Conversion of physical computers to virtualized environments method and system

• US 8,429,125 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2011
• Issued: 04/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Veritas Technologies, LLC (Whitehouse Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Symantec Corporation (NortonLifeLock Inc.)
• Inventors: Mohl, Steven Eugene, Krishnamurthy, Lokesha B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ortiz Ditren, Belix M
• Application Number:
  US13/247,816
• Publication Number:
  US 20130080387A1
• Time in Patent Office: 573 Days
• Field of Search: 707/624, 707/640, 711/162
• US Class Current: 707/624
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/116 Details of conversion of file system types or formats
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/188 Virtual file systems

Abstract

A method for converting a physical file system to a virtual file system of a virtual machine. The method includes initiating a new incremental physical to virtual conversion process, and analyzing a history of a plurality of prior incremental conversions to determine whether there exists at least one prior incremental conversion that failed. Upon determination that a prior failed incremental conversion occurred, the method further includes determining a correct chronological order of the plurality of prior incremental conversions, and determining an original failure point and any subsequent failure points. The prior incremental conversions are re-applied from each of said original failure point and said subsequent failure points in the correct chronological order with the most recent incremental conversion re-applied last.

Claims

1. A method for converting a physical file system to a virtual file system of a virtual machine, comprising:

initiating a new incremental physical to virtual conversion process;

analyzing a history of a plurality of prior incremental conversions to determine whether there exists at least one prior incremental conversion that failed;

upon determination that a prior failed incremental conversion occurred, determining a correct chronological order of the plurality of prior incremental conversions;

determining an original failure point and any subsequent failure points; and

re-applying the prior incremental conversions from each of said original failure point and said subsequent failure points in the correct chronological order with the most recent incremental conversion re-applied last.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the physical file system is a physical volume and the virtual file system is a virtual volume.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the physical file system comprises a physical LUN and the virtual file system comprises a virtual LUN.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the physical file system comprises a physical hard drive and the virtual file system comprises a virtual hard drive.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the converting of the physical file system to the virtual file system comprises a self-healing process that is free of operator interaction.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the virtual machine is processed by applying a set of incremental conversions in reverse chronological order to the virtual file system.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of incremental conversions comprises a plurality of snapshots.

8. A computer readable storage medium having stored thereon, computer executable instructions that, if executed by a computer system cause the computer system to perform a method comprising:

initiating a new incremental physical to virtual conversion process;

analyzing a history of a plurality of prior incremental conversions to determine whether there exists at least one prior incremental conversion that failed;

upon determination that a prior failed incremental conversion occurred, determining a correct chronological order of the plurality of prior incremental conversions;

determining an original failure point and any subsequent failure points; and

re-applying the prior incremental conversions from each of said original failure point and said subsequent failure points in the correct chronological order with the most recent incremental conversion re-applied last.

9. The computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the physical file system is a physical volume and the virtual file system is a virtual volume.

10. The computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the physical file system comprises a physical LUN and the virtual file system comprises a virtual LUN.

11. The computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the physical file system comprises a physical hard drive and the virtual file system comprises a virtual hard drive.

12. The computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the converting of the physical file system to the virtual file system comprises a self-healing process that is free of operator interaction.

13. The computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the virtual machine is processed by applying a set of incremental conversions in reverse chronological order to the virtual file system.

14. The computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the plurality of incremental conversions comprises a plurality of snapshots.

15. A volume conversion system, comprising:

a computer system having a processor coupled to a computer readable storage media and executing computer readable code which causes the computer system to implement a conversion manager module, wherein the conversion manager module;

initiates a new incremental physical to virtual conversion process;

analyzes a history of a plurality of prior incremental conversions to determine whether there exists at least one prior incremental conversion that failed;

upon determination that a prior failed incremental conversion occurred, determines a correct chronological order of the plurality of prior incremental conversions;

determine an original failure point and any subsequent failure points; and

re-apply the prior incremental conversions from each of said original failure point and said subsequent failure points in the correct chronological order with the most recent incremental conversion re-applied last.

16. The volume conversion system of claim 15, wherein the physical file system is a physical volume and the virtual file system is a virtual volume.

17. The volume conversion system of claim 15, wherein the physical file system comprises a physical LUN and the virtual file system comprises a virtual LUN.

18. The volume conversion system of claim 15, wherein the physical file system comprises a physical hard drive and the virtual file system comprises a virtual hard drive.

19. The volume conversion system of claim 15, wherein the converting of the physical file system to the virtual file system comprises a self-healing process that is free of operator interaction.

20. The volume conversion system of claim 15, wherein the plurality of incremental conversions comprises a plurality of snapshots.