EFFICIENTLY RESTORING EXECUTION OF A BACKED UP VIRTUAL MACHINE BASED ON COORDINATION WITH VIRTUAL-MACHINE-FILE-RELOCATION OPERATIONS

• US 20160085574A1
• Filed: 09/22/2014
• Published: 03/24/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CommVault Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: CommVault Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: DORNEMANN, Henry Wallace, PAWAR, Rahul S., KUMARASAMY, Paramasivam, KILARU, Satish Chandra, VENKATESHA, Ananda
• Granted Patent: US 9,417,968 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1446 Point-in-time backing up or restoration of persistent data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1448 Management of the data involved in backup or backup restore
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1451 by selection of backup contents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1458 Management of the backup or restore process
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1464 for networked environments
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1469 Backup restoration techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2094 Redundant storage or storage space G06F11/2056 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45562 Creating, deleting, cloning virtual machine instances
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/4557 Distribution of virtual machine instances; Migration and load balancing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/805 Real-time
• 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 3/0605 by facilitating the interaction with a user or administrator
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0617 in relation to availability
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0647 Migration mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0649 Lifecycle management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0664 at device level, e.g. emulation of a storage device or system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45533 Hypervisors; Virtual machine monitors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45537 Provision of facilities of other operating environments, e.g. WINE I/O emulation G06F13/105
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects

Abstract

The disclosed systems and methods enable a virtual machine, including any applications executing thereon, to quickly start executing and servicing users based on pre-staged data blocks supplied from a backup copy in secondary storage. Substantially concurrently with the ongoing execution of the virtual machine, a virtual-machine-file-relocation operation may move data blocks originating in the backup copy to a primary storage destination that becomes the virtual machine'"'"'s primary data store after the relocation operation completes. An enhanced data agent, operating in conjunction with an enhanced media agent in a storage management system, coordinates restoring of the virtual machine and the launch of the relocation operation. The enhanced media agent may pre-stage certain backed up data blocks which may be needed to launch the virtual machine, based on predictive analysis pertaining to the virtual machine'"'"'s operational profile. The enhanced media agent may also pre-stage backed up data blocks for the relocation operation, based on the operation'"'"'s relocation scheme. Servicing read requests to the virtual machine may take priority over ongoing pre-staging of backed up data. Read requests may be tracked so that the media agent may properly maintain the contents of an associated read cache. Some embodiments of the illustrative storage management system may lack, or may simply not require, the relocation operation, and may operate in a “live mount” configuration.

Claims

1. A system for restoring a virtual machine to be executed on a host computing device, based on coordination with a virtual-machine-file-relocation operation, the system comprising:

a host computing device configured to execute the virtual machine and further configured to execute the virtual-machine-file-relocation operation substantially concurrently with the virtual machine, wherein the virtual-machine-file-relocation operation comprises a logical transfer, based on a relocation sequence, of a backup copy of data associated with the virtual machine to a destination on a primary storage device in communication with the host computing device, and wherein the backup copy comprises at least one of a configuration file and a virtual disk associated with the virtual machine;

a secondary storage computing device in communication with the host computing device, wherein the secondary storage computing device comprises a media agent, a read-cache, and a shared file system mounted to the host computing device, wherein the shared file system is configured as a recovery point for the virtual machine and as a source of data for the virtual-machine-file-relocation operation;

a virtualization-client computing device in communication with the secondary storage computing device, wherein the virtualization-client computing device comprises a data agent;

a secondary storage device in communication with the secondary storage computing device, wherein the secondary storage device comprises the backup copy of data associated with the virtual machine;

wherein the media agent is configured to;

copy a first set of data blocks from the backup copy to the read-cache, wherein the first set of data blocks is based on a profile of the virtual machine,

copy a second set of data blocks from the backup copy to the read-cache, wherein the second set of data blocks is based on the relocation sequence of the virtual-machine-file-relocation operation, and

serve a read request for a data block by;

(i) copying the requested data block from the backup copy to the read-cache if the requested data block is not found in the read-cache, and (ii) transmitting the requested data block from the read-cache in response to the read request.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the profile of the virtual machine pertains to launch of execution of the virtual machine on the host computing device.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the read request is received from the host computing device.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the profile of the virtual machine is received by the media agent from the data agent.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the media agent is further configured to:

when the virtual machine and the virtual-machine-file-relocation operation execute substantially concurrently on the host computing device, copy a third set of data blocks from the backup copy to the read-cache, at substantially the same priority as the serve of the read request, wherein the third set of data blocks is based on the relocation sequence of the virtual-machine-file-relocation operation.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the media agent is further configured to:

determine whether a plurality of read requests comprises a sequence of data blocks according to the relocation sequence of the virtual-machine-file-relocation operation, and

if the plurality of read requests comprises the sequence of data blocks according to the relocation sequence of the virtual-machine-file-relocation operation, purge the sequence of data blocks from the read-cache after the plurality of read requests have been served.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the media agent is further configured to:

receive from the data agent an indication that a plurality of read requests comprises a sequence of data blocks according to the relocation sequence of the virtual-machine-file-relocation operation, and purge the sequence of data blocks from the read-cache after the plurality of read requests have been served.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the media agent is further configured to, after launch of execution of the virtual machine and prior to launch of the virtual-machine-file-relocation operation, copy the second set of data blocks from the backup copy to the read-cache at a lower priority than the serve of the read request.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the media agent is further configured to, after the virtual-machine-file-relocation operation has completed, and substantially concurrently with execution of the virtual machine on the host computing device, de-associate the secondary storage device from the virtual machine.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the media agent is further configured to, after the virtual-machine-file-relocation operation has completed, and substantially concurrently with execution of the virtual machine on the host computing device, (a) de-associate the secondary storage device from the virtual machine, and (b) instruct the virtual machine to use the destination on the primary storage device as a primary data store.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein coordination with the virtual-machine-file-relocation operation comprises the media agent being configured to:

after launch of execution of the virtual machine and prior to the launch of the virtual-machine-file-relocation operation, copy the second set of data blocks from the backup copy to the read-cache at a lower priority than the serve of the read request.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein coordination with the virtual-machine-file-relocation operation comprises the media agent being configured to:

if a plurality of read requests comprises a sequence of data blocks according to the relocation sequence of the virtual-machine-file-relocation operation, purge the sequence of data blocks from the read-cache after the plurality of read requests have been served.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein coordination with the virtual-machine-file-relocation operation comprises the media agent being configured to:

after the virtual-machine-file-relocation operation has completed, and substantially concurrently with execution of the virtual machine on the host computing device, (a) de-associate the secondary storage device from the virtual machine, and (b) instruct the virtual machine to use the destination on the primary storage device as a primary data store.

14. A method comprising:

coordinating, in a storage management system, between a restoration of a virtual machine and a virtual-machine-file-relocation operation, wherein the coordinating comprises;

copying, by a media agent component of the storage management system, a first set of data blocks from a backup copy of data associated with the virtual machine to a read-cache associated with the media agent, wherein the backup copy is stored on a secondary storage device and comprises at least one of a configuration file and a virtual disk, and wherein the first set of data blocks is based on a profile of the virtual machine relative to launching execution of the virtual machine on a host computing device;

copying, by the media agent, a second set of data blocks from the backup copy to the read-cache, wherein the virtual-machine-file-relocation operation comprises a logical transfer, according to a relocation sequence, of the backup copy of data associated with the virtual machine to a destination on a primary storage device, and wherein the second set of data blocks is based on the relocation sequence;

serving, by the media agent, a read request for a data block, wherein serving the read request comprises;

(i) if the requested data block is not found in the read-cache, copying, by the media agent, the requested data block from the backup copy to the read-cache, and

(ii) transmitting, by the media agent, the requested data block from the read-cache; and

wherein, while the virtual machine executes on the host computing device prior to the virtual-machine-file-relocation operation, the media agent copies the second set of data blocks from the backup copy to the read-cache at a lower priority than serving the read request.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the coordinating further comprises:

while the virtual machine and the virtual-machine-file-relocation operation execute substantially concurrently on the host computing device, copying, by the media agent, at substantially the same priority as serving the read request, a third set of data blocks from the backup copy to the read-cache, wherein the third set of data blocks is based on the relocation sequence of the virtual-machine-file-relocation operation.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the coordinating further comprises:

after the virtual-machine-file-relocation operation has completed, and substantially concurrently with execution of the virtual machine on the host computing device, de-associating, by the media agent, the secondary storage device from the virtual machine.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein the media agent determines the first set of data blocks to be copied from the backup copy to the read-cache, based on the profile of the virtual machine received from a data agent component of the storage management system.

18. The method of claim 14 wherein the media agent determines the second set of data blocks to be copied from the backup copy to the read-cache.

19. A method for coordinating, in a storage management system, between a restoration of a virtual machine and a virtual-machine-file-relocation operation, the method comprising:

copying, by a media agent, a first set of data blocks from a backup copy of data associated with the virtual machine to a read-cache associated with the media agent,

wherein the backup copy is stored on a secondary storage device and comprises one or more configuration files and one or more virtual disks, and

wherein the first set of data blocks is based on a profile of the virtual machine;

launching execution of the virtual machine on the host computing device, based at least in part on the first set of data blocks;

copying, by the media agent, a second set of data blocks from the backup copy to the read-cache,

wherein the virtual-machine-file-relocation operation comprises a logical transfer, according to a relocation sequence, of the backup copy of data associated with the virtual machine to a destination on a primary storage device that is in communication with the host computing device, and

wherein the second set of data blocks is based on the relocation sequence;

while the virtual machine executes on the host computing device prior to the virtual-machine-file-relocation operation, serving, by the media agent, a read request for a data block, wherein serving the read request comprises;

(i) if the requested data block is not found in the read-cache, copying, by the media agent, the requested data block from the backup copy to the read-cache, and

(ii) transmitting, by the media agent, the requested data block from the read-cache, wherein the read request is served at a higher priority than copying the second set of data from the backup copy to the read-cache; and

while the virtual machine and the virtual-machine-file-relocation operation execute substantially concurrently on the host computing device;

(A) serving, by the media agent, a read request for a data block, wherein serving the read request comprises;

(i) if the requested data block is not found in the read-cache, copying, by the media agent, the requested data block from the backup copy to the read-cache, and (ii) transmitting, by the media agent, the requested data block from the read-cache, and

(B) copying, by the media agent, a third set of data blocks from the backup copy to the read-cache, wherein the third set of data blocks is based on the relocation sequence of the virtual-machine-file-relocation operation, and wherein the read request is served at substantially the same priority as copying of the third set of data blocks.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising:

after the virtual-machine-file-relocation operation has completed, and substantially concurrently with the execution of the virtual machine on the host computing device, (a) de-associating, by the media agent, the secondary storage device from the virtual machine and, (b) using the destination on the primary storage device, by the virtual machine, as a primary data store.