Managing a server template
View Patent ↗A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium may comprise instructions for managing a server template stored thereon. When executed by at least one processor, the instructions may be configured to cause at least one computing system to at least convert the server template to a corresponding virtual machine, manage the corresponding virtual machine, and convert the corresponding virtual machine back into a template format.
1. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions for managing a server template stored thereon that, when executed by at least one processor, are configured to cause at least one computing system to at least:
determine whether a management resource pool has sufficient resources to create a corresponding virtual machine within a server;
if sufficient resources do not exist in the management resource pool and the server is a template-type server, free up computing capacity in the management resource pool by removing a running virtual machine from the management resource pool;
convert the server template to the corresponding virtual machine;
manage the corresponding virtual machine; and
based on the converting and the managing, convert the corresponding virtual machine back into the server template.
2. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the converting the server template comprises creating a copy of the server template and adding identification information to the copy of the server template, the copy of the server template, including the added identification information, being the corresponding virtual machine.
3. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 2 , wherein the converting the corresponding virtual machine back into the server template comprises removing the identification information from the copy of the server template, the copy of the server template with the identification information removed having a template format.
4. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 2 , wherein the converting the corresponding virtual machine back into the server template comprises:
removing the identification information from the copy of the server template; and
deleting the server template.
5. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the managing the corresponding virtual machine comprises performing a server provisioning task on the corresponding virtual machine.
6. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the managing the corresponding virtual machine comprises patching an operating system of the corresponding virtual machine.
7. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the managing the corresponding virtual machine comprises presenting contents of the corresponding virtual machine in a browser.
8. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the managing the corresponding virtual machine comprises presenting applications that are part of the server template in a browser.
9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the managing the corresponding virtual machine comprises copying a file into the corresponding virtual machine.
10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the managing the corresponding virtual machine comprises taking a snapshot of the corresponding virtual machine.
11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the managing the corresponding virtual machine comprises determining whether the corresponding virtual machine complies with a regulatory policy.
12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein:
the instructions are further configured to cause the at least one computing system to free up computing capacity in a resource pool by removing a running virtual machine from the resource pool; and
the converting the server template includes creating the corresponding virtual machine in the resource pool.
13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12 , wherein:
the instructions are further configured to cause the at least one computing system to determine whether the server template is a template-type server or a virtual machine before freeing up the computing capacity; and
the freeing up computing capacity includes freeing up computing capacity in the resource pool based on determining that the server template is a template-type server.
14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein:
the instructions are further configured to cause the at least one computing system to determine whether the server template is a template-type server or a virtual machine after managing the corresponding virtual machine; and
the converting the corresponding virtual machine back into the server template includes converting the corresponding virtual machine back into the server template based on determining that the server template is a template-type server.
15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions for managing a first server, a second server, and a third server stored thereon, the instructions being configured to cause at least one computing system to at least:
determine that the first server is a template-type server;
based on determining that the first server is a template-type server, determine whether a management resource pool has sufficient resources available to convert the first server from a template-type server to a first virtual machine;
based on determining that the management resource pool does not have sufficient resources available to convert the first server from the template-type server to the first virtual machine, free up capacity in the management resource pool by removing a running virtual machine from the management resource pool;
after freeing up capacity in the management resource pool, convert the first server to a first virtual machine, the first virtual machine corresponding to the first server;
after converting the first server to the first virtual machine, manage the first virtual machine;
after managing the first virtual machine, convert the first virtual machine back to a template-type server;
determine that the second server is a template-type server;
based on determining that the second server is a template-type server, determine whether the management resource pool has sufficient resources available to convert the second server from a template-type server to a second virtual machine;
based on determining that the management resource pool does have sufficient resources, convert the second server to a second virtual machine, the second virtual machine corresponding to the second server;
after converting the second server to the second virtual machine, manage the second virtual machine;
after managing the second virtual machine, convert the second virtual machine back to a template-type server;
determine that the third server is not a template-type server; and
manage the third server.
16. A computer-implemented method comprising:
determining whether a management resource pool has sufficient resources to create a corresponding virtual machine within a server;
if sufficient resources do not exist in the management resource pool and the server is a template-type server, freeing up computing capacity in the management resource pool by removing a running virtual machine from the management resource pool;
converting a server template to the corresponding virtual machine;
managing the corresponding virtual machine; and
based on the converting and the managing, converting the corresponding virtual machine back into the server template.
17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the converting the server template comprises creating a copy of the server template and adding identification information to the copy of the server template, the copy of the server template, including the added identification information, being the corresponding virtual machine.
18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the converting the corresponding virtual machine back into the server template comprises removing the identification information from the copy of the server template, the copy of the server template with the identification information removed having a template format.
19. The method of claim 17 , wherein the converting the corresponding virtual machine back into the server template comprises:
removing the identification information from the copy of the server template; and
deleting the server template.
20. The method of claim 16 , further comprising:
freeing up computing capacity in a resource pool by removing a running virtual machine from the resource pool; and wherein the converting the server template includes creating the corresponding virtual machine in the resource pool.