Techniques for deploying virtual machines using a DHCP server to assign reserved IP addresses
View Patent ↗An improved technique involves providing a set of reserved address assignments to a DHCP server, each reserved address assignment including a unique MAC address and a reserved IP address which are associated with each other via that reserved address assignment. The technique further involves providing a base virtual machine image and a set of unique MAC addresses, and generating multiple virtual machines from the base virtual machine image and the set of unique MAC addresses. Each virtual machine (i) provides a particular unique MAC address of the set of unique MAC addresses to the DHCP server and obtains a particular reserved IP address from the DHCP server via an exchange of DHCP messages between that virtual machine and the DHCP server, and (ii) operates as a networked standalone computer using the particular unique MAC address and the particular reserved IP address.
1. A system to deploy virtual machines, the system comprising:
a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server constructed and arranged to receive a set of reserved address assignments, each reserved address assignment including a unique media access control (MAC) address and a reserved Internet Protocol (IP) address which are associated with each other via that reserved address assignment; and
a set of hosts coupled to the DHCP server, the set of hosts being constructed and arranged to:
maintain a base virtual machine image,
receive a set of unique MAC addresses, and
generate multiple virtual machines from the base virtual machine image and the set of unique MAC addresses, each virtual machine being constructed and arranged to (i) provide a particular unique MAC address of the set of unique MAC addresses to the DHCP server and obtain a particular reserved IP address from the DHCP server via an exchange of DHCP messages between that virtual machine and the DHCP server, the particular reserved IP address being associated with the particular unique MAC address via a particular reserved address assignment of the set of reserved address assignments, and (ii) operate as a networked standalone computer using the particular unique MAC address and the particular reserved IP address.
2. A system as in claim 1 wherein the set of hosts, when maintaining the base virtual machine image, is constructed and arranged to:
utilize, as the base virtual machine image for generating the multiple virtual machines, an operating system disk image which is preset for self configuration.
3. A system as in claim 1 wherein the DHCP server is formed by a virtual machine running on a physical machine, the DHCP server being constructed and arranged to assign reserved IP addresses based on the set of reserved address assignments.
4. A system as in claim 1 , further comprising:
a platform which runs an application under test, the virtual machines being constructed and arranged to test the application under test.
5. A system as in claim 4 wherein the set of hosts includes:
a first physical machine which runs a first group of virtual machines, and
a second physical machine which runs a second group of virtual machines, the first and second groups of virtual machines being configured to impose a workload on the application under test in a distributed manner.
6. A system as in claim 1 , further comprising:
a set of thinly provisioned computerized devices coupled to the DHCP server through a network, each thinly provisioned computerized device being constructed and arranged to obtain a reserved IP address from the DHCP server based on a unique MAC address of that thinly provisioned computerized device.
7. A system as in claim 1 wherein the set of hosts is a set of actual physical machines running host operating systems; and
wherein each virtual machine is an emulation of a separate computer, the emulation existing in an environment provided by the set of actual physical machines running the host operating systems.
8. A method of deploying virtual machines, the method comprising:
providing a set of reserved address assignments to a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server, each reserved address assignment including a unique media access control (MAC) address and a reserved Internet Protocol (IP) address which are associated with each other via that reserved address assignment;
providing a base virtual machine image and a set of unique MAC addresses; and
generating multiple virtual machines from the base virtual machine image and the set of unique MAC addresses, each virtual machine being constructed and arranged to (i) provide a particular unique MAC address of the set of unique MAC addresses to the DHCP server and obtain a particular reserved IP address from the DHCP server via an exchange of DHCP messages between that virtual machine and the DHCP server, the particular reserved IP address being associated with the particular unique MAC address via a particular reserved address assignment of the set of reserved address assignments, and (ii) operate as a networked standalone computer using the particular unique MAC address and the particular reserved IP address.
9. A method as in claim 8 wherein providing the base virtual machine image includes:
supplying, as the base virtual machine image for generating the multiple virtual machines, an operating system disk image which is preset for self configuration.
10. A method as in claim 9 wherein the operating system disk image is constructed and arranged to support virtual machines running a first operating system; and wherein the method, further comprises:
supplying, as another base virtual machine image for generating other virtual machines, another operating system disk image which is preset for self configuration, the other operating system disk image being constructed and arranged to support virtual machines running a second operating system which is different than the first operating system.
11. A method as in claim 8 , further comprising:
running an application under test, the virtual machines being constructed and arranged to test the application under test.
12. A method as in claim 11 wherein a pool of physical machines is allocated to test the application under test; and
wherein generating the multiple virtual machines includes (i) running a first group of virtual machines on a first physical machine of the pool, and (ii) running a second group of virtual machines on a second physical machine of the pool, the first and second groups of virtual machines being configured to impose a workload on the application under test in a distributed manner.
13. A method as in claim 12 wherein running the application under test includes:
executing the application under test on a physical machine which is separate from the physical machines of the pool of physical machines.
14. A method as in claim 13 , further comprising:
configuring a network which connects the pool of physical machines and the physical machine which is separate from the physical machines of the pool of physical machines to support a virtual local area network (VLAN);
wherein the reserved IP addresses of the first group of virtual machines map to the VLAN; and
wherein the reserved IP addresses of the second group of virtual machines map to the VLAN.
15. A method as in claim 14 wherein running the application under test includes:
executing the application under test on a platform which maps to the VLAN.
16. A method as in claim 14 wherein running the application under test includes:
executing the application under test on a platform which is external to the VLAN.
17. A method as in claim 14 , further comprising:
conveying network traffic between two data communications devices over the network, the network traffic being external to the VLAN.
18. A method as in claim 12 , further comprising:
providing a control station which directs operation of each virtual machine of the first group of virtual machines running on the first physical machine and the second group of virtual machines running on the second physical machine.
19. A method as in claim 18 , further comprising:
maintaining the set of reserved address assignments on the control station, the control station being constructed and arranged to provide the set of reserved address assignments to the DHCP server prior to generation of the multiple virtual machines.
20. A method as in claim 8 , further comprising:
using the set of reserved address assignments provided to the DHCP server, delivering reserved IP addresses to thinly provisioned computerized devices based on unique MAC addresses of the thinly provisioned computerized devices.
21. A method as in claim 8 wherein generating the multiple virtual machines includes:
operating a set of actual physical machines running host operating systems, and
emulating, as each virtual machine, a separate computer, such emulation existing in an environment provided by the set of actual physical machines running the host operating systems.
22. A method of deploying virtual machines, the method comprising:
providing a set of reserved address assignments to a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server, each reserved address assignment including a unique media access control (MAC) address and a reserved Internet Protocol (IP) address which are associated with each other via that reserved address assignment;
providing a base virtual machine image and a set of unique MAC addresses; and
generating multiple virtual machines from the base virtual machine image and the set of unique MAC addresses, each virtual machine being constructed and arranged to (i) provide a particular unique MAC address of the set of unique MAC addresses to the DHCP server and obtain a particular reserved IP address from the DHCP server via an exchange of DHCP messages between that virtual machine and the DHCP server, the particular reserved IP address being associated with the particular unique MAC address via a particular reserved address assignment of the set of reserved address assignments, and (ii) operate as a networked standalone computer using the particular unique MAC address and the particular reserved IP address;
wherein providing the base virtual machine image includes supplying, as the base virtual machine image for generating the multiple virtual machines, an operating system disk image which is preset for self configuration;
wherein the operating system disk image is constructed and arranged to support virtual machines running a first operating system; and
wherein the method, further comprises:
supplying, as another base virtual machine image for generating other virtual machines, another operating system disk image which is preset for self configuration, the other operating system disk image being constructed and arranged to support virtual machines running a second operating system which is different than the first operating system, and
configuring a physical machine to run the DHCP server as a virtual machine, wherein the DHCP server, when running on the physical machine, is constructed and arranged to assign reserved IP addresses based on the set of reserved address assignments.