Backup of a virtual machine configured to perform I/O operations bypassing a hypervisor

• US 8,850,146 B1
• Filed: 07/27/2012
• Issued: 09/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Veritas Technologies, LLC (Whitehouse Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Symantec Corporation (NortonLifeLock Inc.)
• Inventors: Majumdar, Udayan
• Primary Examiner(s): Elmore, Stephen
• Application Number:
  US13/560,284
• Time in Patent Office: 795 Days
• Field of Search: 711/162, 711/6, 711/112, 711/114, 707/649, 718/1, 718/100
• US Class Current: 711/162
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1438 Restarting or rejuvenating
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/08 in hierarchically structured memory systems, e.g. virtual memory systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45562 Creating, deleting, cloning virtual machine instances
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45579 I/O management, e.g. providing access to device drivers or storage
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/84 Using snapshots, i.e. a logical point-in-time copy of the data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects

Abstract

A virtual machine may use a first one or more volumes in which one or more virtual disk image files are stored. The virtual machine may also use data stored in a second one or more volumes, where the virtual machine is configured to bypass a hypervisor to access the second one or more volumes. A time consistent backup of the virtual machine, including both the virtual disk image files of the first one or more volumes and the data of the second one or more volumes, may be created.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-accessible storage medium storing program instructions executable by one or more processors to perform operations including:

initiating a first snapshot of a first one or more volumes that include one or more virtual disk image files of a virtual machine and a second one or more volumes that include data written by the virtual machine, wherein the first snapshot is based on a first point in time, wherein the virtual machine uses physical resources of a physical computer system, wherein a hypervisor controls access to the physical resources by the virtual machine, wherein the virtual machine is configured to bypass the hypervisor to access the second one or more volumes;

creating a first backup image of the second one or more volumes using the first snapshot, wherein the first backup image of the second one or more volumes is based on the first point in time;

initiating a second snapshot of the first one or more volumes that include the one or more virtual disk image files of the virtual machine, wherein the second snapshot is based on a second point in time after the first point in time;

creating a second backup image of the one or more virtual disk image files of the virtual machine using the second snapshot, wherein the second backup image of the one or more virtual disk image files is based on the second point in time; and

reverting the second backup image of the one or more virtual disk image files of the virtual machine to the first point in time using the first snapshot in order to make the second backup image of the one or more virtual disk image files time consistent with the first backup image of the second one or more volumes.

2. The non-transitory computer-accessible storage medium of claim 1,

wherein the second one or more volumes are stored on one or more physical disk drives, wherein the virtual machine is configured to bypass the hypervisor to access the second one or more volumes on the one or more physical disk drives.

3. The non-transitory computer-accessible storage medium of claim 1,

wherein the second one or more volumes are stored on one or more iSCSI disk drives, wherein the virtual machine is configured to bypass the hypervisor to access the second one or more volumes on the one or more iSCSI disk drives.

4. The non-transitory computer-accessible storage medium of claim 1,

wherein the second one or more volumes are stored on one or more storage area network (SAN) devices, wherein the virtual machine is configured to bypass the hypervisor to access the second one or more volumes on the one or more SAN devices.

5. The non-transitory computer-accessible storage medium of claim 1, wherein the program instructions are executable by the one or more processors to request the virtual machine to perform said initiating the first snapshot.

6. The non-transitory computer-accessible storage medium of claim 1, wherein the program instructions are executable by the one or more processors to request the virtual machine to perform said creating the first backup image of the second one or more volumes using the first snapshot.

7. The non-transitory computer-accessible storage medium of claim 1, wherein the program instructions are executable by the one or more processors to request host software that manages the virtual machine to perform said initiating the second snapshot of the first one or more volumes.

8. The non-transitory computer-accessible storage medium of claim 1, wherein the program instructions are executable by the one or more processors to request host software that manages the virtual machine to perform said creating the second backup image of the one or more virtual disk image files of the virtual machine.

9. The non-transitory computer-accessible storage medium of claim 1, wherein the program instructions are further executable by the one or more processors to perform:

mounting the one or more virtual disk image files of the virtual machine from the second backup image prior to reverting the second backup image of the one or more virtual disk image files of the virtual machine to the first point in time.

10. The non-transitory computer-accessible storage medium of claim 1, wherein the program instructions are further executable by the one or more processors to perform:

receiving a request to restore the virtual machine;

wherein the program instructions are executable by the one or more processors to perform said reverting the second backup image of the one or more virtual disk image files of the virtual machine to the first point in time using the first snapshot in response to said receiving the request to restore the virtual machine.

11. The non-transitory computer-accessible storage medium of claim 1,

wherein, at the second point in time, the one or more virtual disk image files of the virtual machine include snapshot data of the first snapshot, wherein the second backup image of the one or more virtual disk image files includes the snapshot data of the first snapshot.

12. The non-transitory computer-accessible storage medium of claim 11,

wherein said reverting the second backup image of the one or more virtual disk image files of the virtual machine to the first point in time using the first snapshot comprises reading the snapshot data of the first snapshot from the second backup image and using the snapshot data of the first snapshot to revert the second backup image of the one or more virtual disk image files of the virtual machine to the first point in time.

13. A method comprising:

one or more processors initiating a first snapshot of a first one or more volumes that include one or more virtual disk image files of a virtual machine and a second one or more volumes that include data written by the virtual machine, wherein the first snapshot is based on a first point in time, wherein the virtual machine uses physical resources of a physical computer system, wherein a hypervisor controls access to the physical resources by the virtual machine, wherein the virtual machine is configured to bypass the hypervisor to access the second one or more volumes;

the one or more processors creating a first backup image of the second one or more volumes using the first snapshot, wherein the first backup image of the second one or more volumes is based on the first point in time;

the one or more processors initiating a second snapshot of the first one or more volumes that include the one or more virtual disk image files of the virtual machine, wherein the second snapshot is based on a second point in time after the first point in time;

the one or more processors creating a second backup image of the one or more virtual disk image files of the virtual machine using the second snapshot, wherein the second backup image of the one or more virtual disk image files is based on the second point in time; and

the one or more processors reverting the second backup image of the one or more virtual disk image files of the virtual machine to the first point in time using the first snapshot in order to make the second backup image of the one or more virtual disk image files time consistent with the first backup image of the second one or more volumes.

14. The method of claim 13,

wherein the second one or more volumes are stored on one or more physical disk drives, wherein the virtual machine is configured to bypass the hypervisor to access the second one or more volumes on the one or more physical disk drives.

15. The method of claim 13,

wherein said creating the first backup image of the second one or more volumes using the first snapshot comprises the one or more processors requesting the virtual machine to create the first backup image of the second one or more volumes using the first snapshot.

16. The method of claim 13,

wherein said creating the second backup image of the one or more virtual disk image files of the virtual machine comprises the one or more processors requesting host software that manages the virtual machine to create the second backup image of the one or more virtual disk image files of the virtual machine.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

the one or more processors mounting the one or more virtual disk image files of the virtual machine from the second backup image prior to reverting the second backup image of the one or more virtual disk image files of the virtual machine to the first point in time.

18. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

memory storing program instructions, wherein the program instructions are executable by the one or more processors to perform operations including;

initiating a first snapshot of a first one or more volumes that include one or more virtual disk image files of a virtual machine and a second one or more volumes that include data written by the virtual machine, wherein the first snapshot is based on a first point in time, wherein the virtual machine uses physical resources of a physical computer system, wherein a hypervisor controls access to the physical resources by the virtual machine, wherein the virtual machine is configured to bypass the hypervisor to access the second one or more volumes;

creating a first backup image of the second one or more volumes using the first snapshot, wherein the first backup image of the second one or more volumes is based on the first point in time;

initiating a second snapshot of the first one or more volumes that include the one or more virtual disk image files of the virtual machine, wherein the second snapshot is based on a second point in time after the first point in time;

creating a second backup image of the one or more virtual disk image files of the virtual machine using the second snapshot, wherein the second backup image of the one or more virtual disk image files is based on the second point in time; and

reverting the second backup image of the one or more virtual disk image files of the virtual machine to the first point in time using the first snapshot in order to make the second backup image of the one or more virtual disk image files time consistent with the first backup image of the second one or more volumes.

19. The system of claim 18,

wherein the second one or more volumes are stored on one or more physical disk drives, wherein the virtual machine is configured to bypass the hypervisor to access the second one or more volumes on the one or more physical disk drives.

20. The system of claim 18,

wherein the program instructions are executable by the one or more processors to request the virtual machine to perform said creating the first backup image of the second one or more volumes using the first snapshot.