Apparatus, system and method for volume-level restoration of cluster server data

• US 8,386,847 B2
• Filed: 04/25/2011
• Issued: 02/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Garimella, Neeta, Hoobler, Delbert B. III
• Primary Examiner(s): SCHELL, JOSEPH O
• Application Number:
  US13/093,435
• Publication Number:
  US 20110202507A1
• Time in Patent Office: 673 Days
• Field of Search: 714/15, 714/19, 711/203, 711/209, 707/649, 707/657
• US Class Current: 714/15
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1456 Hardware arrangements for backup
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1464 for networked environments
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1469 Backup restoration techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/84 Using snapshots, i.e. a logical point-in-time copy of the data

Abstract

A setup module saves disk signatures identifying cluster disks for at least one source volume to a device distinct from the cluster disks. A copy module copies data with a volume-level restore from at least one snapshot volume to the at least one source volume, overwriting the disk signatures identifying the cluster disks so that the cluster disks cannot be accessed. A reset module rewrites the saved disk signatures to the cluster disks.

Claims

1. An apparatus to restore cluster server data at a volume level, the apparatus comprising:

a first cluster server of a plurality of cluster servers, the first cluster server comprising a memory device storing executable code and a processor executing the executable code, the executable code comprising;

a setup module saving disk signatures identifying cluster disks for at least one source volume to a device distinct from the cluster disks;

a copy module copying data with a volume-level restore from at least one snapshot volume to the at least one source volume, overwriting the disk signatures identifying the cluster disks so that the cluster disks cannot be accessed; and

a reset module rewriting the saved disk signatures to the cluster disks.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, the setup module further preparing an application for recovery, disabling file system checks by placing the cluster disks in a normal cluster maintenance mode such that a looksalive function cannot be used, and disabling device-level checks for the cluster disks by placing the cluster disks in an extended maintenance mode.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, the reset module further directing the application to run a recovery operation.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the application is a MICROSOFT®

Exchange Server.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, the setup module further directing the application to quiesce a data set of the at least one source volume.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, the setup module further opening the at least one source volume for a volume-level restore, flushing each buffer for the at least one source volume;

closing the at least one source volume, unmounting the at least one source volume, disabling file system checks for the cluster disks, disabling device-level checks for the cluster disks, and mounting the at least one source volume, and the reset module further re-enabling the file system checks for the cluster disks, re-enabling the device-level checks for the cluster disks, and resetting at least one volume attribute on the at least one source volume.

7. A memory device storing executable code executed on a processor embodied in a first cluster server of a plurality of cluster servers to:

save disk signatures identifying cluster disks for at least one source volume to a device distinct from the cluster disks;

copy data for a volume-level restore from at least one snapshot volume to the at least one source volume, overwriting the disk signatures identifying the cluster disks so that the cluster disks cannot be accessed; and

rewrite the saved disk signatures to the cluster disks.

8. The memory device of claim 7, the executable code further preparing an application for recovery, disabling the file system checks by placing the cluster disks in a normal cluster maintenance mode such that a looksalive function cannot be used, and disabling the device-level checks for the cluster disks by placing the cluster disks in an extended maintenance mode.

9. The memory device of claim 8, the executable code further directing the application to quiesce a data set of the at least one source volume.

10. The memory device of claim 8, the executable code further directing the application to run a recovery operation.

11. The memory device of claim 8, the executable code further:

opening the at least one source volume for a volume-level restore;

flushing each buffer for the at least one source volume;

closing the at least one source volume;

unmounting the at least one source volume;

disabling file system checks for the cluster disks;

disabling device-level checks for the cluster disks;

mounting the at least one source volume;

re-enabling the file system checks for the cluster disks;

re-enabling the device-level checks for the cluster disks; and

resetting at least one volume attribute on the at least one source volume.

12. The memory device of claim 7, the executable code further backing up the data to the at least one snapshot volume using Volume Shadow Copy Service application program interfaces.

13. A system comprising:

a plurality of cluster servers;

cluster disks comprising at least one source volume storing data for the plurality of cluster servers;

snapshot disks comprising at least one snapshot volume storing a backup instance of the at least one source volume;

a first cluster server of the plurality of cluster servers comprising;

a setup module saving disk signatures identifying cluster disks for the at least one source volume to a device distinct from the cluster disks;

a copy module copying data with a volume-level restore from the at least one snapshot volume to the at least one source volume, overwriting the disk signatures identifying the cluster disks so that the cluster disks cannot be accessed; and

a reset module rewriting the saved disk signatures to the cluster disks.

14. The system of claim 13, the setup module further preparing an application for recovery, disabling file system checks by placing the cluster disks in a normal cluster maintenance mode such that a looksalive function cannot be used, and disabling device-level checks for the cluster disks by placing the cluster disks in an extended maintenance mode.

15. The system of claim 14, the reset module further directing the application to run a recovery operation.

16. The system of claim 14, the setup module further directing the application to quiesce a data set of the at least one source volume.

17. The system of claim 13, the setup module further opening the at least one source volume for a volume-level restore, flushing each buffer for the at least one source volume;

closing the at least one source volume, unmounting the at least one source volume, disabling file system checks for the cluster disks, disabling device-level checks for the cluster disks, and mounting the at least one source volume, and the reset module further re-enabling the file system checks for the cluster disks, re-enabling the device-level checks for the cluster disks, and resetting at least one volume attribute on the at least one source volume.

18. A method for deploying computer infrastructure, comprising integrating executable code stored in a memory device into a first cluster server of a plurality of cluster servers, wherein the code in combination with the first cluster server performs the following:

saving disk signatures identifying cluster disks for at least one source volume to a device distinct from the cluster disks;

copying data for a volume-level restore from at least one snapshot volume to the at least one source volume, overwriting the disk signatures identifying the cluster disks so that the cluster disks cannot be accessed; and

rewriting the saved disk signatures to the cluster disks.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the method further comprises preparing an application for recovery, disabling file system checks by placing the cluster disks in a normal cluster maintenance mode such that a looksalive function cannot be used, and disabling device-level checks for the cluster disks by placing the cluster disks in an extended maintenance mode.

20. The memory device of claim 19, the method further comprising directing the application to quiesce a data set of the at least one source volume.