DISASTER RECOVERY AS A SERVICE

• US 20160292045A1
• Filed: 03/31/2015
• Published: 10/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: EMC Corporation (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Pillai, Biju Shanmugham, Rosenblum, Nathan, Tolia, Niraj
• Granted Patent: US 10,997,030 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1435 using file system or storage system metadata
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1464 for networked environments
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1469 Backup restoration techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1748 De-duplication implemented within the file system, e.g. based on file segments de-duplication techniques in storage systems for the management of data blocks G06F3/0641
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/183 Provision of network file services by network file servers, e.g. by using NFS, CIFS network file access protocols H04L67/1097
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45562 Creating, deleting, cloning virtual machine instances
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/80 Database-specific techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/84 Using snapshots, i.e. a logical point-in-time copy of the data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/544 Buffers; Shared memory; Pipes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/545 where tasks reside in different layers, e.g. user- and kernel-space

Abstract

Providing disaster recovery of a distribute file system metadata server as a service is disclosed. In various embodiments, an indication is received to provide alternative access to a file system metadata server. A copy of a self-describing backup of the file system metadata server is obtained, e.g., from cloud-based storage. The backup is used to provide access to a read only instance of the file system metadata server.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving an indication to provide alternative access to a file system metadata server;

obtaining a copy of a self-describing backup of the file system metadata server; and

using the backup to provide access to a read only instance of the file system metadata server.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication comprises a call to a disaster recovery service.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining said copy of said self-describing backup of the file system metadata server includes retrieving the copy from a cloud-based storage associated with the file system metadata server.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining said copy of said self-describing backup of the file system metadata server includes accessing a backup catalog to locate the backup.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the backup is used to provide access to a read only instance of the file system metadata server at least in part by using the backup to instantiate an instance of the file system metadata server running in a virtual machine.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the instance comprises a virtual appliance.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the read only instance includes a read only copy of file system metadata.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the read only copy of file system metadata is included in the backup.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing file system metadata associated with write operations in a local cache associated with the read only instance of the file system metadata server.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising keeping track of file system metadata that has been written to the local cache, and reading from the local cache metadata that has been written to the cache as required to respond to subsequent file system operations requiring that such metadata be read.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising failing the read only instance of the file system metadata server back to a primary instance of the file system metadata server.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein failing back includes merging metadata that has been written to the local cache back into a primary file system metadata maintained by the primary instance of the file system metadata server.

13. A system, comprising:

a communication interface; and

a processor coupled to the communication interface and configured to;

receive via the communication interface an indication to provide alternative access to a file system metadata server;

obtain a copy of a self-describing backup of the file system metadata server; and

use the backup to provide access to a read only instance of the file system metadata server.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the indication comprises a call to a disaster recovery service.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein obtaining said copy of said self-describing backup of the file system metadata server includes retrieving the copy from a cloud-based storage associated with the file system metadata server.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein obtaining said copy of said self-describing backup of the file system metadata server includes accessing a backup catalog to locate the backup.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the backup is used to provide access to a read only instance of the file system metadata server at least in part by using the backup to instantiate an instance of the file system metadata server running in a virtual machine.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to store file system metadata associated with write operations in a local cache associated with the read only instance of the file system metadata server.

19. A computer program product embodied in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium and comprising computer instructions for:

receiving an indication to provide alternative access to a file system metadata server;

obtaining a copy of a self-describing backup of the file system metadata server; and

using the backup to provide access to a read only instance of the file system metadata server.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein obtaining said copy of said self-describing backup of the file system metadata server includes retrieving the copy from a cloud-based storage associated with the file system metadata server.