Multi-region virtual data center template
A facility for distributing a template recording a past state of a virtual computing environment is described. The facility accesses a list of physical data centers at which the template is to be available for immediate use to instantiate a new virtual computing environments. The facility causes the template to be stored at each physical data center on the list.
1. One or more computer memories collectively containing a template instances table data structure, the data structure comprising:
at least one entry, each entry comprising:
information identifying a template recording a particular past state of a virtual computing environment, the template comprising state for each of a plurality of virtual machines specified for the virtual computing environment; and
information identifying a physical data center in which an instance of data constituting the identified template has been replicated,
wherein the identified template comprises at least one region-specific resource usable in the context of the identified physical data center based on the identity of the identified physical data center substituted into the identified template as part of its replication to the identified physical data center at a time before the replicated template is used to instantiate a virtual computing environment in the identified physical data center.
2. The computer memories of claim 1 wherein at least two of the entries contain information identifying the same template.
3. The computer memories of claim 1 wherein each entry of the data structure further comprises:
information usable to access in the identified physical data center the instance of data constituting the identified template that has been replicated in the identified physical data center.
4. The computer memories of claim 1 wherein each entry of the data structure further comprises:
information identifying a version of the data constituting the identified template.
5. One or more computer memories collectively storing contents configured to cause a computing system to perform a method for replicating a template recording a past state of a virtual computing environment, the method comprising:
accessing a list of physical data centers at which the template is to be available for immediate use to instantiate a new virtual computing environment; and
causing an instance of the template to be stored at each physical data center on the list, the template comprising state for each of a plurality of virtual machines specified for the virtual computing environment,
wherein each instance of the template comprises at least one region-specific resource usable in the context of a corresponding physical data center based on the identity of the physical data center substituted into the template as part of its replication to the corresponding physical data center at a time before the replicated template is used to instantiate a virtual computing environment in the identified physical data center.
6. The computer memories of claim 5 , further comprising:
identifying a region-specific aspect of the template; and
for each of the list of physical data centers, formulating the instance of the template stored at the physical data center by selecting a region-specific resource suitable for the physical data center in satisfaction of the identified region-specific aspect of the template.
7. A hardware switch, hardware router, hardware repeater, electrical cable, optical fiber, hardware light emitter, hardware light receiver, hardware radio transmitter, or hardware radio receiver conveying a user interface data structure, the data structure comprising:
information directing the presentation of a list of existing templates each stored persistently; and
information directing the presentation of one or more controls usable to select one of the listed existing templates as an existing template at an identified physical data center in a virtual computing environment that is to be replaced by a new template recording a current state of the virtual computing environment,
such that, upon receipt, the information comprising the data structure is usable to facilitate specification by a user of the existing template, at the identified physical data center in the virtual computing environment, that is to be replaced by the new template recording the current state of the virtual computing environment,
wherein at least one template in the list of existing templates comprises at least one region-specific resource usable in the context of the identified physical data center in the virtual computing environment based on the identity of the identified physical data center substituted into the template as part of its replication to the identified physical data center at a time before the replicated template is used to instantiate a virtual computing environment in the identified physical data center.
8. One or more computer memories collectively containing a reference data structure, the data structure comprising:
a reference to a persistently stored first template recording a first state of a first virtual computing environment,
such that, up to a time when the first template is replaced with a second template recording a second state of a second computing environment, the reference refers to the first template and can be used to instantiate a new virtual computing environment based on the first template,
and such that, after the time when the first template is replaced with the second template, the reference refers to the second template and can be used to instantiate a new virtual computing environment based on the second template,
wherein the second template comprises at least one region-specific resource usable in the context of an identified physical data center in the first virtual computing environment based on the identity of the identified physical data center substituted into the second template as part of its replication to the identified physical data center at a time before the second template is used to instantiate a virtual computing environment in the identified physical data center.
9. The computer memories of claim 8 wherein the second virtual computing environment is distinct from the first virtual computing environment.
10. The computer memories of claim 8 wherein the reference is a numerical identifier.
11. The computer memories of claim 8 wherein the reference is a textual identifier.
12. The computer memories of claim 8 wherein the reference is a URL.
13. The computer memories of claim 8 wherein the reference identifies a particular location on a particular memory at which the template is stored.
14. The computer memories of claim 8 wherein the reference directly identifies a particular location on a particular memory at which the template is stored.
15. The computer memories of claim 8 wherein the reference indirectly identifies a particular location on a particular memory at which the template is stored.