Optimized backup of clusters with multiple proxy servers

• US 10,055,306 B1
• Filed: 05/01/2017
• Issued: 08/21/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Boda, Koteswara R., Das, Abhishek, Buchman, Matthew D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chen, Qing
• Application Number:
  US15/583,813
• Time in Patent Office: 477 Days
• Field of Search: 718 1, 718105, 707640-660
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1438 Restarting or rejuvenating
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1458 Management of the backup or restore process
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1484 involving virtual machines
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/815 Virtual middleware or OS functionality using virtual machines to implement generic software techniques for error detection or fault masking G06F11/1484
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/84 Using snapshots, i.e. a logical point-in-time copy of the data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45533 Hypervisors; Virtual machine monitors

Abstract

Systems and methods for backing up and restoring virtual machines in a cluster environment. Proxy nodes in the cluster are configured with agents. The agents are configured to perform backup operations and restore operations for virtual machines operating in the cluster. During a backup operation or during a restore operation, a load associated with the backup/restore operation is distributed across at least some of the proxy nodes. The proxy nodes can backup/restore virtual machines on any of the nodes in the cluster.

Claims

1. A method for backing up virtual machines in a computing environment where the virtual machines are instantiated on one or more nodes in a cluster that includes proxy nodes, the method comprising:

identifying, by a processor, virtual machines to be backed up by proxy nodes that are configured to backup the virtual machines;

identifying, by the processor, cluster shared volumes associated with the virtual machines to be backed up;

taking, by the processor, a snapshot of the identified cluster shared volumes;

determining, by the processor, a backup load associated with backing up the virtual machines;

balancing, by the processor, the backup load across the proxy nodes, based on a size of the backup load, a number of the identified cluster shared volumes, and a number of the virtual machines; and

performing, by the processor, a backup operation through the proxy nodes.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising assigning, by the processor, ownership of the identified cluster shared volumes to the proxy nodes such that physical disks associated with the identified cluster shared volumes are accessible to the proxy nodes.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein ownership of the identified cluster shared volumes is distributed to the proxy nodes.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the identified cluster shared volumes includes at least a first shared volume and a second shared volume.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising balancing, by the processor, the backup load based on at least the number of the virtual machines relative to the number of the identified cluster shared volumes.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising balancing, by the processor, the backup load based on at least the number of the identified cluster shared volumes relative to a number of the proxy nodes.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising balancing, by the processor, the backup load based on a size of data on each of the identified cluster shared volumes.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein when a number of the proxy nodes is less than the number of the identified cluster shared volumes, assigning, by the processor, a first cluster shared volume having a smallest data size to a first proxy node and assigning, by the processor, a second cluster shared volume having a next smallest data size to a second proxy node.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising assigning, by the processor, all of the identified cluster shared volumes to the proxy nodes based on data size until all of the identified cluster shared volumes are assigned such that the backup load is balanced.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising reducing, by the processor, the backup load of each proxy node by adding additional proxy nodes and redistributing, by the processor, the backup load such that all of the proxy nodes including the added additional proxy nodes have a part of the backup load.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising accounting, by the processor, for existing configurations such that any of the proxy nodes having ownership of a cluster shared volume performs a backup operation for the virtual machines associated with an already owned cluster shared volume.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the backup operation includes backing up components of the virtual machines, and wherein the component backups of the virtual machines are generated during the backup operation.

13. A method for backing up virtual machines in a computing environment where the virtual machines are instantiated on one or more nodes in a cluster that includes proxy nodes, the method comprising:

identifying, by the processor, virtual machines to be backed up by proxy nodes that are configured to backup the virtual machines;

identifying, by the processor, cluster shared volumes associated with the virtual machines to be backed up;

taking, by the processor, a snapshot of the identified cluster shared volumes;

determining, by the processor, a backup load associated with backing up the virtual machines associated with the identified virtual machines;

balancing, by the processor, the backup load across the proxy nodes such that the backup load is distributed to the proxy nodes, based on a size of the backup load, a number of the identified cluster shared volumes, and a number of the virtual machines;

assigning, by the processor, ownership of the identified cluster shared volumes to the proxy nodes after the backup load is balanced such that each of the proxy nodes owns the identified cluster shared volumes associated with the virtual machines to be backed up by each of the proxy nodes; and

performing, by the processor, a backup operation through the proxy nodes.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising receiving, by the processor, input identifying the virtual machines to be backed up.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein taking the snapshot of the identified cluster shared volumes comprises requesting, by the processor, a framework associated with an operating system to take the snapshot of the identified cluster shared volumes.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising quiescing, by the processor, the identified cluster shared volumes before the snapshot of the identified cluster shared volumes is taken.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the proxy nodes include a primary proxy node, and wherein an agent running on the primary proxy node ensures that component backups of the virtual machines are included in the backups of the virtual machines.

18. The method of claim 13, further comprising balancing, by the processor, the backup load based on the number of the identified cluster shared volumes relative to a number of the proxy nodes and a size of data on each of the identified cluster shared volumes.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein when the number of the proxy nodes is less than the number of the identified cluster shared volumes, assigning, by the processor, a first cluster shared volume having a smallest data size to a first proxy node and assigning, by the processor, a second cluster shared volume having a next smallest data size to a second proxy node.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein the identified cluster shared volumes are assigned to the proxy nodes in a round robin fashion based on a size of data of each identified cluster shared volume and beginning with a smallest data size such that, after all of the identified cluster shared volumes are assigned to the proxy nodes, the backup load is balanced even if not equal.