Backup and restore operations using coherency groups for ISB protocol systems

• US 7,725,669 B1
• Filed: 09/28/2006
• Issued: 05/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: EMC Corporation (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Buchman, Matthew D., Simonich, Patrick M., Bingham, Scott Forrest, Singhal, Upanshu
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, THAN VINH
• Application Number:
  US11/536,157
• Time in Patent Office: 1,335 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 711/162
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1464 for networked environments
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2071 using a plurality of controllers

Abstract

Systems and methods for performing scheduled backups and recovery of data generated by one or more production applications operating on a MAGIC platform located on two or more host computers in a coherency group. The data for a coherency group is stored in a primary storage in the form of one or more production volumes and ISB protocol is used to create one or more clone volumes. Exemplary methods for backing up one or more clone volumes for a coherency group to a backup storage include copying the one or more clone volumes to a backup storage or creating a snapshot of the one or more clone volumes. The ISB functions of splitting and/or reconnecting the one or more production volumes and one or more clone volumes occur at substantially the same time for all the two or more host computers in the coherency group.

Claims

1. A method for performing scheduled backups of data generated by one or more production applications operating on a first platform located on two or more host computers in a coherency group, the first platform operating on an operating system of each of the two or more host computers the data being stored on one or more production volumes in a primary storage that is remote from the two or more host computers, the first platform using a first protocol to create one or more clone volumes of the production volume, the operating system booting off a local hard drive of each of the two or more host computers and the first platform booting off of the one or more production volumes in the remote primary storage such that the operating system of each of the two or more host computers cannot access the first platform or the one or more production applications to perform backup operations, the method comprising:

receiving a backup command from a backup server at a proxy host that is seperate from the two or more host computers in the coherency group;

sending a split command to the two or more host computers in a coherency group to initiate splitting of one or more production volumes and one or more clone volumes using the first protocol, the two or more host computers being instructed to perform the split at substantially the same time, wherein the split command allows the proxy host to communicate directly with the primary storage including the one or more production volumes and the one or more clone volumes;

receiving an identification of the one or more clone volumes at the proxy host;

initiating the one or more clone volumes for surfacing and mounting from the proxy host; and

initiating a backup of the surfaced and mounted one or more clone volumes to a backup storage from the proxy host.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising sending a reconnect command to the two or more host computers to initiate reconnection of the one or more production volumes and the one or more clone volumes using the first protocol, the two or more host computers being instructed to perform the reconnection at substantially the same time.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, further comprising sending a synchronization command to the two or more host computers to initiate synchronization of the one or more production volumes and the one or more clone volumes, the two or more host computers being instructed to perform the synchronization at substantially the same time.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein sending a split command to two or more host computers in a coherency group to initiate splitting of one or more production volumes and one or more clone volumes using the first protocol comprises sending a quiescing command to a production application on each of the two or more host computers, the two or more host computers being instructed to perform the quiescing at substantially the same time.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising sending information about the backup of the surfaced and mounted one or more clone volumes to the backup server to enable the backup server to store information about the backup in an online indices for tracking the backup of the one or more clone volume.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein sending a split command to two or more host computers in a coherency group to initiate splitting of one or more production volumes and one or more clone volumes using the first protocol comprises communicating with an application programming interface on each of the two or more host computers.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein receiving a backup command from a backup server comprising receiving a backup command according to a predetermined backup schedule.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first platform is a MAGIC platform.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first protocol is a ISB protocol.

10. A method for performing scheduled backups of data generated by one or more production applications operating on a first platform located on two or more host computers in a coherency group, the first platform operating on an operating system of each of the two or more host computers, the data being stored on one or more production volumes in a primary storage that is remote from the two or more host computers, the first platform using a first protocol to create one or more clone volumes of the production volume, the operating system booting off a local hard drive of each of the two or more host computers and the first platform booting off of the one or more production volumes in the remote primary storage such that the operating system of each of the two or more host computers cannot access the first platform or the one or more production applications to perform backup operations the method comprising:

receiving a backup command from a backup server at a proxy host that is seperate from the two or more host computers in the coherency group;

sending a split command to the two or more host computers in a coherency group to initiate splitting of one or more production volumes and one or more clone volumes using the first protocol, the two or more host computers being instructed to perform the split at substantially the same time, wherein the split command allows the proxy host to communicate directly with the primary storage;

initiating creation of a snapshot from the one or more clone volumes from the proxy host; and

initiating storing of the snapshot in the primary storage from the proxy host.

11. The method as recited in claim 10, further comprising sending a reconnect command to the two or more host computers to initiate reconnection of the one or more production volumes and the one or more clone volumes using the first protocol, the two or more host computers being instructed to perform the reconnection at substantially the same time.

12. The method as recited in claim 11, further comprising sending a synchronization command to the two or more host computers to initiate synchronization of the one or more production volumes and the one or more clone volumes, the two or more host computers being instructed to perform the synchronization at substantially the same time.

13. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein sending a split command to two or more host computers in a coherency group to initiate splitting of one or more production volumes and one or more clone volumes using the first protocol comprises sending a quiescing command to a production application on each of the two or more host computers, the two or more host computers being instructed to perform the quiescing at substantially the same time.

14. The method as recited in claim 10, further comprising sending information about the creation of the snapshot to the backup server to enable the backup server to store information about the creation of the snapshot in an online indices for tracking the creation of the snapshot.

15. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein sending a split command to two or more host computers in a coherency group to initiate splitting of one or more production volumes and one or more clone volumes using the first protocol comprises communicating with an application programming interface on each of the two or more host computers.

16. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein receiving a backup command from a backup server comprising receiving a backup command according to a predetermined backup schedule.

17. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the first platform is a MAGIC platform.

18. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the first protocol is a ISB protocol.