Cloud-based instant volume restore with data source switchover feature

• US 9,092,375 B1
• Filed: 10/24/2011
• Issued: 07/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Veritas Technologies, LLC (Whitehouse Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Symantec Corporation (NortonLifeLock Inc.)
• Inventors: Dalal, Chirag, Syed, Mehtab Ali, Gawade, Makarand
• Primary Examiner(s): Ruiz, Aracelis
• Application Number:
  US13/279,634
• Time in Patent Office: 1,373 Days
• Field of Search: 711/162
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1451 by selection of backup contents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1464 for networked environments
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1466 to make the backup process non-disruptive
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1469 Backup restoration techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/84 Using snapshots, i.e. a logical point-in-time copy of the data

Abstract

Various embodiments of a system and method for restoring a data volume to a client computer system from a backup image are disclosed. A backup image at a remote backup server computer system may first be selected as a data source for the volume. The volume may be “instantly restored” on the client computer system without first requiring all of the data in the remote backup image to be transmitted from the backup server computer system. Instead, a lazy restore technique may be used where volume data is retrieved from the backup image on the backup server computer system as needed. Further embodiments of the system and method may enable the data source for the volume to be switched from the remote backup server computer system to a local data source at a later time.

Claims

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

select a first copy of a backup image stored on a remote server as a data source for a volume on a host computer system;

after selecting the first copy of the backup image as the data source for the volume, receive a first read request requesting a first set of data blocks from the volume;

in response to determining that the first set of data blocks is not stored in the volume, retrieve the first set of data blocks from the first copy of the backup image at the remote server, and store the first set of data blocks in the volume;

while the first copy of the backup image is selected as the data source for the volume, initiate a restore operation to retrieve data blocks that have not yet been requested by a read request from the first copy of the backup image at the remote server and store them in the volume;

halt the restore operation;

after retrieving the first set of data blocks, change the data source for the volume from the first copy of the backup image at the remote server to a second copy of the backup image stored on a local storage device coupled to the host computer system;

after the data source for the volume has been changed to the second copy of the backup image, resume the restore operation to continue retrieving data blocks that have not yet been requested by a read request from the second copy of the backup image on the local storage device and store them in the volume;

after the data source for the volume has been changed to the second copy of the backup image, receive a second read request requesting a second set of data blocks from the volume; and

in response to determining that the second set of data blocks is not stored in the volume, retrieve the second set of data blocks from the second copy of the backup image on the local storage device, and store the second set of data blocks in the volume.

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

wherein the program instructions are executable by the one or more processors to select the first copy of the backup image as the data source for the volume in response to detecting a failure of the volume.

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

place an order for the local storage device on which the second copy of the backup image is stored with a vendor who manages the remote server.

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

return the first set of data blocks in response to the first read request; and

return the second set of data blocks in response to the second read request.

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

wherein the second read request also requests a third set of data blocks from the volume;

wherein the program instructions are further executable by the one or more processors to retrieve the third set of data blocks from the volume in response to determining that the third set of data blocks is already stored in the volume.

6. The non-transitory, computer-accessible storage medium of claim 5,

wherein the third set of data blocks were previously retrieved from the first copy of the backup image at the remote server while the first copy of the backup image was selected as the data source for the volume.

7. The non-transitory, computer-accessible storage medium of claim 5,

wherein the third set of data blocks were previously retrieved from the second copy of the backup image on the local storage device while the second copy of the backup image was selected as the data source for the volume.

8. The non-transitory, computer-accessible storage medium of claim 5,

wherein the third set of data blocks includes a first one or more data blocks that were previously retrieved from the first copy of the backup image at the remote server while the first copy of the backup image was selected as the data source for the volume, and a second one or more data blocks that were previously retrieved from the second copy of the backup image on the local storage device while the second copy of the backup image was selected as the data source for the volume.

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:

after receiving the first read request and before changing the data source for the volume to the second copy of the backup image, receive a third read request requesting one or more data blocks from the volume, wherein the one or more data blocks includes one or more of the first set of data blocks requested by the first read request and one or more additional data blocks;

retrieve the one or more of the first set of data blocks from the volume in response to the third read request; and

in response to determining that the one or more additional data blocks are not stored in the volume, retrieve the one or more additional data blocks from the first copy of the backup image at the remote server, and store the one or more additional data blocks in the volume.

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

wherein the program instructions are executable by the one or more processors to change the data source for the volume to the second copy of the backup image while the volume remains mounted on the host computer system.

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

begin performing the restore operation before the first read request is received; and

pause the restore operation in response to receiving the first read request.

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

display a graphical user interface enabling a user to select the data source for the volume;

perform said changing the data source for the volume from the first copy of the backup image to the second copy of the backup image in response to user input selecting the data source.

13. A host computer system comprising:

one or more processors; and

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

select a first copy of a backup image stored on a remote server as a data source for a volume on the host computer system;

after selecting the first copy of the backup image as the data source for the volume, receive a first read request requesting a first set of data blocks from the volume;

in response to determining that the first set of data blocks is not stored in the volume, retrieve the first set of data blocks from the first copy of the backup image at the remote server, and store the first set of data blocks in the volume;

while the first copy of the backup image is selected as the data source for the volume, initiate a restore operation to retrieve data blocks that have not yet been requested by a read request from the first copy of the backup image at the remote server and store them in the volume;

halt the restore operation;

after retrieving the first set of data blocks, change the data source for the volume from the first copy of the backup image at the remote server to a second copy of the backup image stored on a local storage device coupled to the host computer system;

after the data source for the volume has been changed to the second copy of the backup image, resume the restore operation to continue retrieving data blocks that have not yet been requested by a read request from the second copy of the backup image on the local storage device and store them in the volume;

after the data source for the volume has been changed to the second copy of the backup image, receive a second read request requesting a second set of data blocks from the volume; and

in response to determining that the second set of data blocks is not stored in the volume, retrieve the second set of data blocks from the second copy of the backup image on the local storage device, and store the second set of data blocks in the volume.

14. A method comprising:

executing software on a computer system, wherein executing the software includes the software performing the following;

selecting a first copy of a backup image stored on a remote server as a data source for a volume on a host computer system;

after selecting the first copy of the backup image as the data source for the volume, receiving a first read request requesting a first set of data blocks from the volume;

in response to determining that the first set of data blocks is not stored in the volume, retrieving the first set of data blocks from the first copy of the backup image at the remote server, and storing the first set of data blocks in the volume;

while the first copy of the backup image is selected as the data source for the volume, initiating a restore operation to retrieve data blocks that have not yet been requested by a read request from the first copy of the backup image at the remote server and store them in the volume;

halting the restore operation;

after retrieving the first set of data blocks, changing the data source for the volume from the first copy of the backup image at the remote server to a second copy of the backup image stored on a local storage device coupled to the host computer system;

after the data source for the volume has been changed to the second copy of the backup image, resuming the restore operation to continue retrieving data blocks that have not yet been requested by a read request from the second copy of the backup image on the local storage device and store them in the volume;

after the data source for the volume has been changed to the second copy of the backup image, receiving a second read request requesting a second set of data blocks from the volume; and

in response to determining that the second set of data blocks is not stored in the volume, retrieving the second set of data blocks from the second copy of the backup image on the local storage device, and storing the second set of data blocks in the volume.