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

• US 20180173454A1
• Filed: 02/13/2018
• Published: 06/21/2018
• 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 10,437,505 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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

Systems and methods enable a virtual machine, including 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 moves data blocks from backup to a primary storage destination that becomes the virtual machine'"'"'s primary data store after relocation completes. An enhanced data agent, operating in conjunction with an enhanced media agent in a storage management system, coordinates restoring the virtual machine and launching the relocation operation. The enhanced media agent pre-stages certain backed up data blocks based on predictive analysis pertaining to the virtual machine'"'"'s operational profile. The enhanced media agent also pre-stages backed up data blocks for the relocation operation, based on the operation'"'"'s relocation scheme. The media agent tracks read requests and maintains the contents of an associated read cache.

Claims

1. A computer-readable medium, excluding transitory propagating signals, storing instructions that, when executed by a computing device comprising one or more hardware processors and computer memory, cause the computing device to perform operations for restoring execution of a virtual machine on a host computing device, based on coordination with a virtual-machine-file-relocation operation, the operations comprising:

copying a first set of data blocks, which are based on an operational profile of the virtual machine, from a backup copy of the virtual machine to a data storage location configured on the computing device,

wherein the computing device is distinct from the host computing device for executing the virtual machine, and

wherein the backup copy of the virtual machine comprises at least one of a configuration file and a virtual disk associated with the virtual machine;

copying a second set of data blocks from the backup copy to the data storage location configured on the computing device,

wherein the virtual-machine-file-relocation operation logically transfers the backup copy, according to a relocation sequence, to a primary storage device in communication with the host computing device, and

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

serving a read request for a data block issued by the virtual machine which executes on the host computing device,

wherein the read request is directed at a shared file system configured on the computing device as a recovery point for the virtual machine and as a source of data for the virtual-machine-file-relocation operation; and

wherein the serving of the read request comprises;

(i) copying the requested data block from the backup copy to the data storage location configured on the computing device if the requested data block is not found therein, and

(ii) transmitting to the virtual machine the requested data block from the data storage location configured on the computing device.

2. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein while the virtual machine executes on the host computing device prior to the virtual-machine-file-relocation operation, the copying of the second set of data blocks from the backup copy to the data storage location configured on the computing device occurs at a lower priority than the serving of the read request.

3. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

while the virtual machine and the virtual-machine-file-relocation operation execute on the host computing device, copying a third set of data blocks from the backup copy to the data storage location configured on the first computing device at the same priority as the serving of the read request,

wherein the third set of data blocks is based on the relocation sequence of the virtual-machine-file-relocation operation.

4. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

after the virtual-machine-file-relocation operation completes and while the virtual machine executes on the host computing device, using the primary storage device by the virtual machine as a primary data store.

5. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the virtual machine begins executing on the host computing device based on the first set of data blocks.

6. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

until the virtual-machine-file-relocation operation completes, writing data blocks generated by the virtual machine to a data storage location associated with the host computing device; and

after the virtual-machine-file-relocation operation completes;

(a) applying the data blocks generated by the virtual machine to the primary storage device, thereby updating a destination of the virtual-machine-relocation operation, and (b) instructing the virtual machine to use the destination on the primary storage device as a primary data store.

7. The computer-readable medium of claim 6, wherein the operations further comprise:

after the virtual-machine-file-relocation operation completes;

(c) unmounting the shared file system configured on the computing device from the host computing device.

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 6, wherein the operations further comprise:

after the virtual-machine-file-relocation operation completes;

(c) de-associating a storage device comprising the backup copy from the virtual machine executing on the host computing device.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein a media agent that executes on the computing device performs the copying and serving operations.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the operational profile of the virtual machine is received by the computing device from a data agent that is associated with but is not necessarily co-resident with the virtual machine on the host computing device.

11. A storage management system for restoring execution of a virtual machine on a host computing device, based on coordination with a virtual-machine-file-relocation operation, the storage management system comprising:

a first computing device comprising one or more hardware processors and computer memory, and comprising a shared file system configured as a recovery point for the virtual machine and as a source of data for the virtual-machine-file-relocation operation;

a host computing device for executing the virtual machine, wherein the host computing device is distinct from the first computing device and comprises one or more hardware processors and computer memory;

wherein the first computing device is configured to;

copy a first set of data blocks, which are based on an operational profile of the virtual machine, from a backup copy of a virtual machine to a data storage location configured on the first computing device,

wherein the backup copy of the virtual machine comprises at least one of a configuration file and a virtual disk associated with the virtual machine,

copy a second set of data blocks from the backup copy to the data storage location configured on the first computing device,

wherein the virtual-machine-file-relocation operation logically transfers the backup copy, according to a relocation sequence, to a primary storage device in communication with the host computing device, and

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

serve a read request for a data block issued by the virtual machine which executes on the host computing device,

wherein the read request is directed at the shared file system configured on the first computing device; and

wherein to serve the read request the first computing device is further configured to;

(i) copy the requested data block from the backup copy to the data storage location configured on the first computing device if the requested data block is not found therein, and

(ii) transmitting to the virtual machine the requested data block from the data storage location configured on the first computing device.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein while the virtual machine executes on the host computing device prior to the virtual-machine-file-relocation operation starting, the second set of data blocks is copied from the backup copy to the data storage location configured on the first computing device at a lower priority than the read request is served.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein while the virtual machine and the virtual-machine-file-relocation operation execute on the host computing device, the first computing device is further configured to copy a third set of data blocks from the backup copy to the data storage location configured on the first computing device at the same priority as the read request is served,

wherein the third set of data blocks is based on the relocation sequence of the virtual-machine-file-relocation operation.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein after the virtual-machine-file-relocation operation completes and while the virtual machine executes on the host computing device, the virtual machine uses the primary storage device as a primary data store.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the virtual machine begins executing on the host computing device based on the first set of data blocks.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein until the virtual-machine-file-relocation operation completes, data blocks generated by the virtual machine are written to a data storage location associated with the host computing device;

and

after the virtual-machine-file-relocation operation completes, the first computing device is further configured to;

(a) apply the data blocks generated by the virtual machine to the primary storage device, thereby updating a destination of the virtual-machine-relocation operation, and (b) causes the virtual machine to use the destination on the primary storage device as a primary data store.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein after the virtual-machine-file-relocation operation completes, the first computing device is further configured to:

(c) unmount the shared file system from the host computing device.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein after the virtual-machine-file-relocation operation completes, the first computing device is further configured to:

(c) de-associate a storage device comprising the backup copy from the virtual machine executing on the host computing device.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the first computing device executes a media agent that performs the copy and serve operations.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein the operational profile of the virtual machine is received by the first computing device from a data agent that is associated with but is not necessarily co-resident with the virtual machine on the host computing device.