Virtual machine data replication with shared resources

A system comprising:

• a memory;
• and
• a processing device, operatively coupled to the memory, to:
• identify one or more resources that are shared across a plurality of virtual machines;
• store a copy of each of the one or more resources;
• receive, from one of the plurality of virtual machines, an indication of a portion of a virtual storage of the one of the plurality of virtual machines to be replicated;
• determine that the portion of the virtual storage of the one of the plurality of virtual machines is not included in the one or more resources;
• in response to a determination that the portion of the virtual storage of the one of the plurality of virtual machines is not included in the one or more resources, update a replicated copy of the one of the plurality of virtual machines in view of the portion of the virtual storage of the one of the plurality of virtual machines, the replicated copy of the one of the plurality of virtual machines further comprising the one or more resources that are shared across a plurality of virtual machines;
• determine an initialization efficiency metric in relation to the replicated copy of the one of the plurality of virtual machines, wherein the initialization efficiency metric reflects at least one of:
• an amount of time that an initialization of a new virtual machine in view of the replicated copy is likely to entail,
• an amount of processing power that an initialization of a new virtual machine in view of the replicated copy is likely to entail, or a resource overhead that an initialization of a new virtual machine in view of the replicated copy is likely to entail;
• and
• in response to a determination that the initialization efficiency metric of the replicated copy of the one of the plurality of virtual machines exceeds a defined efficiency threshold, store a copy of the virtual storage of the one of the plurality of virtual machines, the copy of the virtual storage comprising the one or more resources that are shared across the plurality of virtual machines.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having instructions that, when executed by a processing device, cause the processing device to:

• identify one or more resources that are shared across a plurality of virtual machines;
• store a copy of each of the one or more resources;
• receive, from one of the plurality of virtual machines, an indication of a portion of virtual storage of the one of the plurality of virtual machines to be replicated;
• determine that the portion of the virtual storage of the one of the plurality of virtual machines is not included in the one or more resources;
• in response to a determination that the portion of the virtual storage of the one of the plurality of virtual machines is not included in the one or more resources, update, by the processing device, a replicated copy of the one of the plurality of virtual machines in view of the portion of the virtual storage of the one of the plurality of virtual machines, the replicated copy of the one of the plurality of virtual machines further comprising the one or more resources that are shared across a plurality of virtual machines;
• determine an initialization efficiency metric in relation to the replicated copy of the one of the plurality of virtual machines, wherein the initialization efficiency metric reflects at least one of:
• an amount of time that an initialization of a new virtual machine in view of the replicated copy is likely to entail,
• an amount of processing power that an initialization of a new virtual machine in view of the replicated copy is likely to entail, or
• a resource overhead that an initialization of a new virtual machine in view of the replicated copy is likely to entail;
• and
• in response to a determination that the initialization efficiency metric of the replicated copy of the one of the plurality of virtual machines exceeds a defined efficiency threshold, store a copy of the virtual storage of the one of the plurality of virtual machines, the copy of the virtual storage comprising the one or more resources that are shared across the plurality of virtual machines.