Methods and apparatus to apply a modularized virtualization topology using virtual hard disks

1. A modularized virtualized computing environment comprising:

a processor;

a hypervisor;

a virtual machine deployed by the hypervisor;

a plurality of virtual hard drives, each virtual hard drive encapsulating one respective logical functionality or one logical data set, the plurality of virtual hard drives cooperating to implement an overall functionality or service, the one respective logical functionality or the one logical data set maintained separate from other logical functionalities or logical data sets; and

a storage manager to:

identify a request to access a software asset at a first path location; and

determine that the first path location is mapped to a second path location associated with a first one of the plurality of virtual hard drives;

redirect the request to the second path location,

determine whether the software asset associated with the request invokes a re-direct rule;

when the software asset invokes the re-direct rule, provision a new virtual hard drive encapsulating functionality of the software asset; and

map the first path location to a new path location associated with the new virtual hard drive.

2. A modularized virtualized computing environment as defined in claim 1 , wherein the plurality of virtual hard drives are provisioned to perform the overall functionality or service of prior non-modularized software by:

identifying respective software assets to implement the respective logical functionality in the prior, non-modularized software;

encapsulating copies of the respective software assets in the respective ones of the plurality of virtual hard drives; and

mapping original pathnames associated with the software assets to respective ones of the plurality of virtual hard drives.

3. A modularized virtualized computing environment as defined in claim 2 , wherein the software assets are dispersed in multiple folders in the prior non-modularized software.

4. A modularized virtualized computing environment as defined in claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of virtual hard drives encapsulates the corresponding one respective logical functionality or the one logically-related data set without any portion of the corresponding one respective logical functionality or the one logically-related data set moving onto any other one of the plurality of virtual hard drives.

5. A modularized virtualized computing environment as defined in claim 4 , wherein each of the plurality of virtual hard drives does not include files or data which are unrelated to the corresponding one respective logical functionality or the one logically-related data set, and, which can render any functionality the corresponding virtual hard drive provides, unusable, should the corresponding virtual hard drive be dis-mounted.

6. A modularized virtualized computing environment as defined in claim 1 , wherein a first one of the plurality of virtual hard drives is associated with an inter-virtual drive rule, the inter-virtual drive rule defining a dependency condition relative to a second one of the plurality of virtual hard drives.

7. A modularized virtualized computing environment as defined in claim 6 , wherein the dependency condition specifies that the first virtual hard drive cannot be mounted if the second virtual hard drive is mounted.

8. A modularized virtualized computing environment as defined in claim 6 , wherein the dependency condition specifies that the first virtual hard drive and the second virtual hard drive cannot be mounted on a same virtual machine.

9. A modularized virtualized computing environment as defined in claim 6 , wherein the dependency condition specifies that the second virtual hard drive is to be mounted in response to mounting of the first virtual hard drive.

10. A modularized virtualized computing environment as defined in claim 9 , wherein the virtual machine is a first virtual machine, and the second virtual hard drive is mounted to a second virtual machine in response to mounting of the first virtual hard drive to the first virtual machine.

11. A modularized virtualized computing environment as defined in claim 1 , wherein a first one of the plurality of virtual hard drives is associated with a life cycle stage rule, the life cycle stage rule permitting mounting of the first virtual hard drive during a first life cycle stage, but not during a second life cycle stage.

12. A modularized virtualized computing environment as defined in claim 1 , wherein a first one of the plurality of virtual hard drives is associated with a life cycle stage rule, the life cycle stage rule refusing mounting of the first virtual hard drive during a first life cycle stage.

13. A method of migrating non-modularized software to a modularized virtualized computing environment comprising:

identifying respective software assets to implement respective logical functionality in the prior non-modularized software;

provisioning, with a hypervisor executing on a processor, a plurality of virtual hard drives to execute in one or more virtual machines, each virtual hard drive encapsulating one of the respective logical functionalities, the plurality of virtual hard drives cooperating to implement an overall functionality or service of the non-modularized software, the one of the respective logical functionalities maintained separate from other logical functionalities; and mapping, with the hypervisor executing on the processor, original pathnames associated with the software assets to respective ones of the plurality of virtual hard drives;

identifying a request to access a software asset of the non-modularized software at a first path location;

determining that the first path location is mapped to a second path location associated with a first one of the plurality of virtual hard drives;

redirecting the request to the second path location;

determining whether the software asset associated with the request invokes a re-direct rule;

when the software asset invokes the re-direct rule, provisioning a new virtual hard drive encapsulating functionality of the software asset; and

mapping the first path location to a new path location associated with the new virtual hard drive.

14. A method as defined in claim 13 , wherein each of the plurality of virtual hard drives encapsulates the corresponding one respective logical functionality without any portion of the corresponding one respective logical functionality onto any other one of the plurality of virtual hard drives.

15. A method as defined in claim 13 , further including determining a first one of the plurality of virtual hard drives is associated with an inter-virtual drive rule, the inter-virtual drive rule defining a dependency condition relative to a second one of the plurality of virtual hard drives.

16. A method as defined in claim 15 , wherein the dependency condition specifies that the first virtual hard drive cannot be mounted if the second virtual hard drive is mounted.

17. A method as defined in claim 15 , wherein the dependency condition specifies that the first virtual hard drive and the second virtual hard drive cannot be mounted on a first one of the virtual machines.

18. A method as defined in claim 15 , wherein the dependency condition specifies that the second virtual hard drive is to be mounted in response to mounting of the first virtual hard drive.

19. A method as defined in claim 18 , wherein the second virtual hard drive is mounted to a first one of the virtual machines in response to mounting of the first virtual hard drive to a second one of the virtual machines.

20. A method as defined in claim 13 , further including determining a first one of the plurality of virtual hard drives is associated with a life cycle stage rule, the life cycle stage rule permitting mounting of the first virtual hard drive during a first life cycle stage, but not during a second life cycle stage.

21. A method as defined in claim 13 , further including determining a first one of the plurality of virtual hard drives is associated with a life cycle stage rule, the life cycle stage rule refusing mounting of the first virtual hard drive during a first life cycle stage.