Patent ID: 8549364
Filing Date: 2013-10-01
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. In a computer system having virtual machines instantiated on a cluster of host computers networked to a shared storage system, a method of monitoring failures in the host computers, comprising: for each host computer that is not currently serving as a coordinator in the cluster on which at least one of the virtual machines is instantiated, periodically examining a liveness indicator stored in the shared storage system corresponding to said host computer by one of said host computers in the cluster that is currently serving as the coordinator, wherein the liveness indicator stored in the shared storage system is updated by a hypervisor of said host computer if said host computer has not failed, the hypervisor of said host computer being configured to support initiation and execution of at least one of the virtual machines on said host computer; and identifying at least one of the host computers that is not currently serving as the coordinator whose liveness indicator stored in the shared storage system has not been updated within a predetermined time interval as a failed host computer by the coordinator.