Patent ID: 8504920

Claim:
A method for efficiently deploying and managing configurable virtual server instances, the method comprising: a. receiving from a user i) a policy to be associated with a virtual server configuration selected from a plurality of virtual server configurations and to be used for deciding when to instantiate virtual server instances corresponding to the configuration, the policy including an instruction for instantiating the corresponding virtual server instances, and ii) an identification of a virtual server image and a boot script to be associated with the virtual server configuration; b. retrieving periodically, by a virtual server manager, information specified by the policy; c. determining, by the virtual server manager responsive to the policy received from the user and the retrieved information, to instantiate additional virtual server instances corresponding to the configuration; d. transmitting, by the virtual server manager to a virtual hosting service, responsive to determining to instantiate an additional virtual server instance, the instructions received from the user to instantiate a first additional virtual server instance of a first virtual server configuration using the identified virtual server image and boot script associated with the first virtual server configuration and a second additional virtual server instance of a second virtual server configuration using the identified virtual server image and boot script associated with the second virtual server configuration, wherein an information item in the second virtual server configuration depends on the first virtual server configuration and the virtual server manager obtains a value for the information item from the first virtual server, wherein the virtual server manager initially transmits incomplete configuration information to the second virtual server and subsequently transmits the obtained value for the information item.