Automatically Propagating Updates in a Data Center

An article of manufacture comprising a computer readable storage medium having computer readable instructions tangibly embodied thereon which, when implemented, cause a computer to carry out a plurality of method steps comprising:

• dividing multiple virtual machines in a data center into one or more equivalence classes, wherein each equivalence class is based on a signature corresponding to an offline, online and/or manual update;
• automatically creating an offline and/or online virtual machine manifest for a first virtual machine of the multiple virtual machines based on one or more file system changes during the offline, online and/or manual update for the first virtual machine, wherein said manifest is applicable to each additional virtual machine in the same equivalence class as the first virtual machine;
• and
• applying the offline and/or online virtual machine manifest for the first virtual machine to the remaining multiple virtual machines in the same equivalence class to automatically update the remaining multiple virtual machines in the same equivalence class.

A system comprising:

• at least one distinct software module, each distinct software module being embodied on a tangible computer-readable medium;
• a memory;
• and
• at least one processor coupled to the memory and operative for:
• dividing multiple virtual machines in a data center into one or more equivalence classes, wherein each equivalence class is based on a signature corresponding to an offline, online and/or manual update;
• automatically creating an offline and/or online virtual machine manifest for a first virtual machine of the multiple virtual machines based on one or more file system changes during the offline, online and/or manual update for the first virtual machine, wherein said manifest is applicable to each additional virtual machine in the same equivalence class as the first virtual machine;
• and
• applying the offline and/or online virtual machine manifest for the first virtual machine to the remaining multiple virtual machines in the same equivalence class to automatically update the remaining multiple virtual machines in the same equivalence class.

A method comprising:

• identifying an offline, online and/or manual update and a first virtual machine image on which to apply the offline, online and/or manual update from a data center administrator;
• obtaining a snapshot of the first virtual machine image;
• invoking the data center administrator to perform the offline, online and/or manual update on the first virtual machine image;
• obtaining a signature from the data center administrator, wherein said signature is associated with the performed offline, online and/or manual update;
• leveraging the snapshot of the first virtual machine image to create a manifest for the performed update;
• and
• using the signature to generate a corresponding equivalence class, wherein the equivalence class includes the first virtual machine image and one or more additional virtual machine images on which the performed offline, online and/or manual update can be applied;
• wherein at least one of the steps is carried out by a computer device.