Application-level live synchronization across computing platforms including synchronizing co-resident applications to disparate standby destinations and selectively synchronizing some applications and not others
First Claim
1. A method comprising:
- synchronizing a first application, which is represented in a first disk image that stores the first application'"'"'s primary data, to a standby version of the first application,wherein the first application executes on a first computing platform in communication with the first disk image, which is stored in a first data storage device,wherein the first disk image represents the first application and not a second application that also executes on the first computing platform, andwherein the standby version of the first application comprises a copy of the first disk image which is stored in a second storage device associated with a second computing platform that hosts the standby version of the first application;
automatically discovering, by a data agent operating on a third computing platform that is distinct from the first computing platform and the second computing platform, operational characteristics of the first application, including identifying and locating the first disk image; and
wherein the synchronizing comprises continuously replicating changed data blocks from the first disk image to the copy of the first disk image.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An illustrative “Live Synchronization” feature creates and maintains a ready standby “synchronized application” that is available to take over as a failover solution for a “primary” application that operates in a production environment, but will do so on a different computing platform (e.g., physical server, virtual machine, container, etc.), and possibly on a differed kind of computing platform than, the primary. The illustrative system has specialized features and components for discovering and singling out each primary application and identifying and locating its disk image, e.g., VMDK file. The application is Live Synched to the standby/failover application without reference to whether and how other co-resident applications might be treated. The standby/failover destination supporting the synchronized application may be located anywhere, whether in the same data center as the primary or geographically remote or in a private or public cloud setting.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method comprising:
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synchronizing a first application, which is represented in a first disk image that stores the first application'"'"'s primary data, to a standby version of the first application, wherein the first application executes on a first computing platform in communication with the first disk image, which is stored in a first data storage device, wherein the first disk image represents the first application and not a second application that also executes on the first computing platform, and wherein the standby version of the first application comprises a copy of the first disk image which is stored in a second storage device associated with a second computing platform that hosts the standby version of the first application; automatically discovering, by a data agent operating on a third computing platform that is distinct from the first computing platform and the second computing platform, operational characteristics of the first application, including identifying and locating the first disk image; and wherein the synchronizing comprises continuously replicating changed data blocks from the first disk image to the copy of the first disk image. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method comprising:
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synchronizing a first application, which is represented in a first disk image that stores the first application'"'"'s primary data, to a standby version of the first application, wherein the first application executes on a first computing platform in communication with the first disk image, which is stored in a first data storage device, wherein the first disk image represents the first application and not a second application that also executes on the first computing platform, and wherein the standby version of the first application comprises a copy of the first disk image which is stored in a second storage device associated with a second computing platform that hosts the standby version of the first application; causing to be installed on the first computing platform, by a data agent operating on a third computing platform that is distinct from the first computing platform and the second computing platform, an application-utility; causing the application-utility to establish communications with the first application and with the data agent; automatically discovering by the data agent, via the application-utility, operational characteristics of the first application, including identifying and locating the first disk image; and wherein the synchronizing comprises continuously replicating changed data blocks from the first disk image to the copy of the first disk image. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A method comprising:
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synchronizing a first application, which is represented in a first disk image that stores the first application'"'"'s primary data, to a standby version of the first application, wherein the first application executes on a first computing platform in communication with the first disk image, which is stored in a first data storage device, wherein the first disk image represents the first application and not a second application that also executes on the first computing platform, and wherein the standby version of the first application comprises a copy of the first disk image which is stored in a second storage device associated with a second computing platform that hosts the standby version of the first application; and causing to be installed on the first computing platform, by a data agent operating on a third computing platform that is distinct from the first computing platform and the second computing platform, a changed-block filter; causing the changed-block filter to intercept and to transmit to the data agent changed data blocks in the first disk image resulting from write operations performed by the first application; using the changed data blocks received from the changed-block filter to (a) repeatedly generate incremental backup copies of the first disk image, or (b) provide continuous data replication of the changed data blocks to the standby copy of the first disk image; and wherein the synchronizing comprises continuously replicating changed data blocks from the first disk image to the copy of the first disk image. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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Specification