Managing memory across a network of cloned virtual machines

A virtual machine monitor memory management system, the system comprising:

• a master virtual machine (VM) including a master VM memory system hosted at a server computer;
• a memory server and a copy of the master VM memory system hosted at a memory server computer, the memory server configured to respond to requests for memory data from a virtual machine monitor (VMM);
• and
• a host computer including a host memory system and the VMM, the host computer hosting one or more clone VMs and clone VM memory systems, wherein in response to a request for memory data from a clone VM memory system, the VMM is configured to:
• fetch the requested memory data from the memory server, evict a memory page from a target clone VM memory system that is selected by the VMM from among the one or more clone VMs running on the host memory system independent of any direction from the target clone VM when space in the host memory system is determined by the VMM to be insufficient, load the memory data into the host computer memory system and the clone VM memory system.

A non-transitory computer program product having computer readable program code for performing a method for managing memory, the method comprising:

• determining by a virtual machine monitor (VMM) of a host machine whether a memory page requested by a clone virtual machine (VM) memory system of a clone VM operating on the host machine is fetchable from a memory server, the clone VM memory system hosted in a host memory system of the host machine;
• fetching the memory page from the memory server when the memory page is determined to be fetchable from the memory server;
• determining by the VMM of the host machine whether there is sufficient space in the host memory system to load the memory page;
• evicting a memory page from a target clone VM memory system that is selected by the VMM from among one or more clone VMs running on the host memory system independent of any direction from the target clone VM, when space in the host memory system is determined to be insufficient;
• and
• loading the memory page into the host memory system and the clone VM memory system.

A method for managing memory in a network of virtual machines (VMs), including a copy of a master VM memory system, the copy accessible to a memory server, the method comprising:

• determining by a virtual machine monitor (VMM) of a host machine whether a memory page requested by a clone VM memory system of a clone VM operating on the host machine is fetchable from the memory server, the clone VM memory system hosted in a host memory system of the host machine;
• fetching the memory page from the memory server when the memory page is determined to be fetchable from the memory server;
• determining by the VMM of the host machine whether there is sufficient space in the host memory system to load the memory page;
• selecting by the VMM of the host machine a target clone VM memory system from among one or more clone VMs operating on the host machine when space in the host memory system is determined to be insufficient;
• selecting a memory page from the target clone VM memory system by the VMM independent of any direction from the target clone VM;
• evicting by the VMM of the host machine the selected memory page;
• and
• loading by the VMM of the host machine the memory page into the host memory system and the clone VM memory system.