Visually analyzing, clustering, transforming and consolidating real and virtual machine images in a computing environment

摘要

System, method and computer program product for generating a GUI that facilitates the management of real and/or virtual images on computing machines in a computing environment. The system and method provides for an interactive visualization of virtual images (machines) and the software components included in each virtual image or real image. According to a consolidating and clustering processes, the images are bundled and displayed in a dendogram to show a hierarchy of the similarity between images. Further, software components are represented by small coded cells and organized into logical groupings. The system and method provides for user interactive functionality that facilitates the gathering of details on certain aspects of the images and/or components. The end result is a software program that facilitates user's ability to consolidate and manage real and virtual images.

主权项

1. A method for visualizing data associated with a cloud environment comprising:
receiving data about images on computing machines or virtual images in cloud image repositories; receiving data about software components configured on said images; forming, from received data, a data structure that maps all images and configured software components on each image; generating, using a processor unit, a visualization interface of said data mapping on a display device in which images are represented visually along a first dimension of a matrix and software components are represented visually along a second dimension of said matrix, said generating including performing a hierarchical agglomerative clustering on said matrix, said performed hierarchical agglomerative clustering including:
finding two most similar rows or columns in said matrix by running a lossless compression over said first dimension and over said second dimension, said lossless compression transforming said first dimension into image bundles, each of which represents a set of images that have identical software components;comparing a similarity value of the two most similar rows or columns against a threshold;if the similarity value is larger than the threshold, replacing the found two most similar rows or columns with a virtual image or a virtual software component bundle, and representing the replacement by a bridge in a dendrogram that shows a hierarchy of similarity between said images; andif the similarity value is smaller than or equal to the threshold, clustering similar images as groups and ranking the groups according to criteria; interacting, via a displayed visualization interface, to display information from said visualization data used for consolidating software components and images in said cloud environment.