Application-aware virtual machine migration in data centers

TLDR

Virtual machine migration enables data centers to rebalance workloads, but realizing maximal utilization is hindered by inter‑VM dependencies that create complex load interactions and can overload network resources when VMs are moved indiscriminately. The study introduces AppAware, a computationally efficient scheme that incorporates inter‑VM dependencies and network topology into VM migration decisions. AppAware models these dependencies and topology to guide migration decisions. Simulations show that AppAware reduces network traffic by up to 81 % compared to a well‑known non‑application‑aware migration method.

Abstract

While virtual machine (VM) migration is allowing data centers to rebalance workloads across physical machines, the promise of a maximally utilized infrastructure is yet to be realized. Part of the challenge is due to the inherent dependencies between VMs comprising a multi-tier application, which introduce complex load interactions between the underlying physical servers. For example, simply moving an overloaded VM to a (random) underloaded physical machine can inadvertently overload the network. We introduce AppAware-a novel, computationally efficient scheme for incorporating (1) inter-VM dependencies and (2) the underlying network topology into VM migration decisions. Using simulations, we show that our proposed method decreases network traffic by up to 81%compared to a well known alternative VM migration method that is not application-aware.