Virtual Systems Management
Patent No. US11656915 (titled "Virtual Systems Management") was filed by Toutvirtual Inc on Oct 19, 2020.
What is this patent about?
’915 is related to the field of computer network virtualization management. The patent addresses the problem of efficiently managing virtual assets (software instantiations of computer systems) deployed across a network of physical resources. Traditional IT management systems often focus on individual element management, leading to underutilized resources and difficulties in achieving global visibility and control, especially in complex virtualized environments.
The underlying idea behind ’915 is to provide a centralized control center that automates the management of virtual assets across a network, irrespective of the underlying hardware, operating systems, or virtualization platforms. This involves building an inventory of available physical resources and virtual assets, provisioning assets based on demand, dynamically deploying assets, monitoring performance, and planning for future capacity needs. The key insight is to abstract away the complexities of the underlying infrastructure, allowing for a more efficient and flexible management system.
The claims of ’915 focus on a method for accessing virtualization system resources over a network. Specifically, claim 1 covers a virtualization system with a control computer connected to physical resources and virtual assets, where each physical resource executes at least two virtual assets managed by virtualization layer instances. An end user connects to the control computer to access these virtual assets. Claim 11 focuses on accessing virtual assets, requesting provisioning of a virtual asset, where the provisioned virtual asset is a virtual storage comprising logical storage units mapped to physical storage drives.
In practice, the invention uses a modular architecture within the control center, comprising components like an Asset Manager, Provisioning Manager, Dynamic Application Router, Optimizer, Performance Manager, and Capacity Planning Manager. A Control Agent on each physical resource facilitates communication between the control center and the virtualization layer. This agent abstracts the specifics of the virtualization platform (e.g., VMware, Xen, Microsoft) and provides a unified interface for managing virtual assets.
The invention differentiates itself from prior approaches by offering a platform-independent solution that automates many of the manual tasks associated with virtualization management. Unlike traditional element-driven systems, ’915 provides a global view of the virtual infrastructure and enables dynamic allocation of resources based on business policies and real-time performance metrics. This leads to better resource utilization, reduced downtime, and simplified management of complex virtualized environments through automated provisioning and dynamic deployment.
How does this patent fit in bigger picture?
Technical landscape at the time
In the mid-2000s when ’915 was filed, IT management tasks were commonly split into five key areas: Fault, Configuration, Accounting, Performance, and Security (FCAPS). At a time when IT capacity planning for day-to-day operations was typically carried out with a bottom-up data aggregation and with the use of forecasting methods such as trending, simulation, and custom analytics. When the number of managed elements increased, correlation and aggregation of element level data also became compute-intensive.
Novelty and Inventive Step
The examiner approved the application because the prior art lacks any teaching or suggestion of the claimed virtualization system. Specifically, the claims recite a control computer connected to physical resources and virtual assets, where each physical resource executes at least two virtual assets comprising software instantiations of computer systems. These virtual assets are managed by virtualization layer instances running on each physical resource, allowing an end user to connect to the control computer and access the virtual assets. The closest prior art references, taken individually or in combination, do not teach or suggest this specific virtual system management approach.
Claims
This patent contains 14 claims, with claims 1 and 11 being independent. The independent claims focus on methods for accessing virtualization system resources over a network, specifically involving virtual assets managed by virtualization layer instances. The dependent claims generally elaborate on and refine the methods described in the independent claims, adding details regarding network types, user devices, accessed resources, and storage configurations.
Key Claim Terms New
Definitions of key terms used in the patent claims.
Patent Family
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Date
Description
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US11656915
- Application Number
- US17074500
- Filing Date
- Oct 19, 2020
- Status
- Granted
- Expiry Date
- Aug 10, 2026
- External Links
- Slate, USPTO, Google Patents