Methods and systems for snapshot reconstitution

• US 8,392,372 B2
• Filed: 05/22/2012
• Issued: 03/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: F5 Networks, Inc. (F5 Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: F5 Networks, Inc. (F5 Incorporated)
• Inventors: Ferguson, JC, Cain, Bradley E., Cole, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): MOSER, BRUCE M
• Application Number:
  US13/477,382
• Publication Number:
  US 20120254123A1
• Time in Patent Office: 287 Days
• Field of Search: 707/999.001, 707/999.101, 707/999.102, 707/999.107, 707/999.202, 707/999.204, 707/999.205, 707/639, 707/649, 707/652, 707/657, 707/821, 711/161, 711/162
• US Class Current: 707/649
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2023 Failover techniques
• 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 16/128 Details of file system snapshots on the file-level, e.g. snapshot creation, administration, deletion use of snapshots for error detection or correction G06F11/14, G06F11/16
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/188 Virtual file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/815 Virtual
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/84 Using snapshots, i.e. a logical point-in-time copy of the data

Abstract

A method, computer readable medium, and a system for reconstituting a virtual snapshot of files in a file virtualization system includes forming at a file virtualization device a virtual snapshot that includes a plurality of physical snapshots associated with one or more file storage devices participating in the virtual snapshot, receiving a request for performing an operation on one or more physical snapshots in the plurality of physical snapshots, providing the one or more physical snapshots in response to the request for performing the operation when the one or more physical snapshots exists in the virtual snapshot, and reconstituting the virtual snapshot by including the one or more physical snapshots to form a reconstituted virtual snapshot in response to the request for performing the operation when the one or more physical snapshots do not exist in the virtual snapshot.

Claims

1. A method for recovering a state of a virtualized file system, comprising:

receiving, at a file virtualization device, a request from a client computing device to view one or more physical snapshots or to perform an operation on one or more physical snapshots, wherein each physical snapshot includes a time dependent state of at least a portion of the virtualized file system;

obtaining, with the file virtualization device, one or more descriptor files from one or more of a plurality of file storage devices, wherein the one or more descriptor files are associated with at least the one or more physical snapshots;

importing, at the file virtualization device, the one or more physical snapshots based on data in the one or more descriptor files;

reconstituting, with the file virtualization device, a virtual snapshot including the one or more physical snapshots; and

providing, with the file virtualization device, the reconstituted virtual snapshot to the requesting client computing device.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

determining, with the file virtualization device, whether the one or more physical snapshots exists in a virtual snapshot stored in a configuration database of the file virtualization device; and

providing, with the file virtualization device, the stored virtual snapshot when it is determined that the one or more physical snapshots exists in a virtual snapshot stored in a configuration database of the file virtualization device.

3. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein each descriptor file includes information related to one or more virtual characteristics of at least one share on the plurality of file storage devices used in the reconstituting.

4. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the reconstituting further comprises executing a script comprising data in the one or more descriptor files for associating at least the one or more physical snapshots with the reconstituted virtual snapshot.

5. The method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

forming, at the file virtualization device, a virtual snapshot comprising one or more physical snapshots associated with the plurality of file storage devices;

creating, with the file virtualization device, a descriptor file for a plurality of shares associated with a plurality of volumes stored by the plurality of file storage devices;

sending, with the file virtualization device, the descriptor files to one or more remote backup file storage devices; and

wherein the obtaining further comprises obtaining the one or more descriptor files from one or more of the remote backup file storage devices.

6. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions for recovering a state of a virtualized file system comprising machine executable code which when executed by at least one processor, causes the processor to perform steps comprising:

receiving, at a file virtualization device, a request from a client computing device to view one or more physical snapshots or to perform an operation on one or more physical snapshots, wherein each physical snapshot includes a time dependent state of at least a portion of the virtualized file system;

obtaining one or more descriptor files from one or more of a plurality of file storage devices, wherein the one or more descriptor files are associated with at least the one or more physical snapshots;

importing the one or more physical snapshots based on data in the one or more descriptor files;

reconstituting a virtual snapshot including the one or more physical snapshots; and

providing the reconstituted virtual snapshot to the requesting client computing device.

7. The medium as set forth in claim 6, further having stored thereon instructions comprising machine executable code that when executed by the at least one processor cause the processor to perform steps further comprising:

determining whether the one or more physical snapshots exists in a virtual snapshot stored in a configuration database of the file virtualization device; and

providing the stored virtual snapshot when it is determined that the one or more physical snapshots exists in a virtual snapshot stored in a configuration database of the file virtualization device.

8. The medium as set forth in claim 6, wherein each descriptor file includes information related to one or more virtual characteristics of at least one share on the plurality of file storage devices used in the reconstituting.

9. The medium as set forth in claim 6, wherein the reconstituting further comprises executing a script comprising data in the one or more descriptor files for associating at least the one or more physical snapshots with the reconstituted virtual snapshot.

10. The medium as set forth in claim 6, further having stored thereon instructions comprising machine executable code that when executed by the at least one processor cause the processor to perform steps further comprising:

forming a virtual snapshot comprising one or more of physical snapshots associated with the plurality of file storage devices;

creating a descriptor file for a plurality of shares associated with a plurality of volumes stored by the plurality of file storage devices;

sending the descriptor files to one or more remote backup file storage devices; and

wherein the obtaining further comprises obtaining the one or more descriptor files from one or more of the remote backup file storage devices.

11. A file virtualization device comprising:

at least one processor coupled to a memory and configured to execute programmed instructions stored in the memory comprising;

receiving a request from a client computing device to view one or more physical snapshots or to perform an operation on one or more physical snapshots, wherein each physical snapshot includes a time dependent state of at least a portion of the virtualized file system;

obtaining one or more descriptor files from one or more of a plurality of file storage devices, wherein the one or more descriptor files are associated with at least the one or more physical snapshots;

importing the one or more physical snapshots based on data in the one or more descriptor files;

reconstituting a virtual snapshot including the one or more physical snapshots; and

providing the reconstituted virtual snapshot to the requesting client computing device.

12. The file virtualization device as set forth in claim 11, wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute programmed instructions stored in the memory further comprising:

determining whether the one or more physical snapshots exists in a virtual snapshot stored in a configuration database of the file virtualization device; and

providing the stored virtual snapshot when it is determined that the one or more physical snapshots exists in a virtual snapshot stored in a configuration database of the file virtualization device.

13. The file virtualization device as set forth in claim 11, wherein each descriptor file includes information related to one or more virtual characteristics of at least one share on the plurality of file storage devices used in the reconstituting.

14. The file virtualization device as set forth in claim 11, wherein the reconstituting further comprises executing a script comprising data in the one or more descriptor files for associating at least the one or more physical snapshots with the reconstituted virtual snapshot.

15. The file virtualization device as set forth in claim 11, wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute programmed instructions stored in the memory further comprising:

forming a virtual snapshot comprising one or more physical snapshots associated with the plurality of file storage devices;

creating a descriptor file for a plurality of shares associated with a plurality of volumes stored by the plurality of file storage devices;

sending the descriptor files to one or more remote backup file storage devices; and

wherein the obtaining further comprises obtaining the one or more descriptor files from one or more of the remote backup file storage devices.

16. A system for recovering a state of a virtualized file system, comprising:

a plurality of file storage devices; and

a file virtualization device comprising a network interface configured to communicate with the plurality of file storage devices, the file virtualization device further comprising at least one processor and memory coupled to the at least one processor which is configured to execute program instructions stored in the memory comprising;

receiving a request from a client computing device to view one or more physical snapshots or to perform an operation on one or more physical snapshots, wherein each physical snapshot includes a time dependent state of at least a portion of the virtualized file system;

obtaining one or more descriptor files from one or more of the plurality of file storage devices, wherein the one or more descriptor files are associated with at least the one or more physical snapshots;

importing the one or more physical snapshots based on data in the one or more descriptor files;

reconstituting a virtual snapshot including the one or more physical snapshots; and

providing the reconstituted virtual snapshot to the requesting client computing device.

17. The system as set forth in claim 16, wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute programmed instructions stored in the memory further comprising:

determining whether the one or more physical snapshots exists in a virtual snapshot stored in a configuration database of the file virtualization device; and

providing the stored virtual snapshot when it is determined that the one or more physical snapshots exists in a virtual snapshot stored in a configuration database of the file virtualization device.

18. The system as set forth in claim 16, wherein each descriptor file includes information related to one or more virtual characteristics of at least one share on the plurality of file storage devices used in the reconstituting.

19. The system as set forth in claim 16, wherein the reconstituting further comprises executing a script comprising data in the one or more descriptor files for associating at least the one or more physical snapshots with the reconstituted virtual snapshot.

20. The system as set forth in claim 16, wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute programmed instructions stored in the memory further comprising:

forming a virtual snapshot comprising one or more physical snapshots associated with the plurality of file storage devices;

creating a descriptor file for a plurality of shares associated with a plurality of volumes stored by the plurality of file storage devices;

sending the descriptor files to one or more remote backup file storage devices; and

wherein the obtaining further comprises obtaining the one or more descriptor files from one or more of the remote backup file storage devices.