Dynamic resource management using virtual machine migrations

Virtualization is a key concept in enabling the "computing-as-a-service" vision of cloud-based solutions. Virtual machine related features such as flexible resource provisioning, and isolation and migration of machine state have improved efficiency of resource usage and dynamic resource provisioning capabilities. Live virtual machine migration transfers "state" of a virtual machine from one physical machine to another, and can mitigate overload conditions and enables uninterrupted maintenance activities. The focus of this article is to present the details of virtual machine migration techniques and their usage toward dynamic resource management in virtualized environments. We outline the components required to use virtual machine migration for dynamic resource management in the virtualized cloud environment. We present categorization and details of migration heuristics aimed at reducing server sprawl, minimizing power consumption, balancing load across physical machines, and so on. We conclude with a discussion of open research problems in the area.