Cloud based virtual environment validation

Abstract

Techniques for providing on-demand validation services for wager-based virtual machines deployed in a cloud based virtual environment. In some implementations, data sources store master deployment sets containing virtual machines. The master deployment sets may be deployed to component servers to provide a gaming related software services to remote client machines. The on-demand service takes snapshots of the virtual machines in the deployment and the virtual machines in the master deployment set. The snapshots are compared to ensure that important files in the master deployment set have not been improperly modified in the deployment. In some implementations, a secure hashing algorithm creates signatures for the snapshots prior to the comparison and the signatures are compared. The validation result may be sent to a remote client that requested the validation.

The invention is claimed as follows: 
     
         1 . A virtual machine validation method comprising:
 receiving a request to validate an instance of a master virtual machine deployed to a component server from a master deployment set;   responsive to receiving the request to validate the deployed instance of the master virtual machine, generating, by at least one processor and for the deployed instance of the master virtual machine, a deployment snapshot including a first set of one or more files;   generating, by the at least one processor and for the master virtual machine, a master snapshot including a second set of one or more files, determining, by the at least one processor, whether the deployed instance of the master virtual machine is valid based on at least one of the files of the first set of files and at least one of the files of the second set of files; and   responsive to determining that the deployed instance of the master virtual machine is not valid:
 (1) stop deploying, by the at least one processor, that instance of the master virtual machine to the component server; and 
 (2) re-deploying, by the at least one processor, another instance of the master virtual machine to the component server. 
   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , which includes automatically re-deploying the other instance of the master virtual machine to the component server responsive to determining that the deployed instance of the master virtual machine is not valid. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , which includes determining, by the at least one processor, the at least one of the files of the first set of files and the at least one of the files of the second set of files based on a manifest of files of regulatory importance. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the manifest of files of regulatory importance includes files that under regulatory rules cannot change when the master deployment set is deployed. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , which includes determining whether the deployed instance of the master virtual machine is valid via use of a hashing algorithm. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , which includes: (1) creating, by the at least one processor, a signature for each of the at least one of the files in the first set of files by hashing each of the at least one of the files in the first set of files with the hashing algorithm; and (2) creating, by the at least one processor, a signature for each of the at least one of the files in the second set of files by hashing each of the at least one of the files in the second set of files with the hashing algorithm. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , which includes determining whether the deployed instance of the master virtual machine is valid by, for each of the at least one of the files in the first set of files, comparing the signature for that file with the signature for the corresponding file of the at least one of the files in the second set of files. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , which includes determining that the deployed instance of the master virtual machine is valid when, for each of the at least one of the files in the first set of files, the signature for that file matches the signature for the corresponding file of the at least one of the files in the second set of files. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the component server is configured to communicate with a client terminal remote from the component server and to provide a casino management service to the remote client terminal. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the remote client terminal is an electronic gaming machine configured to operate a wagering game. 
     
     
         11 . A virtual machine validation system comprising:
 a data source configured to store a master deployment set including a master virtual machine;   a component server configured to host an instance of the master virtual machine deployed from the master deployment; and   a validation server configured to, responsive to receiving a request to validate the deployed instance of the master virtual machine:
 (a) generate, for the deployed instance of the master virtual machine, a deployment snapshot including a first set of one or more files; 
 (b) generate, for the master virtual machine, a master snapshot including a second set of one or more files; 
 (c) determine whether the deployed instance of the master virtual machine is valid based on at least one of the files of the first set of files and at least one of the files of the second set of files; and 
 (d) responsive to determining that the deployed instance of the master virtual machine is not valid:
 (1) stop deploying that instance of the master virtual machine to the component server; and 
 (2) re-deploy another instance of the master virtual machine to the component server. 
 
   
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the validation server is configured to automatically re-deploy the other instance of the master virtual machine to the component server responsive to determining that the deployed instance of the master virtual machine is not valid. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the validation server is configured to determine the at least one of the files of the first set of files and the at least one of the files of the second set of files based on a manifest of files of regulatory importance. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the manifest of files of regulatory importance includes files that under regulatory rules cannot change when the master deployment set is deployed. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the validation server is configured to determine whether the deployed instance of the master virtual machine is valid via use of a hashing algorithm. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the validation server is configured to: (1) create a signature for each of the at least one of the files in the first set of files by hashing each of the at least one of the files in the first set of files with the hashing algorithm; and (2) create a signature for each of the at least one of the files in the second set of files by hashing each of the at least one of the files in the second set of files with the hashing algorithm. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein the validation server is configured to determine whether the deployed instance of the master virtual machine is valid by, for each of the at least one of the files in the first set of files, comparing the signature for that file with the signature for the corresponding file of the at least one of the files in the second set of files. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein the validation server is configured to determine that the deployed instance of the master virtual machine is valid when, for each of the at least one of the files in the first set of files, the signature for that file matches the signature for the corresponding file of the at least one of the files in the second set of files. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the component server is configured to communicate with a client terminal remote from the component server and to provide a casino management service to the remote client terminal. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 19 , wherein the remote client terminal is an electronic gaming machine configured to operate a wagering game.