Migrating workloads across host computing systems based on cache content usage characteristics

A system, comprising:

• multiple host computing systems, wherein each host computing system executing multiple workloads;
• storage devices communicatively coupled to the multiple host computing systems;
• and
• a management server communicatively coupled to the multiple host computing systems, wherein the management server comprises virtual management software (VMS) to create a workload migration recommendation in a virtual computing environment, by:
• loading a global digest table (GUI) onto memory of host computing systems in a cluster;
• dynamically update hash signatures of metadata associated with contents read by workloads running on the host computing systems along with associated host computing system identifiers (IDs) in the GDT for a predetermined time interval;
• identify workloads executing on a first host computing system and a second host computing system that access identical contents that are stored on the storage devices, wherein the identical contents are often being cached in a cache of the first host computing system and the second host computing system;
• determine cache content usage characteristics of the first host computing system and the second host computing system by analyzing the hash signatures of the metadata associated with the read contents along with the associated host computing system IDs in the GDT, wherein the cache content usage characteristics comprise a frequency of read requests made by the workloads for substantially same contents;
• and
• recommend migration of at least one of the identified workloads from the first host computing system to the second host system based on the cache content usage characteristics, thereby allowing the identical contents to be cached within the cache of the second host computing system and allowing the migrated workloads to access the identical contents cached in the cache of the second host computing system after migration in accordance with the recommendation.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including instructions that are configured, when executed by a computing device, to perform a method of creating a workload migration recommendation, the method comprising:

• loading a global digest table (GDT) onto memory of host computing systems in a cluster;
• dynamically updating hash signatures of metadata associated with contents read by workloads running on the host computing systems along, with associated host computing system identifiers (IDs) in the GDT for a predetermined time interval;
• identifying workloads executing on a first host computing system and a second host computing system that access identical contents that are stored on storage devices, wherein the identical contents are often being cached in a cache of the first host computing system and the second host computing system;
• determining cache content usage characteristics of the first host computing system and the second host computing system by analyzing the hash signatures of the metadata associated with the read contents along with the associated host computing system IDs in the GDT, wherein the cache content usage characteristics comprise a frequency of read requests made by the workloads for substantially same contents;
• and
• recommending migration of at least one of the identified workloads from the first host computing system to the second host system based on the cache content usage characteristics, thereby allowing the identical contents to be cached within the cache of the second host computing system and allowing the migrated workloads to access the identical contents cached in the cache of the second host computing system after migration in accordance with the recommendation.