Abstract: A method for providing virtual desktop services includes receiving a request for a session from a user; instantiating a virtual machine for the session; copying user data for the user from a data backup to a user volume attached to the virtual machine; and creating a delta disk associated with the user volume, wherein the delta disk records changes to the user data during the session. A system for providing virtual desktop services, includes a shared storage device having user data stored thereon; a host server configured to run one or more virtual machines, the host server having a local storage device; virtual machine having a user volume with a copy of the user data and a delta disk having changed user data.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is disclosed herein for converting a virtual machine from an initial hypervisor format to a target hypervisor format utilizing deduplication metadata. The method may include generating a copy of a virtual machine by replication of deduplication metadata for one or more files corresponding to the virtual machine. Furthermore, the method may include opening the copy of the virtual machine from the replicated deduplication metadata. The method may also include converting the replicated deduplication metadata from an initial hypervisor format to a target hypervisor format to generate a converted virtual machine.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for utilizing virtual machines to pool memory from disparate server systems that may have disparate types of memory is described. The method may include establishing communication between a pool virtual machine and two or more publisher virtual machines. The method may also include aggregating, by the pool virtual machine, portions of memory from each of two or more publisher servers to generate a pool of memory, and providing an application with access to the pool of memory, through the pool virtual machine.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is disclosed herein for checking the consistency of deduplication metadata after an unclean shutdown of a deduplication computing system. The method may include mounting a deduplication file system of a deduplication computing system after an unclean shutdown of the deduplication computing system. Furthermore, the method may include initiating a reconstruction and consistency check of deduplication metadata associated with the deduplication file system. Furthermore, the method may include receiving a user operation prior to completion of the reconstruction and consistency check of the deduplication metadata, and processing the user operation in parallel with the reconstruction and consistency check of the deduplication metadata.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is disclosed herein for maintaining deduplication metadata on disk separate from an in-memory deduplication file system for a deduplication computing system. The method may include reading deduplication metadata from a first memory of a deduplication computing system. Furthermore, the method may include maintaining deduplicated data for a file system in a second memory, and maintaining the deduplication metadata that describes the deduplicated data of the file system in the first memory of the deduplication computing system, wherein the first memory is a different type of memory and separated from the second memory in the deduplication computing system. Furthermore, the method may include accessing the deduplication metadata in the second memory in response to receipt of a request by the deduplication computing system to perform a first operation with deduplicated data of the file system in the second memory.

Abstract: In some embodiments, a method for cluster resource scheduling, includes determining at least one load score; determining a memory score; determining an IO score; and monitoring a message bus for candidate messages when each of the at least one load score, memory score, and IO score is less than a pre-determined health threshold. In some embodiments, a host computer system for hosting a plurality of virtual machines (VMs), includes: a memory; a network adapter for communicating with the cluster by way of a message bus; a processor in electronic communication with the memory and the network adapter, wherein the processor is programmed to: determine at least one load score; determine a memory score; determine an IO score; and monitor the message bus for candidate messages when each of the at least one load score, memory score, and IO score is less than a pre-determined health threshold.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is disclosed herein for maintaining data consistency in persistent memory in an in-place-update file system of a deduplication computing system. The method may include receiving a data write request to write a block of data from a volatile memory to a non-volatile memory in an in-place-update file system of deduplication computing system. Furthermore, the method may include determining whether the data write request is to perform an in-place update of an existing block in the non-volatile memory, and converting a type of write operation associated with the request from a requested write operation type to a new data allocation write operation when the data write request modifies the existing block. Furthermore, the method may include processing the new data allocation write operation to write the block of data from the volatile memory to the non-volatile memory using an ordered sequence of file system data journaling and writes to the non-volatile memory.