IP Library Granted Patent US 8,413,142
Granted Patent B2
US 8,413,142 · App. 12/750,089 · Granted Apr 2, 2013

Storage optimization selection within a virtualization environment

Inventors: Richard Sharp (Cambridge, GB); David Scott (Cambridge, GB)
Assignee: Citrix Systems, Inc.
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,413,142
App. No.
12/750,089
Filed
Mar 30, 2010
Granted
Apr 2, 2013
Kind
B2
Examiner
LEE, ADAM
Art Unit
2196
USPC
718/1
Abstract

Storage optimization selection for virtual disks of a virtualization environment, where the storage optimization can be selected based in part on the disk type of a virtual disk included in a virtual machine. The disk type of the virtual disk can be discovered by the virtualization environment which queries a database within the virtualization environment for metadata associated with the virtual disk. The metadata can be created when a virtual desktop infrastructure creates the virtual disk, and a virtual machine template that includes the at least one virtual disk. The virtual disk can be modified to either include or be associated with the metadata that describes a disk type of the virtual disk. Upon executing the virtual machine that includes the modified virtual disk, a storage subsystem of the virtualization environment can obtain the metadata of the virtual disk to discover the disk type of the virtual disk.

Claims (30)

1. A method for selecting storage optimizations for a virtual disk within a virtualization environment using metadata indicating a disk type of the virtual disk, the method comprising:

creating, by a virtual desktop infrastructure executing on a computing machine, a virtual machine template comprising at least one virtual disk;

modifying, by the virtual desktop infrastructure responsive to creating the virtual machine template, the at least one virtual disk to comprise the metadata describing the disk type of the at least one virtual disk;

executing, by the virtualization environment, a virtual machine created using the virtual machine template created by the virtual desktop infrastructure;

obtaining, by a storage subsystem of the virtualization environment, the metadata of the at least one virtual disk; and

selecting, by the storage subsystem, a storage optimization for the at least one virtual disk based in part on the disk type described in the metadata.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising copying the virtual machine template to create a second virtual machine template comprising the at least one virtual disk comprising the metadata describing the disk type.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising attaching an optimized storage according to the virtual machine.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein selecting the storage optimization further comprises selecting a storage optimization based in part on the disk type and a specific disk storage type.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein modifying the virtual disk to comprise metadata describing a disk type further comprises modifying the virtual disk to comprise metadata describing an operating system image disk type.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein selecting a storage optimization further comprises selecting a storage optimization comprising creating a cache of the virtual disk.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein modifying the virtual disk to comprise metadata describing a disk type further comprises modifying the virtual disk to comprise metadata describing a non-persistent cache disk type.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein selecting a storage optimization further comprises selecting a storage optimization comprising any one of re-order writes and early write acknowledgements.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein modifying the virtual disk to comprise metadata describing a disk type further comprises modifying the virtual disk to include metadata describing an image customization disk type.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein selecting a storage optimization further comprises selecting a storage optimization comprising security measures.

11. A system for selecting storage optimizations for a disk within a virtualization environment using metadata indicating a disk type of the disk, the system comprising:

a virtual desktop infrastructure executing on a computing machine to:

create a virtual machine template comprising at least one virtual disk,

modify, responsive to creating the virtual machine template, the at least one virtual disk to comprise metadata describing a disk type of the at least one virtual disk; and

a virtual machine executing within a virtualization environment, the virtual machine created using the virtual machine template created by the virtual desktop infrastructure; and

a storage subsystem of the virtualization environment to obtain the metadata of the at least one virtual disk, and select a storage optimization for the at least one virtual disk based in part on the disk type described in the metadata.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the virtual desktop infrastructure copies the virtual machine template to create a second virtual machine template comprising the at least one virtual disk comprising the metadata describing the disk type.

13. The system of claim 11 , wherein the storage subsystem attaches a storage optimized according to the selected storage optimization.

14. The system of claim 11 , wherein the storage subsystem selects the storage optimization based in part on the disk type and a specific disk storage type.

15. The system of claim 11 , wherein the metadata describes an operating system image disk type.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the storage optimization comprises a cache of the virtual disk.

17. The system of claim 11 , wherein the metadata describes a non-persistent cache disk type.

18. The system of claim 17 , wherein the storage optimization comprises any one of re-order writes and early write acknowledgements.

19. The system of claim 11 , wherein the metadata describes an image customization disk type.

20. The system of claim 19 , wherein the storage optimization comprises security measures.

Assignments (9)
PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Aug 15, 2025
From: CLOUD SOFTWARE GROUP, INC.; CITRIX SYSTEMS, INC.
To: WILMINGTON TRUST, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 072488/0172 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded May 24, 2024
From: CLOUD SOFTWARE GROUP, INC. (F/K/A TIBCO SOFTWARE INC.); CITRIX SYSTEMS, INC.
To: WILMINGTON TRUST, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 067662/0568 →
RELEASE AND REASSIGNMENT OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENT (REEL/FRAME 062113/0001) Recorded Apr 14, 2023
From: GOLDMAN SACHS BANK USA, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
To: CITRIX SYSTEMS, INC.; CLOUD SOFTWARE GROUP, INC. (F/K/A TIBCO SOFTWARE INC.)
Reel/Frame 063339/0525 →
PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Apr 14, 2023
From: CLOUD SOFTWARE GROUP, INC. (F/K/A TIBCO SOFTWARE INC.); CITRIX SYSTEMS, INC.
To: WILMINGTON TRUST, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 063340/0164 →
PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Oct 7, 2022
From: TIBCO SOFTWARE INC.; CITRIX SYSTEMS, INC.
To: WILMINGTON TRUST, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 062113/0470 →
PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Oct 7, 2022
From: TIBCO SOFTWARE INC.; CITRIX SYSTEMS, INC.
To: BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 062112/0262 →
SECOND LIEN PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Oct 7, 2022
From: TIBCO SOFTWARE INC.; CITRIX SYSTEMS, INC.
To: GOLDMAN SACHS BANK USA, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 062113/0001 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Sep 30, 2022
From: CITRIX SYSTEMS, INC.
To: WILMINGTON TRUST, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
Reel/Frame 062079/0001 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 5, 2011
From: SHARP, RICHARD; SCOTT, DAVID
To: CITRIX SYSTEMS, INC.
Reel/Frame 026079/0646 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20110246984A1 · Oct 6, 2011