System and Method for Hybrid Virtual Machine Monitor File System Operations

• US 20080154985A1
• Filed: 12/22/2006
• Published: 06/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo PC International Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Lenovo Singapore Pte Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Davis, Mark Charles, Childs, Philip Lee, Ke, Ke, Waltermann, Rod David
• Granted Patent: US 8,165,177 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1453 using de-duplication of the data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1456 Hardware arrangements for backup
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0607 by facilitating the process of upgrading existing storage systems, e.g. for improving compatibility between host and storage device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0661 Format or protocol conversion arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]

Abstract

A system and method for hybrid virtual machine monitor system is provided. A first operating system uses a file system to manage data storage and retrieval within a data storage area. A second operating system, which is not compatible with the first operating system'"'"'s file system, executes a management application backup utility. The first operating system includes a filter driver that sends logical block addresses, which correspond to data reads/writes, to the management application backup utility. In turn, the management application backup utility uses the logical block addresses to perform operations on the data storage locations. In one embodiment, the management application backup utility performs actions on the data storage area, such as a disk defragmentation, and subsequently sends data location changes to the filter driver. In this embodiment, the filter driver instructs the first operating system'"'"'s file system to update its translation tables based upon the data location changes.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving a data request at a file system from an application, the application and the file system executing on a first operating system;

determining a logical block address that corresponds to the data request, the logical block address identifying a data storage location within a first data storage area;

sending the logical block address to a second operating system, the second operating system incompatible with the file system; and

at the second operating system, performing an action on the data storage location that corresponds to the logical block address received from the first operating system.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

isolating the first operating system from the second operating system using a hypervisor, the hypervisor providing cross-domain communication capability to send the logical block address from a filter driver located on the first operating system to a management application backup utility located on the second operating system; and

providing the first operating system and the second operating system access to the data storage device through the hypervisor.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the data request results in the first operating system modifying data included in the data storage location, the method further comprising:

at the second operating system, storing the modified data in a second storage area that is different than the first storage area.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a plurality of data requests from the application;

determining a plurality of logical block addresses, each of the plurality of logical block addresses corresponding to one of the plurality of data requests;

after determining the plurality of logical block addresses, sending the plurality of logical block addresses to the second operating system in a message;

removing, at the second operating system, duplicate logical block addresses included in the plurality of logical block addresses, the removing resulting in a plurality of remaining logical block addresses; and

at the second operating system, performing one of the actions using each of the plurality of remaining logical block addresses.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

defragmenting the first data storage area using the second operating system; and

in response to the defragmenting, sending logical block address changes from the second operating system to the first operating system, the logical block address changes identifying data location changes within the first data storage area resulting from the defragmentation.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the second operating system is located on a different computer system than the first operating system.

6. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

updating, at the first operating system, the file system based upon the logical block address changes received from the second operating system that resulted from the defragmentation.

8. A computer program product stored on a computer operable media, the computer operable media containing instructions for execution by a computer, which, when executed by the computer, cause the computer to implement a method for hybrid virtual machine monitor file system operations, the method comprising:

receiving a data request at a file system from an application, the application and the file system executing on a first operating system;

determining a logical block address that corresponds to the data request, the logical block address identifying a data storage location within a first data storage area;

sending the logical block address to a second operating system, the second operating system incompatible with the file system; and

at the second operating system, performing an action on the data storage location that corresponds to the logical block address received from the first operating system.

9. The computer program product of claim 8 wherein the method further comprises:

isolating the first operating system from the second operating system using a hypervisor, the hypervisor providing cross-domain communication capability to send the logical block address from a filter driver located on the first operating system to a management application backup utility located on the second operating system; and

providing the first operating system and the second operating system access to the data storage device through the hypervisor.

10. The computer program product of claim 8 wherein the data request results in the first operating system modifying data included in the data storage location, the method further comprising:

at the second operating system, storing the modified data in a second storage area that is different than the first storage area.

11. The computer program product of claim 8 wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a plurality of data requests from the application;

determining a plurality of logical block addresses, each of the plurality of logical block addresses corresponding to one of the plurality of data requests;

after determining the plurality of logical block addresses, sending the plurality of logical block addresses to the second operating system in a message;

removing, at the second operating system, duplicate logical block addresses included in the plurality of logical block addresses, the removing resulting in a plurality of remaining logical block addresses; and

at the second operating system, performing one or more of the actions using each of the plurality of remaining logical block addresses.

12. The computer program product of claim 8 wherein the method further comprises:

defragmenting the first data storage area using the second operating system; and

in response to the defragmenting, sending logical block address changes from the second operating system to the first operating system, the logical block address changes identifying data location changes within the first data storage area resulting from the defragmentation.

13. The computer program product of claim 12 wherein the method further comprises:

updating, at the first operating system, the file system based upon the logical block address changes received from the second operating system that resulted from the defragmentation.

14. The computer program product of claim 8 wherein the second operating system is located on a different computer system than the first operating system.

15. An information handling system comprising:

one or more processors;

a memory accessible by the processors;

one or more nonvolatile storage devices accessible by the processors; and

a set of instructions stored in the memory, wherein one or more of the processors executes the set of instructions in order to perform actions of;

receiving a data request at a file system from an application, the application and the file system executing on a first operating system;

determining a logical block address that corresponds to the data request, the logical block address identifying a data storage location within one of the nonvolatile storage devices;

sending the logical block address to a second operating system, the second operating system incompatible with the file system; and

at the second operating system, performing an action on the data storage location that corresponds to the logical block address received from the first operating system.

16. The information handling system of claim 15 further comprising an additional set of instructions in order to perform actions of:

isolating the first operating system from the second operating system using a hypervisor, the hypervisor providing cross-domain communication capability to send the logical block address from a filter driver located on the first operating system to a management application backup utility located on the second operating system; and

providing the first operating system and the second operating system access to the data storage device through the hypervisor.

17. The information handling system of claim 15 wherein the data request results in the first operating system modifying data included in the data storage location, and further comprising an additional set of instructions in order to perform actions of:

at the second operating system, storing the modified data in a different nonvolatile storage device included in the one or more nonvolatile storage devices.

18. The information handling system of claim 15 further comprising an additional set of instructions in order to perform actions of:

receiving a plurality of data requests from the application;

determining a plurality of logical block addresses, each of the plurality of logical block addresses corresponding to one of the plurality of data requests;

after determining the plurality of logical block addresses, sending the plurality of logical block addresses to the second operating system in a message;

removing, at the second operating system, duplicate logical block addresses included in the plurality of logical block addresses, the removing resulting in a plurality of remaining logical block addresses; and

at the second operating system, performing one or more of the actions using each of the plurality of remaining logical block addresses.

19. The information handling system of claim 15 further comprising an additional set of instructions in order to perform actions of:

defragmenting the one of the nonvolatile storage devices using the second operating system; and

in response to the defragmenting, sending logical block address changes from the second operating system to the first operating system, the logical block address changes identifying data location changes within the nonvolatile storage device resulting from the defragmentation.

20. The information handling system of claim 19 further comprising an additional set of instructions in order to perform actions of:

updating, at the first operating system, the file system based upon the logical block address changes received from the second operating system that resulted from the defragmentation.