Virtual recovery server

• US 8,423,821 B1
• Filed: 12/21/2006
• Issued: 04/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Maxsp Corporation
• Inventors: Keith, Jr., Robert O.
• Primary Examiner(s): GUYTON, PHILIP A
• Application Number:
  US11/644,451
• Time in Patent Office: 2,308 Days
• Field of Search: 714/6, 714/7, 714/13
• US Class Current: 714/6.3
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1484 involving virtual machines
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1662 the resynchronized component or unit being a persistent storage device re-synchronization of failed mirror storage G06F11/2082; rebuild or reconstruction of parity RAID storage G06F11/1008
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/201 between storage system components
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2028 eliminating a faulty processor or activating a spare
• 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

Abstract

A virtual recovery server is described herein. The virtual recovery server is a software implementation on a storage server which generates a virtual server to replace a physical server when the physical server becomes inaccessible. While the physical server is inaccessible, the virtual recovery server is able to mimic the actions and data contained on the physical server. Thus, when users attempt to access an application or data that is on the physical server, they will not experience an interruption and will continue to access the information as if the physical server were up and running. The virtual recovery server is able to run for up to a number of days. When a new or repaired physical server is available the virtual recovery server is deleted after the data acquired by the virtual server is transmitted to the new physical server.

Claims

1. A system for providing network stability and data reliability, comprising:

a. a first server;

b. a second server coupled to the first server wherein the second server comprises a memory device and stores first server data received from the first server on the memory device; and

c. a virtual server activated by the second server when the first server fails, wherein the virtual server performs functions of the first server and further wherein the second server continues to back up data after the first server fails while running the virtual server.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the second server is a storage server.

3. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the first server backs up the first server data onto the second server using a continuous backup scheme.

4. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the second server stores a system image of the first server.

5. The system as claimed in claim 4 wherein the second server transfers the system image to the virtual server when generating the virtual server.

6. The system as claimed in claim 5 wherein the virtual server transfers the system image to a replacement server for the first server.

7. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the virtual server mimics the first server.

8. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the virtual server is activated in real-time.

9. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the first server is accessible by customers.

47. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the virtual server is inactive before the failure of the first server.

10. A system for providing network stability and data reliability, comprising:

a. a set of first servers;

b. a second server coupled to the set of first servers wherein the second server comprises a memory device and stores first servers data received from the set of first servers on the memory device; and

c. a virtual server activated for each failed server in the set of first servers, wherein the virtual server is activated by the second server and further wherein the virtual server performs application functions of each failed server, and further wherein the second server continues to back up data received from the first servers that did not fail after the failure of each failed server while running the virtual server.

11. The system as claimed in claim 10 wherein the second server is a storage server.

12. The system as claimed in claim 10 wherein the set of first servers back up the first servers data onto the second server using a continuous backup scheme.

13. The system as claimed in claim 10 wherein the second server stores a system image of each server of the set of first servers.

14. The system as claimed in claim 13 wherein the second server transfers the system image to the virtual server when generating the virtual server, further wherein the system image corresponds to the failed server of the set of first servers.

15. The system as claimed in claim 14 wherein the virtual server transfers the system image to a replacement server for the failed server of the set of first servers.

16. The system as claimed in claim 10 wherein the virtual server mimics the failed server of the set of first servers before the server failed.

17. The system as claimed in claim 10 wherein the virtual server is activated in real-time.

18. The system as claimed in claim 10 wherein the set of first servers are accessible by customers.

19. A method of providing network stability and data reliability, comprising:

a. backing up first server data from a first server to a second server;

b. activating a virtual server when the first server fails, wherein data is continuously backed up after the first server fails while the virtual server is running; and

c. serving the first server data utilizing the virtual server until the first server is replaced.

20. The method as claimed in claim 19 further comprising replacing the failed server.

21. The method as claimed in claim 19 further comprising deleting the activated virtual server.

22. The method as claimed in claim 19 wherein the second server is a storage server.

23. The method as claimed in claim 19 wherein the first server backs up the first server data onto the second server using a continuous backup scheme.

24. The method as claimed in claim 19 further comprising storing a system image of the first server on the second server.

25. The method as claimed in claim 24 further comprising transferring the system image from the second server to the virtual server when generating the virtual server, wherein the system image corresponds to the failed first server.

26. The method as claimed in claim 25 further comprising transferring the system image from the virtual server to a replacement server for the failed first server.

27. The method as claimed in claim 19 wherein serving data utilizing the virtual server includes mimicking the failed first server before the server failed.

28. The method as claimed in claim 19 wherein generating the virtual server is in real-time.

29. The method as claimed in claim 19 wherein the first server is accessible by customers.

30. The method as claimed in claim 19 wherein the first server is one of a set of first servers.

31. A network of devices for providing network stability and data reliability, comprising:

a. a set of first servers;

b. a second server coupled to the set of first servers, wherein the second server comprises a first memory device and stores first servers data received from the set of first servers on the first memory device and generates a virtual server for each failed server in the set of first servers and further wherein the virtual server performs application functions of each failed server, wherein the second server continues to back up data received from the first servers that did not fail after the failure of each failed server while running the virtual server;

c. a regional data center coupled to the second server, wherein the regional data center comprises a second memory device for backing up the first servers data regionally on the second memory device; and

d. a remote data center coupled to the regional data center, wherein the remote data center comprises a third memory device for backing up the first servers data remotely on the third memory device.

32. The network of devices as claimed in claim 31 wherein the second server is a storage server.

33. The network of devices as claimed in claim 31 wherein the set of first servers back up the first servers data onto the second server using a continuous backup scheme.

34. The network of devices as claimed in claim 31 wherein the second server stores a system image of each server of the set of first servers.

35. The network of devices as claimed in claim 34 wherein the second server transfers the system image to the virtual server when generating the virtual server, further wherein the system image corresponds to the failed server of the set of first servers.

36. The network of devices as claimed in claim 35 wherein the virtual server transfers the system image to a replacement server for the failed server of the set of first servers.

37. The network of devices as claimed in claim 31 wherein the virtual server mimics the failed server of the set of first servers before the server failed.

38. The network of devices as claimed in claim 31 wherein the virtual server is activated in real-time.

39. The network of devices as claimed in claim 31 wherein the set of first servers are accessible by customers.

40. An apparatus for providing network stability and data reliability, comprising:

a. a storage component;

b. a data backup application stored on the storage component for backing up server data received from a server; and

c. a virtual machine application stored on the storage component for generating a virtual server when the server fails, wherein the data backup application continues to back up data after the server fails while the virtual server runs.

41. The apparatus as claimed in claim 40 wherein a server image is pre-installed on the storage component.

42. The apparatus as claimed in claim 41 wherein the server image corresponds to the server.

43. The apparatus as claimed in claim 40 wherein a plurality of server images are pre-installed on the storage component.

44. The apparatus as claimed in claim 40 wherein a server image is acquired from the server.

46. The system as claimed in claim 40 wherein the virtual server is generated in response to the failure of the first server.

45. A system for providing network stability and data reliability, comprising:

a. a first server;

b. a second server coupled to the first server wherein the second server comprises a memory device and stores first server data received from the first server on the memory device; and

c. a virtual server, wherein the virtual server performs functions of the first server and further wherein the second server continues to back up data while running the virtual server;

wherein the second server is configured to activate the virtual server near failure of the first server.