruption of, or on, a particular one of the virtualization systems, transitions at least one affected virtual machine to another virtualization system of the cluster and resumes computations of the transitioned virtual machine based on state encoded by a corresponding one of the virtual machine states represented in the storage.

Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention is a system including: (a) plural virtualization systems configured as a cluster; (b) a failover system that, responsive to an interruption of, or on, a particular one of the virtualization systems, transitions at least one virtual machine to another virtualization system of the cluster and resumes thereon computations of the transitioned virtual machine; and (c) a management system that tracks, for each virtual machine, a set of resource requirements, the management system admitting virtual machine computations to the cluster based on an admission control policy that, consonant with the resource requirements of virtual machines provisioned to any particular set of virtualization systems, assures sufficient excess capacity on other virtualization systems of the cluster to support, in the event of interruption of the particular set, transition of all virtual machines operative thereon to the other virtualization systems of the cluster.

Abstract: Some embodiments of the present invention include a method comprising: accessing units of network storage that encode state data of respective virtual machines, wherein the state data for respective ones of the virtual machines are stored in distinct ones of the network storage units such that the state data for more than one virtual machine are not commingled in any one of the network storage units.