Virtual machine placement in a heterogeneous data center

A method, performed by a resource management server, for mapping a plurality of unassigned virtual machines (VMs) to a plurality of physical machines (PMs), the resource management server comprising a non-transient computer readable medium and a processor to execute computer executable instructions stored on the non-transient computer readable medium, so that when the instructions are executed, the resource management server performs the method of:

• obtaining total resource demands for each dimension requested by the plurality of unassigned VMs by combining resource demands in each respective dimension across all VMs in the plurality of unassigned VMs;
• activating, based on the total resource demands, at least one PM in the plurality of PMs to a set of activated PMs, wherein the activating comprises:
• (a) determining total unaccounted-for resource demands for each dimension, the unaccounted-for resource demands being resource demands that exceed total available resources of the set of activated PMs;
• (b) determining whether all resource demands have been accounted for based on the total unaccounted-for resource demands by:
• determining whether the total unaccounted-for resource demands in each dimension is less than zero;
• and
• when the total unaccounted-for resource demands in each dimension is less than zero, determining that all resource demands have been accounted for;
• and
• (c) in response to the determining that all resource demands have not been accounted for:
• determining dominant resource demand from the unaccounted-for resource demands, and
• activating a PM with a maximum capacity for the dominant resource;
• assigning at least one unassigned VM to the set of activated PMs by assigning each of the at least one unassigned VM to any PM in the set of activated PMs, wherein a VM assigned to a PM has an equal or lower resource demand for each dimension compared to a remaining resource capacity for each respective dimension of the PM;
• determining whether all unassigned VMs in the plurality of unassigned VMs have been assigned to the set of activated PMs;
• and
• conditionally activating one or more PMs when all unassigned VMs have not been assigned to the set of activated PMs.