Backup and recovery of raw disks [RDM] in virtual environment using snapshot technology

• US 10,114,706 B1
• Filed: 09/22/2015
• Issued: 10/30/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Chougala, Shivanand, Suresh, Yogesh
• Primary Examiner(s): Bragdon, Reginald G
• Assistant Examiner(s): Vo, Thanh D
• Application Number:
  US14/861,080
• Time in Patent Office: 1,134 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1451 by selection of backup contents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1456 Hardware arrangements for backup
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1464 for networked environments
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1469 Backup restoration techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/301 where the computing system is a virtual computing platform, e.g. logically partitioned systems virtual machines G06F9/45533; logical partitioning of resources G06F9/5077
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3072 where the reporting involves data filtering, e.g. pattern matching, time or event triggered, adaptive or policy-based reporting
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45579 I/O management, e.g. providing access to device drivers or storage
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/815 Virtual
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/84 Using snapshots, i.e. a logical point-in-time copy of the data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5027 the resource being a machine, e.g. CPUs, Servers, Terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5077 Logical partitioning of resources; Management or configuration of virtualized resources specific details on emulation or internal functioning of virtual machines G06F9/455

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed for performing a backup or restoring one or more virtual disks of a virtual machine (VM) having a universally unique identifier (UUID). A backup API within a virtual machine manager (VMM) on a host can discover virtual disks that are configured for a particular VM. The VMM can use the backup API to communicate with a backup agent on a source storage to discover mappings of virtual disks to portions of storage, including mapping of raw virtual disks to logical units of storage on a storage device or appliance. Backup of the virtual disks can include backing up the VM configuration data and metadata and backing up the raw disk mapping files. Backups can be in accordance with one or more policies stored at the backup server and associated with the virtual machine UUID or associated with an account that the virtual machine, or its user, are associated with.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, by a virtual machine manager on a first computing device, a request for backup of a virtual disk of a virtual machine on the first computing device to a target storage device, the request originating from a second computing device, wherein the virtual machine is identified by a unique virtual machine identifier within the request, and wherein the virtual machine manager includes a backup application programming interface (API);

in response to receiving the request, determining, by the virtual machine manager using the backup API therein, an identifier for the virtual disk of the virtual machine to be backed up to the target storage device;

determining, by the virtual machine manager, a mapping of the identifier for the virtual disk to one or more portions of disk storage on a source storage device, wherein the virtual machine manager uses the backup API therein to communicate with a backup agent on the source storage device to determine the mapping of the identifier for the virtual disk to the one or more portions of disk storage on the source storage device, wherein determining the mapping of the identifier for the virtual disk to the one or more portions of disk storage includes requesting, by the virtual machine manager, a mapping of a raw virtual disk in the virtual disk to the one or more portions of disk storage from the source storage device, wherein the mapping of the raw virtual disk to the one or more portions of storage is defined by a raw disk mapping file, wherein the raw disk mapping is requested by the virtual machine manager from the source storage device;

triggering, by the virtual machine manager, transmission to the target storage device, the identifier for the virtual disk, the mapping of the identifier for the virtual disk to the one or more portions of disk storage, and data stored in the one or more portions of disk storage on the source storage device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the one or more portions of disk storage comprises one or more logical units of storage (LUNs).

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the virtual machine manager calls the backup API to obtain a list of virtual disks configured for the virtual machine.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the raw virtual disk is configured in virtual mapping mode.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein triggering the transmission to the target storage device comprises the virtual machine manager communicating with the backup agent the source storage device to cause the source storage device to begin transmission of the data stored in the one or more portions of disk storage.

6. A non-transitory computer readable medium, programmed with executable instructions that, when executed by a processing system, perform operations comprising:

receiving, by a virtual machine manager on a first computing device, a request for backup of a virtual disk of a virtual machine on the first computing device to a target storage device, the request originating from a second computing device, wherein the virtual machine is identified by a unique machine identifier within the request, and wherein the virtual machine manager includes a backup application programming interface (API);

in response to receiving the request, determining, by the virtual machine manager using the backup API therein, an identifier for the virtual disk of the virtual machine to be backed up to the target storage device;

determining, by the virtual machine manager, a mapping of the identifier for the virtual disk to one or more portions of disk storage on a source storage device, wherein the virtual machine manager uses the backup API therein to communicate with a backup agent on the source storage device to determine the mapping of the identifier for the virtual disk to the one or more portions of disk storage on the source storage device, wherein determining the mapping of the identifier for the virtual disk to the one or more portions of disk storage includes requesting, by the virtual machine manager, a mapping of a raw virtual disk in the virtual disk to the one or more portions of disk storage from the source storage device, wherein the mapping of the raw virtual disk to the one or more portions of storage is defined by a raw disk mapping file, wherein the raw disk mapping is requested by the virtual machine manager from the source storage device;

triggering, by the virtual machine manager, transmission to the target storage device, the identifier for the virtual disk, the mapping of the identifier for the virtual disk to the one or more portions of disk storage, and data stored in the one or more portions of disk storage on the source storage device.

7. The medium of claim 6, wherein each of the one or more portions of disk storage comprises one or more logical units of storage (LUNs).

8. The medium of claim 6, wherein the virtual machine manager calls the backup API to obtain a list of virtual disks configured for the virtual machine.

9. The medium of claim 6, wherein the raw virtual disk is configured in virtual mapping mode.

10. The medium of claim 6, wherein triggering the transmission to the target storage device comprises the virtual machine manager communicating with the backup agent on the source storage device to cause the source storage device to begin transmission of the data stored in the one or more portions of disk storage.

11. A processing system, comprising a hardware processor coupled to a memory programmed with executable instructions, that when executed by the processing system, perform operations comprising:

receiving, by a virtual machine manager on a first computing device, a request for backup of a virtual disk of a virtual machine on the first computing device to a target storage device, the request originating from a second computing device, wherein the virtual machine is identified by a unique virtual machine identifier within the request, and wherein the virtual machine manager includes a backup application programming interface (API);

in response to receiving the request, determining, by the virtual machine manager using the backup API therein, an identifier for the virtual disk of the virtual machine to be backed up to the target storage device;

determining, by the virtual machine manager, a mapping of the identifier for the virtual disk to one or more portions of disk storage on a source storage device, wherein the virtual machine manager uses the backup API therein to communicate with a backup agent on the source storage device to determine the mapping of the identifier for the virtual disk to the one or more portions of disk storage on the source storage device, wherein determining the mapping of the identifier for the virtual disk to the one or more portions of disk storage includes requesting, by the virtual machine manager, a mapping of a raw virtual disk in the virtual disk to the one or more portions of disk storage from the source storage device, wherein the mapping of the raw virtual disk to the one or more portions of storage is defined by a raw disk mapping file, wherein the raw disk mapping is requested by the virtual machine manager from the source storage device;

triggering, by the virtual machine manager, transmission to the target storage device, the identifier for the virtual disk, the mapping of the identifier for the virtual disk to the one or more portions of disk storage, and data stored in the one or more portions of disk storage on the source storage device.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein each of the one or more portions of disk storage comprises one or more logical units of storage (LUNs).

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the virtual machine manager calls the backup API to obtain a list of virtual disks configured for the virtual machine.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the raw virtual disk is configured in virtual mapping mode.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein triggering the transmission to the target storage device comprises the virtual machine manager communicating with the backup agent on the source storage device to cause the source storage device to begin transmission of the data stored in the one or more portions of disk storage.