Red Hat, Inc.

Joseph Boggs

David Patrick Huff

Norman Lee Faus

Bryan Michael Kearney

Broadcasts identifying executed execution states and configurations of a plurality of virtual machines may be received. Each of the broadcasts may be received from a client system of a plurality of client systems. At least two of the virtual machines may be installed on each of the plurality of client systems. A determination may be made as to whether a first virtual machine of the plurality of virtual machines that is installed on a first client system of the plurality of client systems is unauthorized in view of an execution state of the first virtual machine and a configuration of a second virtual machine of the plurality of virtual machine. A control action for the first client system may be generated when the first virtual machine is determined to be unauthorized.

Software appliance management using broadcast technique

Updating of a software object is described. A first version of a software object is instantiated. User-inputted data used by the first version of the software is received from a user, and a current configuration state and the user-inputted data are registered. A second version of the software object is instantiated and the current configuration state and the user-inputted data of the first version of the software object are exported to the second version of the software object.

Updating software objects

Systems and methods for managing software appliances using a broadcast mechanism, embodiments of which incorporate a centralized appliance monitor that collects software appliance state information from a community of clients having software appliance installations. Software appliances can include a reduced-component operating system combined with pre-configured application(s), for instance distributed via optical disc or Web download. When a software appliance instantiates on a client in the network or at other times, the identity and execution state of the application is broadcast to an appliance monitor. The appliance monitor aggregates the appliance state information for all clients in the network, and manages their deployment and execution on the network. The appliance monitor can for example transmit an appliance control instruction to a client to terminate or otherwise manage an uncertified or unapproved appliance, or take other network management action.

Software appliance management using broadcast data

Embodiments relate to systems and methods for updating software appliances. A client can host a software appliance, such a Linux&#x2122; software appliance, which a user wishes to update to a newer version. Instead of performing an in-place update by installing a new version that deletes the configuration state and/or user data of the existing version of the appliance, an export module takes an image of an initial appliance installation and then registers further changes to the configuration state and/or user data over time. When the user chooses to update the software appliance, the new version can be downloaded to execute an installation. The export module aggregates all changes to the original installation image as well as user data, and delivers the complete current configuration state and/or complete current user data to the new version of the appliance to instantiate the new version.

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Fayetteville, NC, United States of America

Joseph Boggs