Virtual environment manager

Abstract

A virtual environment manager (“VEM”) simplifies the usability of virtual machines and provides users with an enhanced design for creating and/or for managing virtual machines (“VMs”). For example, a user can select description information and management information to be included in descriptors and according to which a VEM will create and manage various VM environments for various host environments. The VEM automatically creates the VM environments and host environments by sending descriptor description information and data files associated with the description information to virtual machine monitors (VMMs), which create the VM environments according to the description information. A VEM at each host may manage VM environments executed by the VMM, according to the descriptor management information. Thus, a set of descriptors to create and manage a set of VMs for a home computer may be easily modified by a user to create and manage a set of VMs for a work or laptop computer.

1 - 30 . (canceled) 
     
     
         31 . One or more storage media storing instructions that when executed by at least one machine result in performance of operations comprising:
 execution of software capable of managing, at least in part, virtual machines establishable, at least in part, by at least one virtual machine monitor;   the software being capable of providing, at least in part, a single respective sign-on authentication, to permit access to resources of multiple of the virtual machines;   the software being capable, at least in part, of receiving at least one request for establishment of at least one clone of at least one of the virtual machines;   the software being capable, at least in part, of receiving at least one request for modification, at least in part, of the at least one clone;   the modification being related to, at least in part, a guest operating system and networking of the at least one clone.   
     
     
         32 . The one or more storage media of  claim 31 , wherein:
 the software comprises software components to provide, at least in part, the single respective sign-on authentication, and to permit, at least in part, the access to the resources.   
     
     
         33 . The one or more storage media of  claim 32 , wherein:
 the software components are not comprised, at least in part, in the at least one virtual machine monitor.   
     
     
         34 . The one or more storage media of  claim 31 , wherein:
 the software is capable of receiving at least one request for establishment, at least in part, of at least one management policy related to the managing; and   the at least one policy is to be implemented, at least in part, using at least one descriptor.   
     
     
         35 . The one or more storage media of  claim 34 , wherein:
 the at least one descriptor is associated, at least in part, with at least one of virtual machine provisioning and virtual machine creation.   
     
     
         36 . The one or more storage media of  claim 31 , wherein:
 the multiple of the virtual machines are to be executed, at least in part, by multiple computing devices; and   the multiple computing devices comprise multi-core microprocessors.   
     
     
         37 . The one or more storage media of  claim 31 , wherein:
 the establishment of the at least one clone is to be based, at least in part, upon at least one descriptor that describes, at least in part, the at least one clone.   
     
     
         38 . The one or more storage media of  claim 31 , wherein:
 the modification of the at least one clone is to be associated, at least in part, with modification, at least in part, of the at least one descriptor by the software.   
     
     
         39 . The one or more storage media of  claim 31 , wherein:
 the software is capable, at least in part, of providing, at least in part, at least one management console that is capable, at least in part, of receiving the requests.   
     
     
         40 . An apparatus comprising:
 at least one computing device comprising at least one central processing unit and memory, the memory storing software that when executed by the at least one central processing unit is capable of managing, at least in part, virtual machines establishable, at least in part, by at least one virtual machine monitor;   the software, in operation of the at least one computing device, being capable of providing, at least in part, a single respective sign-on authentication, to permit access to resources of multiple of the virtual machines;   the software, in the operation of the at least one computing device, being capable, at least in part, of receiving at least one request for establishment of at least one clone of at least one of the virtual machines;   the software, in the operation of the at least one computing device, being capable, at least in part, of receiving at least one request for modification, at least in part, of the at least one clone;   the modification being related to, at least in part, a guest operating system and networking of the at least one clone.   
     
     
         41 . The apparatus of  claim 40 , wherein:
 the software comprises software components to provide, at least in part, the single respective sign-on authentication, and to permit, at least in part, the access to the resources.   
     
     
         42 . The apparatus of  claim 41 , wherein:
 the software components are not comprised, at least in part, in the at least one virtual machine monitor.   
     
     
         43 . The apparatus of  claim 40 , wherein:
 the software, in the operation of the at least one computing device, is capable of receiving at least one request for establishment, at least in part, of at least one management policy related to the managing; and   the at least one policy is to be implemented, at least in part, using at least one descriptor.   
     
     
         44 . The apparatus of  claim 43 , wherein:
 the at least one descriptor is associated, at least in part, with at least one of virtual machine provisioning and virtual machine creation.   
     
     
         45 . The apparatus of  claim 40 , wherein:
 the multiple of the virtual machines are to be executed, at least in part, by multiple computing devices; and   the multiple computing devices comprise multi-core microprocessors.   
     
     
         46 . The apparatus of  claim 40 , wherein:
 the establishment of the at least one clone is to be based, at least in part, upon at least one descriptor that describes, at least in part, the at least one clone.   
     
     
         47 . The apparatus of  claim 40 , wherein:
 the modification of the at least one clone is to be associated, at least in part, with modification, at least in part, of the at least one descriptor by the software.   
     
     
         48 . The apparatus of  claim 40 , wherein:
 the software, in the operation of the at least one computing device, is capable, at least in part, of providing, at least in part, at least one management console that is capable, at least in part, of receiving the requests.