System, method and computer program product for storing multiple types of information

• US 20070239804A1
• Filed: 03/29/2006
• Published: 10/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Factor, Michael, Ben-Yehuda, Shmuel, Hayardeny, Amiram, Dekel, Eliezer, Armstrong, William, Azagury, Alain
• Granted Patent: US 8,001,342 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1438 Restarting or rejuvenating
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1471 involving logging of persistent data for recovery
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45562 Creating, deleting, cloning virtual machine instances
• 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 middleware or OS functionality using virtual machines to implement generic software techniques for error detection or fault masking G06F11/1484
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/82 Solving problems relating to consistency ensuring consistency in mirrored systems G06F11/2064
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects

Abstract

A method for storing multiple types of information, the method includes: storing information representative of a content of a persistent memory entity at a certain point in time; and storing information representative of a state of a virtual machine at the certain point in time. A computer program product including a computer usable medium including a computer readable program, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer causes the computer to: store information representative of a content of a persistent memory entity at a certain point in time; and store information representative of a state of a virtual machine at the certain point in time.

Claims

1. A method for storing multiple types of information, the method comprises:

storing information representative of a content of a persistent memory entity at a certain point in time; and

storing information representative of a state of a virtual machine at the certain point in time.

2. The method according to claim 1 further comprising preventing an update of the persistent memory entity during the stages of storing information.

3. The method according to claim 1 further comprising preventing a change in the state of the virtual machine during the stages of storing information.

4. The method according to claim 1 further comprising monitoring a virtual machine and initiating the stage of storing information representative of the content of the persistent memory entity in response to a virtual machine state freeze.

5. The method according to claim 1 further comprising synchronizing between the storing of information representative of the content of the persistent memory entity and the storing of information representative of a state of the virtual machine in response to storage periods associated with each of these storing.

6. The method according to claim 1 further comprising associating the information representative of the content of the persistent memory unit at the certain point in time with the information representative of the state of the virtual machine at the certain point in time.

7. The method according to claim 1 further comprising restoring a content of the persistent memory entity and restoring the state of the virtual machine in response to the stored information representative of the content of the persistent memory entity at the certain point in time and the stored information representative of the state of the virtual machine at the certain point in time.

8. A computer program product comprising a computer usable medium including a computer readable program, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer causes the computer to:

store information representative of a content of a persistent memory entity at a certain point in time; and

store information representative of a state of a virtual machine at the certain point in time.

9. A computer program product according to claim 8, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer further causes the computer to prevent an update of the persistent memory entity during the stages of storing information.

10. A computer program product according to claim 8, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer further causes the computer to prevent a change in the state of the virtual machine during the stages of storing information.

11. A computer program product according to claim 8, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer further causes the computer to monitor a virtual machine and to initiate a storage of information representative of the content of the persistent memory entity in response to a virtual machine state freeze.

12. A computer program product according to claim 8, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer further causes the computer to synchronize between the storage operation of information representative of the content of the persistent memory entity the storage operation of information representative of a state of the virtual machine in response to storage periods associated with each of these storage operations.

13. A computer program product according to claim 8, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer further causes the computer to associate the information representative of the content of the persistent memory unit at the certain point in time with the information representative of the state of the virtual machine at the certain point in time.

14. A computer program product according to claim 8, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer further causes the computer to restore a content of the persistent memory entity and restoring the state of the virtual machine in response to the stored information.

15. A system comprising at least one storage unit and a controller that is adapted to control a storage operation of information representative of a content of a persistent memory entity at a certain point in time;

and to control a storage operation of information representative of a state of a virtual machine at the certain point in time.

16. The system according to claim 15 wherein the controller is adapted to prevent an update of the persistent memory entity during the stages of storing information.

17. The system according to claim 15 wherein the controller is adapted to prevent a change in the state of the virtual machine during the stages of storing information.

18. The system according to claim 15 wherein the controller is adapted to synchronize between the storing of information representative of the content of the persistent memory entity and the storing of information representative of a state of the virtual machine in response to storage periods associated with each of these storing.

19. The system according to claim 15 wherein the controller is adapted to associate the information representative of the content of the persistent memory unit at the certain point in time with the information representative of the state of the virtual machine at the certain point in time.

20. The system according to claim 15 wherein the controller is adapted to restore a content of the persistent memory entity and restoring the state of the virtual machine in response to the stored information.