Systems and methods for maintaining a virtual failover volume of a target computing system
First Claim
1. A method for maintaining a virtual failover volume of a target computing system, the method comprising:
- periodically revising a mirror of the target computing system, according to a predetermined backup schedule, the mirror being stored on the virtual failover volume resident on an appliance that is operatively associated with the target computing system, by;
periodically comparing the mirror to a configuration of the target computing system to determine changed data blocks relative to the mirror;
storing the changed data blocks as one or more differential files in the virtual failover volume using a copy-on-write functionality, the one or more differential files being stored separately from the mirror; and
incorporating the changed data blocks into the mirror;
upon the occurrence of a failover event, creating a bootable image file from at least one of the mirror and one or more differential files using a copy-on-write functionality to prevent modification of the one or more differential files; and
booting the bootable image file via a virtual machine on the appliance to create a virtual failover computing system that substantially corresponds to the target computing system at an arbitrary point in time.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Some of the methods provided herein may include periodically revising a mirror of the target computing system, according to a predetermined backup schedule, the mirror being stored on the virtual failover volume resident on an appliance that is operatively associated with the target computing system, by periodically comparing the mirror to a configuration of the target computing system to determine changed data blocks relative to the mirror, storing the changed data blocks as one or more differential files in the virtual failover volume, and incorporating the changed data blocks into the mirror. In some embodiments, the systems and methods may be utilized to resparsify the virtual failover volume.
254 Citations
27 Claims
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1. A method for maintaining a virtual failover volume of a target computing system, the method comprising:
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periodically revising a mirror of the target computing system, according to a predetermined backup schedule, the mirror being stored on the virtual failover volume resident on an appliance that is operatively associated with the target computing system, by; periodically comparing the mirror to a configuration of the target computing system to determine changed data blocks relative to the mirror; storing the changed data blocks as one or more differential files in the virtual failover volume using a copy-on-write functionality, the one or more differential files being stored separately from the mirror; and incorporating the changed data blocks into the mirror; upon the occurrence of a failover event, creating a bootable image file from at least one of the mirror and one or more differential files using a copy-on-write functionality to prevent modification of the one or more differential files; and booting the bootable image file via a virtual machine on the appliance to create a virtual failover computing system that substantially corresponds to the target computing system at an arbitrary point in time. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A system for maintaining a virtual failover volume of a file structure of a target computing system, the system comprising:
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a memory for storing computer readable instructions for maintaining the virtual failover volume of the file structure of a target computing system; and a processor configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory to; periodically revise a mirror of the target computing system, according to a predetermined backup schedule, the mirror being stored on the virtual failover volume resident on an appliance that is operatively associated with the target computing system, by; periodically comparing the mirror to a configuration of the target computing system to determine changed data blocks relative to the mirror; storing the changed data blocks as one or more differential files in the virtual failover volume using a copy-on-write functionality, the one or more differential files being stored separately from the mirror; and incorporating the changed data blocks into the mirror; upon the occurrence of a failover event, create a bootable image file from at least one of the mirror and one or more differential files using a copy-on-write functionality to prevent modification of the one or more differential files; and boot the bootable image file via a virtual machine on the appliance to create a virtual failover computing system that substantially corresponds to the target computing system at an arbitrary point in time. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having a computer program embodied thereon, the computer program executable by a processor in a computing system to perform a method for maintaining a virtual failover volume of a target computing system, the method comprising:
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periodically revising a mirror of the target computing system, according to a predetermined backup schedule, the mirror being stored on the virtual failover volume resident on an appliance that is operatively associated with the target computing system, by; periodically comparing the mirror to a configuration of the target computing system to determine changed data blocks relative to the mirror; storing the changed data blocks as one or more differential files in the virtual failover volume using a copy-on-write functionality, the one or more differential files being stored separately from the mirror; and incorporating the changed data blocks into the mirror; upon the occurrence of a failover event, creating a bootable image file from at least one of the mirror and one or more differential files using a copy-on-write functionality to prevent modification of the one or more differential files; and booting the bootable image file via a virtual machine on the appliance to create a virtual failover computing system that substantially corresponds to the target computing system at an arbitrary point in time.
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27. A method for maintaining a virtual failover volume of a target computing system, the method comprising:
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periodically revising a mirror of the target computing system according to a predetermined backup schedule, the mirror being stored on the virtual failover volume resident on an appliance that is operatively associated with the target computing system; periodically updating a revisable differential file by; comparing a configuration of the target computing system to at least one of the mirror and the revisable differential file to determine changed data blocks relative to at least one of the mirror and the revisable differential file; and incorporating the changed data blocks into the revisable differential file using a copy-on-write functionality, the revisable differential file being stored separately from the mirror; creating a bootable image file that substantially corresponds to the configuration of the target computing system upon the occurrence of a failover event by combining data blocks of the revisable differential file with a current mirror using a copy-on-write functionality to prevent modification of the one or more differential files; and booting the bootable image file via a virtual machine on the appliance to create a virtual failover computing system that substantially corresponds to the configuration of the target computing system at a point in time immediately before the failover event.
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Specification