DATA RECOVERY USING CONVERSION OF BACKUP TO VIRTUAL DISK

• US 20130346709A1
• Filed: 06/21/2012
• Published: 12/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CA, Inc. (d/b/a CA Technologies) (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: CA, Inc. (d/b/a CA Technologies) (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wang, Zhiye
• Granted Patent: US 8,977,828 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/162
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1456 Hardware arrangements for backup
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1469 Backup restoration techniques

Abstract

A system includes a proxy processor configured to simulate a virtual disk, and a daemon processor in communication with the proxy processor and a backup repository. The proxy processor is configured to receive from an application a read request or a write request and to direct the read request or the write request to the daemon processor. The daemon processor is configured to receive the read request from the proxy processor and to access the backup repository or the simulated virtual disk, and to receive the write request from the proxy processor and to write data in the write request to the simulated virtual disk.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a proxy processor configured to simulate a virtual disk;

a daemon processor in communication with the proxy processor and a backup repository; and

a processor configured to read from the backup repository and return plaintext data to the daemon processor;

wherein the proxy processor is configured to receive from an application a read request or a write request and to direct the read request or the write request to the daemon processor;

wherein the daemon processor is configured to receive the read request from the proxy processor and to access the backup repository or the simulated virtual disk; and

wherein the daemon processor is configured to receive the write request from the proxy processor and to write data in the write request to the simulated virtual disk.

2. The system of claim 1,

wherein the daemon processor is configured to return a result of the read request to the proxy processor;

wherein the proxy processor is configured to receive the result of the read request from the daemon processor and present the result to the application.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the daemon processor is configured to send a confirmation of the write request to the proxy processor, and the proxy processor is configured to send the confirmation of the write request to the application.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the proxy processor resides in a kernel space.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the daemon processor resides in a user space.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the simulated virtual disk resides in a user space.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the proxy processor invokes an I/O control mechanism to direct the read request and the write request to the daemon processor.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the application comprises an application configured to access a virtual disk including a hypervisor application.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the simulated virtual disk is simulated from the backup repository.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the daemon processor is configured to:

create a data file that represents the simulated virtual disk; and

create a descriptive file that describes properties of the simulated virtual disk.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the daemon processor is configured with a bit map;

and wherein a bit in the bit map represents one or more of a block of data on the backup repository and a block of data on the simulated virtual disk.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the daemon processor is configured to:

receive the read request from the proxy processor;

determine from the bit map whether the read request requests data from a block to which a write request has been executed;

retrieve data from the simulated virtual disk when the requested block of data has been written to; and

retrieve the requested data from the backup repository when the requested block of data has not been written to.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the daemon processor is configured to:

receive the write request from the proxy processor; and

write the data in the write request to the simulated virtual disk and set a corresponding bit in the bit map.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the write request comprises data that is not an integral block size;

and the daemon processor is configured to read a related block from the backup repository, merge the data from the write request with the data from the related block from the backup repository, and write the merged data to the simulated virtual disk.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the proxy processor, the daemon processor, and the processor that reads from the backup repository comprise a backup system for a production system and a control system of a virtual machine.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor that is configured to read from the backup repository comprises an existing backup processor.

17. A method comprising:

receiving at a daemon processor a read request or a write request from a proxy processor, wherein the read request or the write request was received by the proxy processor from an application;

writing data in the write request to a simulated virtual disk using the daemon processor; and

reading data from a backup repository or the simulated virtual disk using the daemon processor.

18. The method of claim 17, comprising:

returning a result of the read request from the daemon processor to the proxy processor; and

presenting the result to the application.

19. The method of claim 17, comprising sending a confirmation of the write request from the daemon processor to the proxy processor and sending the confirmation of the write request to the application.

20. The method of claim 17, comprising invoking an I/O control mechanism to direct the read request and the write request to the daemon processor.

21. The method of claim 17, comprising accessing a virtual disk including a hypervisor application.

22. The method of claim 17, comprising simulating the simulated virtual disk from the backup repository.

23. The method of claim 17, comprising:

creating a data file that represents the simulated virtual disk; and

creating a descriptive file that describes properties of the simulated virtual disk.

24. The method of claim 17, comprising configuring a bit map;

wherein a bit in the bit map represents one or more of a block of data on the backup repository and a block of data on the simulated virtual disk.

25. The method of claim 24, comprising:

receiving the read request from the proxy processor;

determining from the bit map whether the read request requests data from a block to which a write request has been executed;

retrieving data from the simulated virtual disk when the requested block of data has been written to; and

retrieving the requested data from the backup repository when the requested block of data has not been written to.

26. The method of claim 24, comprising:

receiving the write request from the proxy processor; and

writing the data in the write request to the simulated virtual disk and set a corresponding bit in the bit map.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the write request comprises data that is not an integral block size;

and the daemon processor is configured to read a related block from the backup repository, merge the data from the write request with the data from the related block from the backup repository, and write the merged data to the simulated virtual disk.

28. A computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code comprising;

computer readable code configured to receive at a daemon processor a read request or a write request from a proxy processor, wherein the read request or the write request was received by the proxy processor from an application;

computer readable code configured to write data in the write request to a simulated virtual disk using the daemon processor; and

computer readable code configured to read data from a backup repository or the simulated virtual disk using the daemon processor.

29. A system comprising:

a proxy processor configured to simulate a virtual disk; and

a daemon processor in communication with the proxy processor and a backup repository;

wherein the proxy processor is configured to receive from an application a read request or a write request and to direct the read request or the write request to the daemon processor;

wherein the daemon processor is configured to receive the read request from the proxy processor and to access the backup repository or the simulated virtual disk; and

wherein the daemon processor is configured to receive the write request from the proxy processor and to write data in the write request to the simulated virtual disk.

30. The system of claim 29, comprising a processor configured to read from the backup repository and return plaintext data to the daemon processor;