Data backup system and method for virtual infrastructure

• US 8,103,842 B2
• Filed: 11/17/2008
• Issued: 01/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Murase, Atsushi, Kaneda, Yasunori
• Primary Examiner(s): Elmore, Reba I.
• Application Number:
  US12/272,649
• Publication Number:
  US 20100125712A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,163 Days
• Field of Search: 711/162, 707/644, 707/672, 714/3, 714/6.3
• US Class Current: 711/162
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1458 Management of the backup or restore process
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1461 Backup scheduling policy
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1469 Backup restoration techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/815 Virtual

Abstract

Systems for backing up the data of an IT system by utilizing server or storage virtualization technology to create and move logical IT infrastructures dynamically. A virtualized IT system provides a server resource pool and a storage resource pool composed from multiple physical devices either within a datacenter or a globally located plurality of datacenters. The virtual server and the storage volume provisioned from those pools will be paired to form the virtual infrastructure. In other words, the virtual infrastructure becomes a logical IT environment build with the required computing and storage resources needed in order to execute specific applications. The virtual infrastructure can also be migrated within/among datacenter sites.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a source side virtual infrastructure comprising;

a virtual server allocated from a server resource pool; and

a primary volume and a plurality of backup volumes allocated from a storage resource pool;

a management server, comprising;

a backup catalog comprising a record of data backups; and

a virtual infrastructure management module configured to store generations of backup data periodically and to cyclically overwrite the backup volumes based on how many backup volumes are in the plurality of backup volumes,

wherein the virtual infrastructure management module is further configured to;

generate a primary volume and an equal number of generations of backup volumes in the source side virtual infrastructure to be available for use in a target side virtual infrastructure; and

migrate the virtual server from the source side virtual infrastructure to virtual infrastructure.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the virtual infrastructure management module is further configured to:

copy data in the primary volume from the source side virtual infrastructure to the primary volume in the target side virtual infrastructure; and

utilize the backup catalog to maintain the plurality of backup volumes in the source side virtual infrastructure in their original location so that the plurality of backup volumes in the source side virtual infrastructure can be accessed after the migration process is complete without needing to copy all of the data in the backed up volumes at once.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the virtual infrastructure management module is further configured to:

convert the primary volume in the source side virtual infrastructure to a backup volume representing the latest generation of backup data; and

discard the backup volume representing the oldest generation of backup data.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the virtual infrastructure management module is further configured to:

discard the backup volume representing the oldest generation of backup data on the source side virtual infrastructure after a backup process is executed on the primary volume on the target side virtual infrastructure.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the virtual infrastructure management module is further operable to discard the source side virtual infrastructure after all of the backup volumes are discarded.

6. The system of claim 4, further comprising an archive system, wherein the archive system is configured to archive older generation backup volumes.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the backup catalog further comprises a user interface, wherein the user interface is configured to allow for an administrator to select backup data for restoration onto the primary volume and wherein the backup data can be selected from a remote site, a local site or an archive and wherein available backup data is displayed in a uniform manner.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the user interface is configured to warn the administrator that the restoration onto the primary volume may take a long time when the administrator selects an archive or a remote site.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the restoration onto the primary volume is either done locally through a storage system replication function or through a remote replication function depending on the backup data selection.

10. The system of claim 3 wherein the virtual infrastructure management module is further configured to store generations of backup data periodically if desired and is also further configured to alter the period for storing the generations of backup data to a desired timing.

11. The system of claim 3 wherein the source side virtual infrastructure further comprises an archive server, and wherein the target side virtual infrastructure further comprises an archive server.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the virtual infrastructure management module is further configured to:

send instructions to the archive server to handle archiving data to the archive system; and

send instructions to the archive server to handle data restoration from an archive.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the virtual infrastructure management module is further configured to discard the archive server when all of the backup volumes of the source side virtual infrastructure are discarded.

14. The system of claim 2, wherein the virtual infrastructure management module is further configured to discard the primary volume in the source side virtual infrastructure.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the virtual infrastructure management module is further configured to execute a backup process after migration is completed, the process comprising:

discarding the backup volume representing the oldest generation of backup data on the source side virtual infrastructure after a backup process is executed on the primary volume on the target side virtual infrastructure.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the virtual infrastructure management module is further configured to discard the source side virtual infrastructure after all of the backup volumes are removed.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising an archive system, wherein the archive system configured to archive older generation backup volumes.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the backup catalog further comprises a user interface, wherein the user interface is configured to allow for an administrator to select backup data for restoration onto the primary volume and wherein the backup data can be selected from a remote site, a local site or an archive and wherein available backup data is displayed in a uniform manner.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the user interface is configured to warn the administrator that the restoration onto the primary volume may take a long time when the administrator selects an archive or a remote site.

20. A method performed in a system comprising a virtual infrastructure comprising a virtual server allocated from a server resource pool;

and a primary volume and a plurality of backup volumes allocated from a storage resource pool;

the virtual infrastructure further comprising a management server, the management server comprising a backup catalog comprising a record of data backups and a virtual infrastructure management module, configured to store generations of backup data periodically and to cyclically overwrite the backup volumes based on how many backup volumes are in the plurality of backup volumes, the method comprising;

moving the virtual server from the virtual infrastructure to a virtual infrastructure on the target side;

copying the primary volume from the virtual infrastructure to a primary volume in the virtual infrastructure in the target side;

utilizing the backup catalog to maintain the plurality of backup volumes in the virtual infrastructure so that the plurality of backup volumes in the virtual infrastructure can be accessed after the migration process is complete;

making same number of generations of backup volumes in the virtual infrastructure available for use in the virtual infrastructure on the target side;

converting the primary volume in the virtual infrastructure to a backup volume representing the latest generation of backup data; and

discarding the backup volume representing the oldest generation of backup data.