Patent ID: 7793265
Filing Date: 2010-09-07
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A method, comprising: prior to execution of a program in a virtual container, recording a set of files accessed during a phase change of the program on a physical storage medium in a manner predetermined to minimize the time needed to retrieve the set of files, wherein a virtual machine monitor executes the virtual container within which the program is executed; and during execution of the program in the virtual container, accessing the physical storage medium and retrieving the files at one of an occurrence of the phase change, and, if the files are prefetched, prior to the occurrence of the phase change; during execution of the program in the virtual container, detecting with the virtual machine monitor an event comprising an occurrence of contemporaneous file accesses not associated with a known phase change, wherein detecting with the virtual machine monitor an event further comprises detecting contemporaneous file accesses originating from at least two processes within the virtual container or from at least one process within the virtual container and at least one process outside the container; and evaluating the event as a candidate phase change, wherein evaluating further comprises determining the contemporaneous file accesses originating from at least two processes are related and determining the contemporaneous file accesses originating from at least one process within the virtual container and at least one process outside the container are not related, and using information about relationships of the contemporaneous file accesses in order to evaluate the contemporaneous file accesses as the candidate phase change.