Virtual computing environments

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer program products, for discovering entities in a first portion of a data center network, examining information associated with the discovered entities to determine relationships that exist between pairs of entities in the first portion of the data center network, and generating a specification of the relationships that exist between pairs of entities in the first portion of the data center network based on results of the examining.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A computer-implemented method comprising:
 detecting a trigger event indicative of a selection of a first entity in a first portion of a data center network to be represented in a second portion of the data center network;   examining a specification of relationships that exist between pairs of entities in the first portion of the data center network to identify a set of entities with which the first entity has respective relationships, and identify a first set of logical disks that comprise a storage footprint of the first entity and each respective entity of the set of the entities;   establishing a communication with each storage type entity in the first portion of the data center network that contains a logical disk of the first set of logical disks, and generating a snapshot of a state of each respective logical disk of the first set of logical disks;   generating a time-fixed data image representative of the state of the first set of logical disks at a particular point in time; and   initiating a cloned instance of the first entity in the second portion of the data center network based at least in part on the time-fixed data image.   
     
     
         2 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the set of logical disks are contained within a single storage type entity in the first portion of the data center network. 
     
     
         3 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the snapshot of the state of each respective logical disk of the set is generated at a storage container level. 
     
     
         4 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the time-fixed data image is generated based at least in part on a plurality of storage check points. 
     
     
         5 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein initiating a cloned instance of the first entity comprises:
 examining the specification of relationships that exist between pairs of entities in the first portion of the data center network to identify a second set of logical disks that comprise data sufficient to enable each of one or more applications running on the first entity in the first portion of the data center network to be started in the second portion of the data center network; and   generating a set of virtual machines using data within the first set of logical disks, the second set of logical disks, and the time-fixed data image.   
     
     
         6 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 5 , further comprising:
 adapting the data within the first set of logical disks, the second set of logical disks, and the time-fixed data image for consumption by a hypervisor; and   instructing the hypervisor to run a set of virtual machines in the second portion of the data center network, wherein the set of virtual machines includes the cloned instance of the first entity.   
     
     
         7 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 facilitating network communication between the cloned instance of the first entity and a cloned instance of a second entity in the second portion of the data center network.   
     
     
         8 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 enabling a user to selectively modify a configuration of one or more applications running on the cloned instance of the first entity to examine changes in its performance.   
     
     
         9 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 enabling a user to run a series of tests in association with the cloned instance of the first entity to examine its performance.   
     
     
         10 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 enabling a user to selectively modify a configuration of an entity of the set of entities with which the first entity has respective relationships to examine changes in a performance of the first entity, any entity of the set, or some combination thereof.   
     
     
         11 . A computer-implemented method comprising:
 analyzing a networked computing environment to identify one or more server applications present in the environment and, for each server application identified, to identify storage locations hosting relevant application data and to identify inter-application relationships;   establishing a time-fixed data image of at least some relevant application data for a candidate server application present in the networked computing environment; and   initiating a second instance of the candidate server application relying, at least in part, on the time-fixed data image.   
     
     
         12 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 11 , wherein:
 analyzing the networked computing environment includes accessing one or more of: configuration files, registry entries, application meta-data, file-system meta-data, log files, and name servers.   
     
     
         13 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 11 , wherein:
 establishing a time-fixed data image includes creating a disk-level snapshot.   
     
     
         14 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 11 , wherein:
 establishing a time-fixed data image includes creating an operating-system level file copy.   
     
     
         15 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 11 , wherein:
 establishing a time-fixed data image includes signaling an instance of the candidate server application to create a time-fixed data image.   
     
     
         16 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 facilitating network communication between the second instance of the candidate server application and one or more other server application instances present in the computing environment.   
     
     
         17 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 determining the candidate server application by receiving input from a user.