Application aware AMQP durable messages backup and restore

• US 10,152,246 B1
• Filed: 03/28/2016
• Issued: 12/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: EMC Corporation (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Lieberman, Amit, Natanzon, Assaf, Shemer, Jehuda, Bigman, Ron
• Primary Examiner(s): Grullon, Francisco A
• Application Number:
  US15/083,209
• Time in Patent Office: 988 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1438 Restarting or rejuvenating
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1471 involving logging of persistent data for recovery

Abstract

According to one embodiment, a first message is received from a first application executed by a processor, the first message to be sent to a second application. A backup agent transmits the first message to a backup storage system that is associated with the first application. The backup agent forwards the first message to a first messaging application instance of a messaging sub-system associated with the first application. The messaging sub-system is to send the first message to a second messaging application instance of the messaging sub-system associated with the second application using a predetermined messaging protocol.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for backing up messages of a messaging system associated with an application, the method comprising:

receiving a first message from a first application hosted by a first host system and executed by a processor, the first message to be sent to a second application;

transparently intercepting, by a backup agent hosted by the first host system, the first message;

transmitting, by the backup agent hosted by the first host system, the first message to a backup storage system that is associated with the first application and is remote from the first host system, wherein the first message is backed up at the backup storage system, and wherein the backup storage system is communicatively coupled to the first host system over a network; and

forwarding by the backup agent the first message to a first messaging application instance of a messaging sub-system associated with the first application, wherein the messaging sub-system is to send the first message to a second messaging application instance of the messaging sub-system associated with the second application using a predetermined messaging protocol.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second application is hosted by a second host system, and wherein the backup storage system further stores backup application data associate with the first application.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

creating a first entry corresponding to the first message in a backup catalog, the backup catalog includes a plurality of entries, each entry recording a specific instance of a message that has been backed up in the backup storage system; and

recording metadata of the first message in the first entry, including a timestamp of the first message initiated by the first application.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

receiving by the backup agent a second message that is forwarded from a first messaging application instance;

locating the first entry in the catalog based on the second message; and

setting a message state attribute in the first entry to indicate that the first message has been read by the second application.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising forwarding the second message to the first application, wherein the second message is received from the second application as an acknowledgement to the first message.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein in response to a request to restore application data of the first application of a particular point in time, a restore module of the backup storage system is to perform restore operations, the restore operations including

identifying a backup instance of the application data of the first application corresponding to that particular point in time,

identifying one or more messages that were exchanged during a time period corresponding to the point in time,

restoring the application data and the identified one or messages to a target restore system.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the restore operations further comprise:

for each of the identified messages, examining a corresponding message entry in the backup catalog to determine whether the message has been read by a receiver of the message; and

restoring the message only if the message has not been read by the receiver of the message indicated in the message entry.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined messaging protocol is compatible with an advanced message queuing protocol (AMQP).

9. A non-transitory machine-readable medium having instructions stored therein, which when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations of backup and restore of messages, the operations comprising:

receiving a first message from a first application hosted by a first host system, the first message to be sent to a second application;

transparently intercepting, by a backup agent hosted by the first host system, the first message;

transmitting, by the backup agent hosted by the first host system, the first message to a backup storage system that is associated with the first application and is remote from the host system, wherein the first message is backed up at the backup storage system, and wherein the backup storage system is communicatively coupled to the first host system over a network; and

forwarding the first message to a first messaging application instance of a messaging sub-system associated with the first application, wherein the messaging sub-system is to send the first message to a second messaging application instance of the messaging sub-system associated with the second application using a predetermined messaging protocol.

10. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the second application is hosted by a second host system, and wherein the backup storage system further stores backup application data associate with the first application.

11. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise:

creating a first entry corresponding to the first message in a backup catalog, the backup catalog includes a plurality of entries, each entry recording a specific instance of a message that has been backed up in the backup storage system; and

recording metadata of the first message in the first entry, including a timestamp of the first message initiated by the first application.

12. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving by the backup agent a second message that is forwarded from a first messaging sub-system;

locating the first entry in the catalog based on the second message; and

setting a message state attribute in the first entry to indicate that the first message has been read by the second application.

13. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise forwarding the second message to the first application, wherein the second message is received from the second application as an acknowledgement to the first message.

14. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 12, wherein in response to a request to restore application data of the first application of a particular point in time, a restore module of the backup storage system is to perform restore operations, the restore operations including

identifying a backup instance of the application data of the first application corresponding to that particular point in time,

identifying one or more messages that were exchanged during a time period corresponding to the point in time,

restoring the application data and the identified one or messages to a target restore system.

15. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the restore operations further comprise:

for each of the identified messages, examining a corresponding message entry in the backup catalog to determine whether the message has been read by a receiver of the message; and

restoring the message only if the message has not been read by the receiver of the message indicated in the message entry.

16. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the predetermined messaging protocol is compatible with an advanced message queuing protocol (AMQP).

17. A data processing system, comprising:

a processor; and

a backup agent hosted by a first host system and executed by the processor to perform operations, the operations including

receiving a first message from a first application hosted by the first host system, the first message to be sent to a second application,

transparently intercept the first message,

transmitting the first message to a backup storage system that is associated with the first application and is remote from the first host system, wherein the first message is backed up at the backup storage system, and wherein the backup storage system is communicatively coupled to the first host system over a network, and

forwarding the first message to a first messaging application instance of a messaging sub-system associated with the first application, wherein the messaging sub-system is to send the first message to a second messaging application instance of the messaging sub-system associated with the second application using a predetermined messaging protocol.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the second application is hosted by a second host system, and wherein the backup storage system further stores backup application data associate with the first application.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise:

creating a first entry corresponding to the first message in a backup catalog, the backup catalog includes a plurality of entries, each entry recording a specific instance of a message that has been backed up in the backup storage system; and

recording metadata of the first message in the first entry, including a timestamp of the first message initiated by the first application.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving by the backup agent a second message that is forwarded from a first messaging sub-system;

locating the first entry in the catalog based on the second message; and

setting a message state attribute in the first entry to indicate that the first message has been read by the second application.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the operations further comprise forwarding the second message to the first application, wherein the second message is received from the second application as an acknowledgement to the first message.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein in response to a request to restore application data of the first application of a particular point in time, a restore module of the backup storage system is to perform restore operations, the restore operations including

identifying a backup instance of the application data of the first application corresponding to that particular point in time,

identifying one or more messages that were exchanged during a time period corresponding to the point in time,

restoring the application data and the identified one or messages to a target restore system.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the restore operations further comprise:

for each of the identified messages, examining a corresponding message entry in the backup catalog to determine whether the message has been read by a receiver of the message; and

restoring the message only if the message has not been read by the receiver of the message indicated in the message entry.

24. The system of claim 17, wherein the predetermined messaging protocol is compatible with an advanced message queuing protocol (AMQP).