Managing virtual machine policy compliance

1. A method for restoring compliance of a virtual machine found to be non-compliant to a compliance rule, the method comprising

detecting non-compliance of the virtual machine with the compliance rule using a compliance agent deployed on the virtual machine;

detaching the virtual machine from a network;

creating a copy of a compliance repository volume on a requested disk resource for the virtual machine, wherein the compliance repository volume has stored thereon a version of the virtual machine which adheres to the compliance rule;

responsive to detecting the non-compliance of the virtual machine, mounting the requested disk resource, having stored thereon the copy of the compliance repository volume, to the virtual machine;

responsive to mounting the requested disk resource, applying a remediation action to the virtual machine using content of the copy of the compliance repository volume to restore compliance of the virtual machine; and

responsive to applying the remediation action to the virtual machine, triggering, by the compliance agent, a compliance scan to ensure that the virtual machine complies with the compliance rule, wherein the creation of the copy of the compliance repository volume is performed by a storage system controlled by a hypervisor and is triggered by the compliance agent via the hypervisor.

2. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

responsive to triggering the compliance scan, detaching the requested disk resource having stored the copy of the compliance repository volume from the virtual machine.

3. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

removing the copy of the compliance repository volume on the requested disk resource.

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the removing the copy of the compliance repository volume comprises releasing the requested disk resource.

5. The method according to claim 1 further comprising:

responsive to ensuring that the virtual machine complies with the compliance rule, attaching the virtual machine back to the network.

6. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the detaching of the requested disk resource is performed after applying the remediation action.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the remediation action is performed by the compliance agent using at least one script and/or at least one software component stored on the copy of the compliance repository volume.

8. A data processing program for execution in a data processing system, the data processing program comprising software code portions stored in a memory device for performing the method according to claim 1 when said data processing program is run on the data processing system.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the compliance repository volume comprises a storage volume having stored thereon a version of a compliant virtual machine that is compliant with the compliance rule, and the step of applying the remediation action to the virtual machine reverts the virtual machine back to a compliant state.

10. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the compliance repository volume is copied on-the-fly during operation of the virtual machine to a disk resource requested by the compliance agent via the hypervisor in order to create the copy of the compliance repository volume.

11. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the copy of the compliance repository volume is copied by a storage system such that the copy is performed independent from the virtual machine.

12. A compliance system adapted to restore compliance of a virtual machine found to be non-compliant to a compliance rule, the compliance system comprising:

a compliance detection unit adapted for detecting non-compliance of a virtual machine with the compliance rule using a compliance agent deployed on the virtual machine;

a network detaching unit adapted to detach the virtual machine from a network;

a copy creation unit adapted to create a copy of a compliance repository volume on a requested disk resource for the virtual machine, wherein the compliance repository volume has stored thereon a version of the virtual machine which adheres to the compliance rule;

a mounting unit adapted to mount, responsive to detecting the non-compliance of the virtual machine, the requested disk resource, having stored thereon the copy of the compliance repository volume, to the virtual machine;

an applying unit adapted to apply, responsive to mounting the requested disk resource, a remediation action to the virtual machine using content of the copy of the compliance repository volume to revert the virtual machine back to a compliant state; and

a triggering unit adapted to trigger by the compliance agent, responsive to applying the remediation action to the virtual machine, a compliance scan to ensure that the virtual machine complies to the compliance rule, wherein the creation of the copy of the compliance repository volume is performed by a storage system controlled by a hypervisor and is triggered by the compliance agent via the hypervisor.

13. A computer system comprising a central processing unit, a memory, and the compliance system according to claim 12 .

14. The compliance system according to claim 12 , wherein the compliance repository volume comprises a storage volume having stored thereon a version of a compliant virtual machine that is compliant with the compliance rule, and the step of applying the remediation action to the virtual machine reverts the virtual machine back to a compliant state.

15. A computer program product stored on a non-transitory computer usable medium, comprising computer readable program code for causing a computer to perform steps of:

detecting non-compliance of the virtual machine with the compliance rule using a compliance agent deployed on the virtual machine;

detaching the virtual machine from a network;

creating a copy of a compliance repository volume on a requested disk resource for the virtual machine, wherein the compliance repository volume has stored thereon a version of the virtual machine which adheres to the compliance rule;

responsive to detecting the non-compliance of the virtual machine, mounting the requested disk resource, having stored thereon the copy of the compliance repository volume, to the virtual machine;

responsive to mounting the requested disk resource, applying a remediation action to the virtual machine using content of the copy of the compliance repository volume to restore compliance of the virtual machine; and

responsive to applying the remediation action to the virtual machine, triggering, by the compliance agent, a compliance scan to ensure that the virtual machine complies with the compliance rule, wherein the creation of the copy of the compliance repository volume is performed by a storage system controlled by a hypervisor and is triggered by the compliance agent via the hypervisor.

16. The computer program product according to claim 15 , wherein the compliance repository volume comprises a storage volume having stored thereon a version of a compliant virtual machine that is compliant with the compliance rule, and the step of applying the remediation action to the virtual machine reverts the virtual machine back to a compliant state.