Method and system for implementing consistency groups with virtual machines

• US 9,069,708 B2
• Filed: 12/27/2012
• Issued: 06/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nutanix Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Nutanix Incorporated
• Inventors: Gill, Binny Sher, Byrne, Brian, Aron, Mohit
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, DIEU MINH T
• Application Number:
  US13/728,403
• Publication Number:
  US 20140189429A1
• Time in Patent Office: 915 Days
• Field of Search: 714/2, 714/15, 714/18, 714/19, 714/20
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1438 Restarting or rejuvenating
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1458 Management of the backup or restore process
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1484 involving virtual machines
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/202 where processing functionality is redundant redundant communication control functionality G06F11/2005, redundant storage control functionality G06F11/2089
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2365 Ensuring data consistency and integrity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45575 Starting, stopping, suspending or resuming virtual machine instances
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/82 Solving problems relating to consistency ensuring consistency in mirrored systems G06F11/2064
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/825 the problem or solution involving locking
• 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

Disclosed is an approach for implementing disaster recovery for virtual machines. Consistency groups are implemented for virtual machines, where the consistency group link together two or more VMs. The consistency group includes any set of VMs which need to be managed on a consistent basis in the event of a disaster recovery scenario.

Claims

1. A method for implementing a consistency group, comprising:

locking resources associated with the members of a consistency group, wherein the members of the consistency group comprises a group of related virtual machines;

generating a snapshot of the resources associated with the members of the consistency group; and

releasing locks on the resource after the snapshot has been generated.

2. The method of claim 1, in which an application associated with the resources does not have a native functionality to generate the snapshot.

3. The method of claim 1, in which an application associated with the resources is not modified to include functionality to implement the consistency group.

4. The method of claim 1, in which the snapshot comprises a copy of one or more virtual disks associated with the resources.

5. The method of claim 4, in which the snapshot comprises identification of one or more identifier numbers associated with the copy of the one or more virtual disks associated with the resources.

6. The method of claim 4, in which copy-on-write functionality is used to create the copy of the one or more virtual disks associated with the resources, wherein the one or more identifier numbers is incremented upon making the copy.

7. The method of claim 1, in which metadata is maintained to track membership in the consistency group.

8. The method of claim 1, in which the snapshot is generated at a time period using at least one of:

a regular basis or an ad hoc basis.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying the consistency group to restore;

identifying the snapshot for the consistency group; and

initiating the group of related virtual machines using the snapshot.

10. The method of claim 9, in which the snapshot is associated with the group of related virtual machines.

11. The method of claim 1, in which disaster recovery is performed.

12. A system for implementing a consistency group, comprising:

a processor;

a memory for holding programmable code; and

wherein the programmable code includes instructions for locking resources associated with the members of a consistency group, wherein the members of the consistency group comprises a group of related virtual machines;

generating a snapshot of the resources associated with the members of the consistency group; and

releasing locks on the resource after the snapshot has been generated.

13. The system of claim 12, in which an application associated with the resources does not have a native functionality to generate the snapshot.

14. The system of claim 12, in which an application associated with the resources is not modified to include functionality to implement the consistency group.

15. The system of claim 12, in which the snapshot comprises a copy of one or more virtual disks associated with the resources.

16. The system of claim 15, in which the snapshot comprises identification of one or more identifier numbers associated with the copy of the one or more virtual disks associated with the resources.

17. The system of claim 15, in which copy-on-write functionality is used to create the copy of the one or more virtual disks associated with the resources, wherein the one or more identifier numbers is incremented upon making the copy.

18. The system of claim 12, in which metadata is maintained to track membership in the consistency group.

19. The system of claim 12, in which the snapshot is generated at a time period using at least one of:

a regular basis or an ad hoc basis.

20. The system of claim 12, further comprising instructions for identifying the consistency group to restore, identifying the snapshot for the consistency group, and initiating the group of related virtual machines using the snapshot.

21. The system of claim 20, in which the snapshot is associated with the group of related virtual machines.

22. The system of claim 12, in which the system performs disaster recovery.

23. A non-transitory computer program product embodied on a computer usable medium, the computer readable medium having stored thereon a sequence of instructions which, when executed by a processor causes the processor to execute a method for implementing a consistency group, the method comprising:

locking resources associated with the members of a consistency group, wherein the members of the consistency group comprises a group of related virtual machines;

generating a snapshot of the resources associated with the members of the consistency group; and

releasing locks on the resource after the snapshot has been generated.

24. The computer program product of claim 23, in which an application associated with the resources does not have a native functionality to generate the snapshot.

25. The computer program product of claim 23, in which an application associated with the resources is not modified to include functionality to implement the consistency group.

26. The computer program product of claim 23, in which the snapshot comprises a copy of one or more virtual disks associated with the resources.

27. The computer program product of claim 26, in which the snapshot comprises identification of one or more identifier numbers associated with the copy of the one or more virtual disks associated with the resources.

28. The computer program product of claim 26, in which copy-on-write functionality is used to create the copy of the one or more virtual disks associated with the resources, wherein the one or more identifier numbers is incremented upon making the copy.

29. The computer program product of claim 23, in which metadata is maintained to track membership in the consistency group.

30. The computer program product of claim 23, in which the snapshot is generated at a time period using at least one of:

a regular basis or an ad hoc basis.

31. The computer program product of claim 23, further comprising:

identifying the consistency group to restore;

identifying the snapshot for the consistency group; and

initiating the group of related virtual machines using the snapshot.

32. The computer program product of claim 31, in which the snapshot is associated with the group of related virtual machines.

33. The computer program product of claim 23, in which disaster recovery is performed.

34. A method for restoring a consistency group, comprising:

identifying a consistency group to restore to implement disaster recovery, wherein the consistency group comprises a group of related virtual machines;

identifying a snapshot associated with the consistency group; and

using the snapshot to bring up the virtual machines in the consistency group in a consistent manner.

35. A system for restoring a consistency group, comprising:

a processor;

a memory for holding programmable code; and

wherein the programmable code includes instructions for identifying a consistency group to restore to implement disaster recovery, wherein the consistency group comprises a group of related virtual machines;

identifying a snapshot associated with the consistency group; and

using the snapshot to bring up the virtual machines in the consistency group in a consistent manner.

36. A non-transitory computer program product embodied on a computer usable medium, the computer readable medium having stored thereon a sequence of instructions which, when executed by a processor causes the processor to execute a method for restoring a consistency group, the method comprising:

identifying a consistency group to restore to implement disaster recovery, wherein the consistency group comprises a group of related virtual machines;

identifying a snapshot associated with the consistency group; and

using the snapshot to bring up the virtual machines in the consistency group in a consistent manner.