Using a data protection server to backup and restore data on virtual servers

• US 7,899,788 B2
• Filed: 04/01/2005
• Issued: 03/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ServiceNow Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Chandhok, Nikhil Vijay, Michael, Michael L., Fries, Robert M.
• Primary Examiner(s): LU, CHARLES EDWARD
• Application Number:
  US11/097,634
• Publication Number:
  US 20060225065A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,160 Days
• Field of Search: 707/203, 707/640, 707/649, 718/1
• US Class Current: 707/640
• 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 11/1471 involving logging of persistent data for recovery
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor
• 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 9/455 Emulation; Interpretation; Software simulation, e.g. virtualisation or emulation of application or operating system execution engines

Abstract

A method and system for backing up and restoring data of virtual machines. A virtual machine may be discovered through a directory service or via an agent that is installed on the host operating system that is running the virtual machine. If the agent is installed on the virtual machine, the agent monitors changes to a set of protected volumes on the virtual machine. If the agent is installed on the host, the agent monitors changes to the protected volumes, which may contain one or more virtual servers on the host. Periodically, these changes from the host or the virtual server are sent to a data protection server. The data protection server updates its replicas of protected volumes with the sent changes. Versions of files on a data protection server corresponding to a volume of a virtual server may be restored to the virtual machine, to another machine, or may be viewed from the data protection server.

Claims

1. A method for backing up and restoring data of virtual machines, comprising:

a data protection server discovering a host machine which hosts a plurality of virtual machines, the data protection server being a computing machine physically distinct from the host machine, each virtual machine causing changes to each volume associated with each virtual machine;

the data protection server sending an agent for installation on the discovered host machine that hosts a plurality of virtual machines that monitors changes to each volume caused by each of the plurality of virtual machines; and

the data protection server receiving from the agent the changes;

providing a list of shadow copies corresponding to versions of a file of a first virtual machine of the plurality of virtual machines of the host machine from a directory service that includes a mapping that maps the first virtual machine to a data protection server;

obtaining a name and share of the data protection server from the directory service based on the mapping;

selecting a version of a file to restore from the list of shadow copies; and

sending the file from the data protection server to the agent to restore the file to the first virtual machine.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein monitoring changes to each volume comprises monitoring changes by a file system filter that views each modification caused by each virtual machine that affects each volume and wherein the file system filter writes the changes to a log file.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

pausing at least one virtual machine;

inserting a checkpoint record into the log file;

unpausing the at least one virtual machine after the record is inserted;

forwarding data in the log file up to the record to the data protection server; and

flushing data of the log file up to the record.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein installing an agent on a host machine comprises installing the agent to execute in at least one virtual machine.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein installing an agent on a host machine comprises installing the agent to execute in the host machine and not as a process inside a virtual machine.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

discovering, by the agent, all virtual machines that are hosted in the host machine; and

providing a list of all the virtual machines to the data protection server.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the agent monitors changes for each virtual machine for which data is stored on the host machine.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising restoring the one of the versions to a machine other than the host machine and the at least one virtual machine.

9. A system for backing up and restoring data of virtual machines, comprising:

a data protection server configured to discover, over a communications network, a first virtual machine of a host machine that is configured to provide an environment in which a plurality of virtual machines execute, the host machine differing from the data protection server, the host machine including virtual server software and a file system;

the first virtual machine configured to execute in the environment, the first virtual machine having a volume that is represented as a file in the file system;

the data protection server configured to send an indication to the first virtual machine on the host machine, wherein the first virtual machine on the host machine installs an agent configured to monitor changes to the volume and to forward the changes to the data protection server, in response to receiving the indication;

a computing device configured to receive a list of shadow copies corresponding to versions of a file of a first virtual machine of the plurality of virtual machines of the host machine from a directory service that includes a mapping that maps the first virtual machine to a data protection server;

the computing device configured to obtain a name and share of the data protection server from the directory service based on the mapping;

the computing device configured to select a version of a file to restore from the list of shadow copies; and

the computing device configured to send the file from the data protection server to the agent to restore the file to the first virtual machine.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the agent is further arranged to monitor changes to a volume associated with the first virtual machine and to forward these changes to the data protection server.