Schema-based classification of data on a system

1. A method of managing a configuration of a system service in each of a plurality of hosts, wherein each of the hosts is configured with a virtualization software for supporting execution of virtual machines therein, said method comprising:

upon receiving an application program interface (API) call to operate on a configuration object for the system service that is backed by a configuration schema of the system service, updating a database in accordance with the configuration schema to update or store the configuration of the system service,

wherein the system service executes with the configuration stored in the database, and

wherein the configuration schema defines one or more configuration properties of the system service and one or more internal states of the system service, one of the internal states of the system service being designated by the configuration schema as an internal state of a first type that needs to be persisted in the database such that the internal state of the first type remains in the database upon reboot of the system service, and another one of the internal states of the system service being designated by the configuration schema as an internal state of a second type that does not need to be persisted in the database such that the internal state of the second type is lost upon reboot of the system service.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the API call is a set API call to set the configuration of the system service, and upon receiving the API call, an entry for the configuration of the system service is added to the database.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the API call is an update API call to update the configuration of the system service, and upon receiving the API call, an entry for the configuration of the system service in the database is updated.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

upon receiving a get API call to get the configuration of the system service, returning an entry for the configuration of the system service from the database.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

upon receiving a delete API call, deleting an entry for the configuration of the system service from the database.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the configuration schema defines a range of permissible values for one of the configuration properties.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein an error is returned in response to the API call if a value for said one of the configuration properties, to be added to the database, is outside the range.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein an entry for the configuration of the system service in the database stores a value for the one of the internal states that is of the first type.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the entry for the configuration of the system service in the database does not store a value of any internal state that is of the second type.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the database is a key-value database, and each key corresponds to a unique configuration object.

11. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions to be executed in a plurality of hosts that are each configured with a virtualization software for supporting execution of virtual machines therein, to carry out a method of managing a configuration of a system service in each of the plurality of hosts, said method comprising:

upon receiving an application program interface (API) call to operate on a configuration object for the system service that is backed by a configuration schema of the system service, updating a database in accordance with the configuration schema to update or store the configuration of the system service,

wherein the system service executes with the configuration stored in the database, and

wherein the configuration schema defines one or more configuration properties of the system service and one or more internal states of the system service, one of the internal states of the system service being designated by the configuration schema as an internal state of a first type that needs to be persisted in the database such that the internal state of the first type remains in the database upon reboot of the system service, and another one of the internal states of the system service being designated by the configuration schema as an internal state of a second type that does not need to be persisted in the database such that the internal state of the second type is lost upon reboot of the system service.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11 , wherein the API call is a set API call to set the configuration of the system service, and upon receiving the API call, an entry for the configuration of the system service is added to the database.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11 , wherein the API call is an update API call to update the configuration of the system service, and upon receiving the API call, an entry for the configuration of the system service in the database is updated.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11 , wherein the method further comprises:

upon receiving a get API call to get the configuration of the system service, returning an entry for the configuration of the system service from the database.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11 , wherein the method further comprises:

upon receiving a delete API call, deleting an entry for the configuration of the system service from the database.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11 , wherein the configuration schema defines a range of permissible values for one of the configuration properties.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16 , wherein an error is returned in response to the API call if a value for said one of the configuration properties, to be added to the database, is outside the range.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11 , wherein the database is a key-value database, and each key corresponds to a unique configuration object.

19. A cluster of hosts each configured with a virtualization software for supporting execution of virtual machines therein, wherein each of the hosts includes a processor and memory for executing a system service, and is configured to carry out a method of managing a configuration of the system service, said method comprising:

upon receiving an application program interface (API) call to operate on a configuration object for the system service that is backed by a configuration schema of the system service, updating a database in accordance with the configuration schema to update or store the configuration of the system service,

wherein the system service executes with the configuration stored in the database, and

wherein the configuration schema defines one or more configuration properties of the system service and one or more internal states of the system service, one of the internal states of the system service being designated by the configuration schema as an internal state of a first type that needs to be persisted in the database such that the internal state of the first type remains in the database upon reboot of the system service, and another one of the internal states of the system service being designated by the configuration schema as an internal state of a second type that does not need to be persisted in the database such that the internal state of the second type is lost upon reboot of the system service.

20. The cluster of hosts of claim 19 , wherein

an entry in the database stores values of the one or more configuration properties and the one of the internal states that is of the first type, and does not store a value of any internal state that is of the second type.