SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING ASSURED RECOVERY AND REPLICATION

• US 20120233123A1
• Filed: 03/08/2011
• Published: 09/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CA, Inc. (d/b/a CA Technologies) (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Computer Associates Think Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Shisheng, Liu, Harless, Eric, Ignatius, Paul Puthur
• Granted Patent: US 8,495,019 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/639
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/004 Error avoidance G06F11/07 and subgroups take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1469 Backup restoration techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1471 involving logging of persistent data for recovery
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2038 with a single idle spare processing component
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2048 where the redundant components share neither address space nor persistent storage
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2097 maintaining the standby controller/processing unit updated initialisation or re-synchronisation thereof G06F11/1658 and subgroups
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/82 Solving problems relating to consistency ensuring consistency in mirrored systems G06F11/2064

Abstract

The system and method for providing assured recovery and replication described herein may recover a master data source from a replica data source without impacting the master data source or the replica data source, and without having to install a standby version of an application associated with the master data source. In particular, a master snapshot may be created to copy application data stored in the master data source, wherein a replication server confirms that the replica data source can recover the master data source if the master snapshot and the replica data source are consistent. The replication server may create a replica snapshot to copy the replica data source and assign an identity associated with the master data source to the replica data source to recover the master data source. As such, replication may be resumed on a virtual machine disk file associated with the replica snapshot.

Claims

1. A system for providing assured recovery and replication, comprising:

a master data source configured to store application data;

a replica data source configured to replicate the application data stored in the master data source;

a volume snapshot service configured to create a master snapshot associated with the master data source, wherein the master snapshot copies the application data stored in the master data source; and

a replication server in communication with the master data source and the replica data source, wherein the replication server includes one or more processors configured to;

confirm that the master data source can be recovered from the replica data source in response to validating that the application data copied in the master snapshot and the application data replicated in the replica data source have a consistent state;

create a replica snapshot associated with the replica data source in response to a request to recover the master data source from the replica data source, wherein the replica snapshot copies the application data replicated in the replica data source;

assign an identity associated with the master data source to the replica data source to transfer control over storing the application data from the master data source to the replica data source;

resume replicating the application data on a virtual machine disk file associated with the replica snapshot.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the volume snapshot service records a bookmark associated with the master snapshot to distinguish the master snapshot from one or more additional master snapshots created with the volume snapshot service.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors associated with the replication server are further configured to:

compare metadata that describes the master snapshot to metadata that describes the replica data source;

validate the consistent state between the master snapshot and the replica data source in response to confirming that no differences exist between the metadata that describes the master snapshot and the metadata that describes the replica data source; and

establish the consistent state between the master snapshot and the replica data source at a nearest previous point in time in response to determining that one or more differences exist between the metadata that describes the master snapshot and the metadata that describes the replica data source.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors associated with the replication server are further configured to:

perform a binary difference comparison between the master snapshot and the replica data source;

validate the consistent state between the master snapshot and the replica data source in response to the binary difference comparison confirming that no differences exist between the master snapshot and the replica data source; and

establish the consistent state between the master snapshot and the replica data source at a nearest previous point in time in response to the binary difference comparison identifying one or more differences between the master snapshot and the replica data source.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the one or more processors associated with the replication server limit the binary difference comparison to one or more files that have changed in the master snapshot or the replica data source.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors associated with the replication server are further configured to:

suspend replicating the application data stored in the master data source to the replica data source while validating the consistent state between the master snapshot and the replica data source; and

resume replicating the application data stored in the master data source to the replica data source in response to validating the consistent state between the master snapshot and the replica data source.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors associated with the replication server are further configured to:

compare the master snapshot to the replica snapshot associated with the replica data source to validate the consistent state between the master snapshot and the replica data source; and

continue replicating the application data stored in the master data source to the replica data source while comparing the master snapshot to the replica snapshot to validate the consistent state between the master snapshot and the replica data source.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors associated with the replication server are further configured to:

replicate information associated with an application and an operating system that interacts with the master data source to the virtual machine disk file, wherein the one or more processors create the replica snapshot associated with the replica data source from the virtual machine disk file; and

boot a virtual machine created from the virtual machine disk file, wherein the one or more processors assign the identity associated with the master data source to the replica data source in response to verifying that the application and the operating system have a healthy state in the virtual machine created from the virtual machine disk file.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to generate a report that describes any delays associated with replicating the application data to the replica data source or the virtual machine disk file based on one or more timestamps included in one or more messages associated with replicating the application data.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

execute one or more operations that apply one or more changes to the application data stored in the master data source; and

generate a report that describes whether the master data source and the replica data source are correctly replicating based on whether the one or more changes applied to the master data source have been applied to the replica data source.

11. A method for providing assured recovery and replication, comprising:

replicating application data stored in a master data source on a replica data source;

invoking a volume snapshot service to create a master snapshot associated with the master data source, wherein the master snapshot copies the application data stored in the master data source;

confirming that the master data source can be recovered from the replica data source in response to a replication server validating that the application data copied in the master snapshot and the application data replicated in the replica data source have a consistent state;

creating a replica snapshot associated with the replica data source in response to a request to recover the master data source from the replica data source, wherein the replica snapshot copies the application data replicated in the replica data source;

assigning an identity associated with the master data source to the replica data source, wherein the replication server assigns the identity associated with the master data source to the replica data source to cause the replica data source to assume control over storing the application data from the master data source; and

replicating the application data on a virtual machine disk file associated with the replica snapshot in response to the replica data source assuming control over storing the application data from the master data source.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the volume snapshot service records a bookmark associated with the master snapshot to distinguish the master snapshot from one or more additional master snapshots created with the volume snapshot service.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

comparing metadata that describes the master snapshot to metadata that describes the replica data source;

validating the consistent state between the master snapshot and the replica data source in response to confirming that no differences exist between the metadata that describes the master snapshot and the metadata that describes the replica data source; and

establishing the consistent state between the master snapshot and the replica data source at a nearest previous point in time in response to determining that one or more differences exist between the metadata that describes the master snapshot and the metadata that describes the replica data source.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

performing a binary difference comparison between the master snapshot and the replica data source;

validating the consistent state between the master snapshot and the replica data source in response to the binary difference comparison confirming that no differences exist between the master snapshot and the replica data source; and

establishing the consistent state between the master snapshot and the replica data source at a nearest previous point in time in response to the binary difference comparison identifying one or more differences between the master snapshot and the replica data source.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising limiting the binary difference comparison to one or more files that have changed in the master snapshot or the replica data source.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

suspending replication between the application data stored in the master data source and the replicated application data stored in the replica data source while validating the consistent state between the master snapshot and the replica data source; and

resuming replication between the application data stored in the master data source and the replicated application data stored in the replica data source in response to validating the consistent state between the master snapshot and the replica data source.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

comparing the master snapshot to the replica snapshot associated with the replica data source to validate the consistent state between the master snapshot and the replica data source; and

continuing to replicate the application data stored in the master data source on the replica data source while validating the consistent state between the master snapshot and the replica data source.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

replicating information associated with an application and an operating system that interacts with the master data source to the virtual machine disk file, wherein the replication server creates the replica snapshot associated with the replica data source from the virtual machine disk file; and

booting a virtual machine created from the virtual machine disk file, wherein the replication server assigns the identity associated with the master data source to the replica data source in response to verifying that the application and the operating system have a healthy state in the virtual machine created from the virtual machine disk file.

19. The method of claim 11, further comprising generating a report that describes any delays associated with replicating the application data to the replica data source or the virtual machine disk file based on one or more timestamps included in one or more messages associated with replicating the application data.

20. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

executing one or more operations that apply one or more changes to the application data stored in the master data source; and

generating a report that describes whether the master data source and the replica data source are correctly replicating based on whether the one or more changes applied to the master data source have been applied to the replica data source.