Selection of allocation policy and format for virtual machine disk images

摘要

A system and method are disclosed for selecting an allocation policy and format for storing a disk image of a virtual machine (VM). In accordance with one embodiment, a computer system that hosts a virtual machine (VM) selects an allocation policy and format for storing the disk image on a particular storage device (e.g., a magnetic hard disk, a Universal Serial Bus [USB] solid state drive, a Redundant Array of Independent Disks [RAID] system, a network attached storage [NAS] array, etc.), where the selection is based on one or more capabilities of the storage device, and on a parameter that indicates a tradeoff between performance and storage consumption.

主权项

1. A method comprising:
determining, by a processor, one or more capabilities of a storage device, wherein the determining is performed by a system call to a host operating system; determining, by the processor, one or more capabilities the storage device lacks by taking a complement of the one or more capabilities with respect to a defined set of capabilities; selecting, by the processor, one of a plurality of allocation policies for allocating storage on the storage device for a disk image of the virtual machine, wherein the selecting is in view of: (i) the one or more capabilities of the storage device, (ii) the one or more capabilities that the storage device lacks, and (iii) a parameter that indicates a tradeoff between performance and storage consumption; and allocating storage for the disk image on the storage device in accordance with the selected policy.