Method and apparatus for synchronizing a physical machine with a virtual machine while the virtual machine is operational

• US 8,156,301 B1
• Filed: 05/13/2009
• Issued: 04/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Veritas Technologies, LLC (Whitehouse Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Symantec Corporation (NortonLifeLock Inc.)
• Inventors: Khandelwal, Atul, Runthala, Anurag
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, THONG QUOC
• Application Number:
  US12/465,614
• Time in Patent Office: 1,063 Days
• Field of Search: 711/112, 711/154, 711/E12.014, 711/170
• US Class Current: 711/170
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1484 involving virtual machines
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2038 with a single idle spare processing component
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2097 maintaining the standby controller/processing unit updated initialisation or re-synchronisation thereof G06F11/1658 and subgroups
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45562 Creating, deleting, cloning virtual machine instances
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45575 Starting, stopping, suspending or resuming virtual machine instances
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45533 Hypervisors; Virtual machine monitors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects

Abstract

A method for synchronizing, using at least one processor, a physical machine with a virtual machine while the virtual machine is operational in memory is disclosed. In one embodiment, the method includes monitoring a physical machine that utilizes a physical disk for storing computer data, consolidating a virtual disk with modifications to the physical disk, wherein the modifications to the physical disk are replicated on the virtual disk in response to unavailability of the physical machine, operating a virtual machine that utilizes the virtual disk for storing the computer data and migrating the virtual machine, using the virtual disk, to a computer.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

synchronizing, a physical machine and a virtual machine the synchronizing comprising

monitoring the physical machine, wherein the physical machine comprises a physical disk;

identifying a modification to data stored in the physical disk, wherein the modification to the data is replicated to a virtual disk;

consolidating the virtual disk, wherein

the virtual disk is consolidated with the modification, and

the consolidating the virtual disk facilitates maintenance of a current state of the data as represented at the virtual disk;

in response to unavailability of the physical machine, migrating the virtual machine from the physical machine to a second physical machine, wherein

the virtual machine comprises the virtual disk; and

operating the virtual machine, using the virtual disk, wherein

the virtual machine is configured to operate at the second physical machine as a result of the migrating.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the migrating the virtual machine further comprises:

migrating the virtual machine to the physical machine when the physical machine is available.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein a modification to data stored in the virtual disk is replicated on the physical disk.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the migrating the virtual machine further comprises:

replaying, on the physical disk, delta modifications associated with data stored in the virtual disk.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the monitoring the physical machine further comprises:

processing heartbeat data from the physical machine, wherein the heartbeat data indicates availability of the physical machine.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the monitoring the physical machine further comprises:

generating changed data information that indicates at least one changed data block within at least one of the physical disk or the virtual disk.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

restoring the physical disk to a current state associated with the virtual disk.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

converting a virtual machine image into a bootable virtual disk for recovering the physical machine.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

recovering the physical machine using a bootable virtual disk.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the migrating the virtual machine further comprises:

transforming the virtual disk into a bootable virtual disk.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the operating the virtual machine further comprises:

accessing a virtual machine image to generate the virtual machine when the physical machine becomes unavailable.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the monitoring the physical machine further comprises:

converting the physical disk into a bootable virtual disk associated with the virtual machine, wherein

the virtual machine is a clone of the physical machine.

13. An apparatus comprising:

means for synchronizing a physical machine and a virtual machine, the means for synchronizing comprising

means for monitoring the physical machine, wherein the physical machine comprises a physical disk;

means for identifying a modification to data stored in the physical disk, wherein

the modification to the data is replicated to a virtual disk;

means for consolidating the virtual disk, wherein the virtual disk is consolidated with the modification, and

the consolidating the virtual disk facilitates maintenance of a current state of the data as represented at the virtual disk;

means for migrating the virtual machine from the physical machine to a second physical machine, in response to unavailability of the physical machine, wherein

the virtual machine comprises the virtual disk; and

means for operating the virtual machine, using the virtual disk, wherein

the virtual machine is configured to operate at the second physical machine as a result of migrating the virtual machine.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising:

means for transforming the virtual disk into a bootable virtual disk.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising:

means for converting a virtual machine image into a bootable virtual disk for recovering the physical machine.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising:

means for restoring the physical disk to a current state associated with the virtual disk.

17. A computer-readable-storage medium comprising one or more processor-executable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to:

monitor a physical machine, wherein

the physical machine comprises a physical disk;

identify a modification to data stored in the physical disk, wherein the modification to the data is replicated to a virtual disk;

consolidate the virtual disk, wherein

the virtual disk is consolidated with the modifications, and

consolidating the virtual disk facilitates maintenance of a current state of the data as represented at the virtual disk;

migrate a virtual machine from the physical machine to a second physical machine, in response to unavailability of the physical machine, wherein

the virtual machine comprises the virtual disk; and

operate the virtual machine, using the virtual disk, wherein

the virtual machine is configured to operate at the second physical machine as a result of migrating the virtual machine.

18. The computer-readable-storage medium of claim 17, wherein the one or more processor-executable instructions further cause the at least one processor to:

transform the virtual disk into a bootable virtual disk.

19. The computer-readable-storage medium of claim 17, wherein the one or more processor-executable instructions further cause the at least one processor to:

replicate, on the physical disk, delta modifications to data stored in the virtual disk.

20. The computer-readable-storage medium of claim 17, wherein the one or more processor-executable instructions further cause the at least one processor to:

convert a virtual machine image into a bootable virtual disk for recovering the physical machine.