VIRTUAL MACHINE FILE-LEVEL RESTORATION

• US 20100262585A1
• Filed: 04/12/2010
• Published: 10/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Datto LLC
• Original Assignee: PHD Virtual Technologies
• Inventors: McKelvey, Ronald T., Shay, Calab Kelleran, Mittell, Alexander D., ROSIKIEWICZ, JAMES
• Granted Patent: US 8,682,862 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/679
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1438 Restarting or rejuvenating
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1469 Backup restoration techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1484 involving virtual machines
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/10 File systems; File servers

Abstract

Disclosed is a method and system for selectively restoring file-level data from a disk image backup. In embodiments, a virtual machine backup may be performed by dividing a virtual machine virtual disk file into a plurality of discrete fixed-sized data blocks sharing a common index file that is stored on a backup medium, such as a hard drive, to form a backup set. The index file is referenced to determine which fixed-sized block contains volume information, such as a partition table, of the backed-up virtual machine file. The individual blocks are processed as a virtual filesystem which is presented to an access module, which traverses the filesystem and provide access to individual files in the image backup to a client process, the restore files may be delivered to the client in a container file, which may be compressed to increase transfer speed. The container file may include executable instructions for automatically restoring the files to a desired location.

Claims

1. A method for retrieving a logical data unit stored within a backup set represented by at least one backup data block, and an index file, comprising the steps of:

identifying a backup data block containing information indicative of the logical organization of the backup set;

identifying at least one logical data unit stored within the backup set;

selecting at least one identified logical data unit; and

transferring the selected logical data unit to a recipient.

2. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein at least one of the identifying step or a transferring step is performed at least in part by a virtual filesystem component.

3. The method in accordance with claim 2, wherein the virtual filesystem component includes a FUSE driver.

4. The method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising the step of aggregating at least one selected logical data unit into a container file.

5. The method in accordance with claim 4, further comprising the step of providing a set of executable instructions within in the container file that are configured to copy a logical data unit contained within the container file to a predetermined destination.

6. The method in accordance with claim 4, further comprising the step of performing data compression of at least one selected logical data unit.

7. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the selection step is performed at least in part via a user interface.

8. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the selection step is performed at least in part via an application programming interface.

16. The system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the selection step is performed at least in part via an application programming interface.

17. Machine-readable media comprising a set of instructions configured to perform the method in accordance with claims 1 though 8.

9. A system for performing data restoration, comprising:

a processor;

a storage device operably coupled to the processor; and

a file-level access module including a set of instructions executable on the processor for performing a method of data restoration comprising the steps of

identifying a backup data block containing information indicative of the logical organization of the backup set;

identifying at least one logical data unit stored within the backup set;

selecting at least one identified logical data unit; and

transferring the selected logical data unit to a recipient.

10. The system in accordance with claim 9, further comprising a virtual filesystem component, wherein at least one of the identifying step or a transferring step is performed at least in part by the virtual filesystem component.

11. The system in accordance with claim 10, wherein the virtual filesystem component includes a FUSE driver.

12. The system in accordance with claim 9, wherein the file level access module further comprises the step of aggregating at least one selected logical data unit into a container file.

13. The system in accordance with claim 12, further comprising:

providing a set of executable instructions within in the container file that are configured to copy a logical data unit contained within the container file to a predetermined destination.

14. The system in accordance with claim 9, wherein the file level access module further comprises the step of performing data compression of at least one selected logical data unit.

15. The system in accordance with claim 9, wherein the selection step is performed at least in part via a user interface.