Implementing resilient remote laboratories with server virtualization and live migration

Live migration is an advanced virtualization capability supported by several Virtual Machine Manager (VMM) solutions that allows a running virtual machine (VM) to be moved from one physical server to another without interruption. In the past, it was a premium feature largely restricted to enterprise datacentres due the need for Storage Area Networks (SANs), but advances in technology and increased competition have now brought this in reach of most small-medium sized organisations. This paper explores the benefits and challenges of incorporating live migration into virtualized remote lab architectures to achieve reduced electricity usage, improved fault tolerance, distribution of computational load and reduced maintenance costs. As a case study, we have taken a single remotely accessible mobile robotics experiment and adapted it to operate on a virtualized architecture supporting live migration through the use of network-attached peripherals, a storage area network (SAN) and Solid-State Storage Devices (SSDs).