Systems and methods for securely storing backup data while facilitating fast failovers

• US 9,372,760 B1
• Filed: 10/19/2012
• Issued: 06/21/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Veritas Technologies, LLC (Whitehouse Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Veritas Technologies, LLC (Whitehouse Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Tsaur, Ynn-Pyng Anker
• Primary Examiner(s): Verbrugge, Kevin
• Assistant Examiner(s): Grullon, Francisco
• Application Number:
  US13/656,536
• Time in Patent Office: 1,341 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/14 Error detection or correction of the data by redundancy in operation G06F11/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1448 Management of the data involved in backup or backup restore
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1458 Management of the backup or restore process
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1658 Data re-synchronization of a redundant component, or initial sync of replacement, additional or spare unit
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2028 eliminating a faulty processor or activating a spare
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2048 where the redundant components share neither address space nor persistent storage
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4401 Bootstrapping security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4406 Loading of operating system
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/00 Network architectures or network communication protocols for network security cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for secret or secure communication H04L9/00; network architectures or network communication protocols for wireless network security H04W12/00; security arrangements for protecting computers or computer systems against unauthorised activity G06F21/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06

Abstract

A computer-implemented method for securely storing backup data while facilitating fast failovers may include 1) identifying, at a primary site, a virtual disk file that includes a backup image, 2) modifying a boot sector within the virtual disk file to add a boot loader that supports reading disks encrypted with whole disk encryption, 3) encrypting the backup image within the virtual disk file, except for at least one decryption area, with whole disk encryption, and 4) storing the virtual disk file at a secondary site after encrypting the backup image within the virtual disk file. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for securely storing backup data while facilitating fast failovers, at least a portion of the method being performed by a computing device comprising at least one processor, the method comprising:

identifying, at a primary site, a virtual disk file that comprises a backup image comprising a backup of a disk at the primary site;

modifying a boot sector within the virtual disk file to add a boot loader, wherein;

the boot loader executes as part of a bootstrapping process;

the boot loader facilitates decrypting disks encrypted with whole disk encryption;

encrypting, at the primary site, the backup image within the virtual disk file, except for at least one decryption area comprising one or more portions of the disk at the primary site used in the bootstrapping process, with whole disk encryption;

storing the virtual disk file at a secondary site after encrypting the backup image within the virtual disk file.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein adding the boot loader comprises adding a boot loader that takes a passcode as input and uses the passcode to decrypt a session key used for decrypting data stored on the disk.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

the backup of the disk at the primary site comprises the backup of the disk of a host system within the primary site;

encrypting the backup image at the primary site comprises encrypting the backup image at a media server at the primary site.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein encrypting with whole disk encryption comprises encrypting all of the disk at the primary site except for the one or more portions of the disk of the primary site used in the bootstrapping process.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising injecting an encryption disk driver into the virtual disk file.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising determining, based on a security standard, that the backup image is to be encrypted before transmitting the backup image outside the primary site;

wherein encrypting the backup image is in response to determining that the backup is to be encrypted based on the security standard.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein identifying the virtual disk file comprises backing up an additional virtual disk file to create the virtual disk file.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein identifying the virtual disk file comprises backing up a physical host system at the primary site to create the backup image.

9. A system for securely storing backup data while facilitating fast failovers, the system comprising:

an identification module, stored in memory, that identifies, at a primary site, a virtual disk file that comprises a backup image comprising a backup of a disk at the primary site;

a modification module, stored in memory, that modifies a boot sector within the virtual disk file to add a boot loader, wherein;

the boot loader executes as part of a bootstrapping process;

the boot loader facilitates decrypting disks encrypted with whole disk encryption;

an encryption module, stored in memory, that encrypts, at the primary site, the backup image within the virtual disk file, except for at least one decryption area comprising one or more portions of the disk at the primary site used in the bootstrapping process, with whole disk encryption;

a storage module, stored in memory, that stores the virtual disk file at a secondary site after encrypting the backup image within the virtual disk file;

at least one processor configured to execute the identification module, the modification module, the encryption module, and the storage module.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein:

the modification module modifies the boot sector to add the boot loader by modifying the boot sector to add a boot loader that takes a passcode as input and uses the passcode to decrypt a session key used for decrypting data stored on the disk.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein:

the backup of the disk at the primary site comprises the backup of the disk of a host system within the primary site;

the encryption module is programmed to encrypt the backup image at a media server at the primary site.

12. The system of claim 9, further comprising a failover module, stored in memory, that:

identifies a failover from the primary site to the secondary site;

in response to the failover, loads the backup image in a virtual machine at the secondary site.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the modification module further injects an encryption disk driver into the virtual disk file.

14. The system of claim 9,

wherein the encryption module further determines, based on a security standard, that the backup image is to be encrypted before transmitting the backup image outside the primary site;

wherein the encryption module encrypts the backup image in response to determining that the backup is to be encrypted based on the security standard.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the identification module identifies the virtual disk file by backing up an additional virtual disk file to create the virtual disk file.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein the identification module identifies the virtual disk file by backing up a physical host system at the primary site to create the backup image.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising one or more computer-executable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a computing device, cause the computing device to:

identify, at a primary site, a virtual disk file that comprises a backup image comprising a backup of a disk at the primary site;

modify a boot sector within the virtual disk file to add a boot loader, wherein;

the boot loader executes as part of a bootstrapping process;

the boot loader facilitates decrypting disks encrypted with whole disk encryption;

encrypt, at the primary site, the backup image within the virtual disk file, except for at least one decryption area comprising one or more portions of the disk at the primary site used in the bootstrapping process, with whole disk encryption;

store the virtual disk file at a secondary site after encrypting the backup image within the virtual disk file.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein:

the one or more computer-executable instructions cause the computing device to add the boot loader by causing the computing device to add a boot loader that takes a passcode as input and uses the passcode to decrypt a session key used for decrypting data stored on the disk.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein:

the backup of the disk at the primary site comprises the backup of the disk of a host system within the primary site;

the one or more computer-executable instructions cause the computing device to encrypt the backup image at the primary site by causing the computing device to encrypt the backup image at a media server at the primary site.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the one or more computer-executable instructions further cause the computing device to:

identify a failover from the primary site to the secondary site;

in response to the failover, load the backup image in a virtual machine at the secondary site.