Providing a database as a service in a multi-tenant environment

Abstract

In one embodiment, the present invention is directed to a system with multiple computing hosts each having a hypervisor to provide a virtual environment for the host and one or more containers each including a database instance and at least one database. These databases, and the database instance can be provided as a service to a user of a multi-tenant environment.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system comprising:
 a plurality of physical server computers of a multi-tenant datacenter environment, each having a hypervisor to provide a virtual environment and a plurality of containers each to directly communicate with a physical mass storage of the physical server computer and to include a database instance and at least one database, wherein a container is to receive a database instance responsive to a request from a guest operating system (OS) within the container, the database instance instantiated from a database server image stored in an object store, the at least one database provided as a service, each of the plurality of containers isolated from others of the plurality of the containers and associated with a customer of the multi-tenant datacenter environment;   a storage area network (SAN) formed of a plurality of mass storage devices, the SAN of the multi-tenant datacenter environment and coupled to the plurality of physical server computers, wherein the SAN is to provide block level storage for databases provided as a service, each of the databases provided as a service to be in communication with a volume of the SAN; and   a scheduler to automatically identify one of the plurality of physical server computers to handle a database as a service request for a customer.