Environment virtualization
An environment virtualization infrastructure (EVI) is made up of storage, network, and compute elements which are virtualized in a virtual platform that is implemented on a hardware platform. In some embodiments, the EVI is dynamic and is expressed as a collection of downloadable data structures. The virtual platform can include an EVI with a definable topology and an emulator that configures various components of the EVI automatically. In some embodiments, the emulator is invoked via an Application Programming Interface. The EVI can be implemented as a Software as a Service. In some embodiments, the EVI includes virtual environments that have routers, switches, operating systems, and software applications.
1. A system comprising:
(a) a physical hardware platform comprising one or more processors, storage devices and network devices, wherein said hardware platform includes an operating system kernel that provides namespace isolation for processes, networks, users, inter-process communication resources and mount points;
(b) a virtual platform configured to run on said physical hardware platform, said virtual platform comprising an infrastructure emulator;
(c) a plurality of environment virtualization infrastructures configured to run on said virtual platform, each of said plurality of environment virtualization infrastructures comprising a respective runtime environment, said runtime environment comprising:
(i) an infrastructure topology comprising individually defined storage, network, and compute elements;
(ii) a plurality of actionable data structures based on said infrastructure topology, wherein said data structures can be automatically moved among said processors, said storage devices and said network devices of said physical hardware platform via routes established by said infrastructure emulator in response to the resource availability of said physical hardware platform;
(iii) an interpreter operable to compile said actionable data structures into executable instructions for individually provisioning each of said storage, network and compute elements as virtual resources to run on said virtual platform, and for dynamically making changes to said storage, network and compute elements individually, and in real-time, during operation of said environment virtualization infrastructure, wherein said virtual resources are run as isolated namespaces in said operating system kernel; and
(d) an interface comprising at least one of a user interface and an Application Programming Interface, said interface operable to generate said infrastructure topology via user commands to said infrastructure emulator, wherein a first one of the plurality of environment virtualization infrastructures is isolated from a second one of the plurality of environment virtualization infrastructures.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein said actionable data structures are downloaded onto storage media.
3. The system of claim 1 , wherein said emulator is invoked via an Application Programming Interface.
4. The system of claim 1 , wherein said at least one of said plurality of environment virtualization infrastructures is implemented as a Software as a Service.
5. The system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of said plurality of environment virtualization infrastructures comprises:
(i) a router;
(ii) a switch;
(iii) an operating system;
(iv) a software application;
(v) an application programming interface; and
(vi) a remote interface.
6. The system of claim 5 , wherein said remote interface is a web interface.