Database application backup in single snapshot for multiple applications

• US 9,632,874 B2
• Filed: 01/24/2014
• Issued: 04/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CommVault Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: CommVault Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Pawar, Rahul S., Ahn, Jun H., Mutha, Manas Bhikchand, Dornemann, Henry Wallace, Kumar, Anup
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Shahid
• Application Number:
  US14/163,603
• Publication Number:
  US 20150212896A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,187 Days
• Field of Search: 707648, 707649, 707679
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1448 Management of the data involved in backup or backup restore
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1451 by selection of backup contents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1456 Hardware arrangements for backup
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1458 Management of the backup or restore process
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1469 Backup restoration techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/128 Details of file system snapshots on the file-level, e.g. snapshot creation, administration, deletion use of snapshots for error detection or correction G06F11/14, G06F11/16
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/82 Solving problems relating to consistency ensuring consistency in mirrored systems G06F11/2064
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/84 Using snapshots, i.e. a logical point-in-time copy of the data

Abstract

An information management system according to certain aspects may be configured to generate a snapshot of data relating to a plurality of applications. Data generated by the plurality of applications may be stored in a logical volume in primary storage. The system may include a plurality of data agents including a database data agent associated with a database application that can be configured to back up one or more log files of a database log separately from data of the database application. The system may also include a snapshot manager configured to: in response to receiving notifications from the plurality of data agents that the associated applications are in consistent states, obtain a snapshot of the logical volume; generate mapping information between a particular application of the plurality of applications and a portion of the snapshot relating to the particular application; and truncate the database log of the database application.

Claims

1. An information management system configured to generate a snapshot of data relating to a plurality of applications, the system comprising:

a client computing device configured to execute a plurality of data agents, each data agent being associated with at least one of a plurality of applications executing on the client computing device, wherein;

data generated by the plurality of applications is stored in a logical volume in a primary storage subsystem; and

the plurality of data agents comprises at least a database data agent associated with a database application, the database data agent configured to back up one or more log files of a database log of the database application separately from data of the database application; and

a second computing device configured to execute a snapshot manager, the snapshot manager configured to;

detect the plurality of applications executing on the client computing device;

in response to receiving notifications from the plurality of data agents that the associated applications are in consistent states, obtain a snapshot of the logical volume that comprises the data generated by the plurality of applications;

generate mapping information between a particular one of the plurality of applications and a portion of the snapshot relating to the particular one of the plurality of applications, the mapping information comprising database application mapping information between the database application and a portion of the snapshot relating to the database application;

copy the snapshot to a secondary storage subsystem using one or more media agents;

truncate the database log of the database application;

receive an instruction to restore data of the database application from the snapshot in the secondary storage subsystem;

access the database application mapping information;

locate a part of the snapshot corresponding to the data of the database application to be restored based at least in part on the database application mapping information; and

copy the part of the snapshot from the secondary storage subsystem to the primary storage subsystem using one or more media agents.

2. The information management system of claim 1, wherein the one or more log files of the database application are backed up at an interval that is shorter than an interval for obtaining a snapshot of the logical volume.

3. The information management system of claim 1, wherein one or more log files in the secondary storage subsystem are stored separately from the snapshot in the secondary storage subsystem.

4. The information management system of claim 1, wherein the snapshot manager is further configured to truncate the database log of the database application in response to receiving an indication that the obtaining of the snapshot of the logical volume and the copying of the snapshot to the secondary storage subsystem are successful.

5. The information management system of claim 1, wherein the truncation of the database log of the database application makes the one or more log files available for the database application to add new log entries.

6. The information management system of claim 1, wherein the snapshot manager is further configured to

copy at least a portion of one or more log files from the secondary storage subsystem to the primary storage subsystem using one or more media agents.

7. The information management system of claim 6, wherein the snapshot manager is further configured to process the part of the snapshot copied to the primary storage subsystem and the at least a portion of the one or more log files copied to the primary storage subsystem to restore the data of the database application for which the instruction to restore was received.

8. The information management system of claim 7, wherein the snapshot manager is further configured to, as part of the processing of the at least a portion of the one or more log files, form a log chain from the at least a portion of the one or more log files.

9. The information management system of claim 1, wherein:

the client computing device is a virtual machine (VM);

the plurality of applications are executing on the VM;

the logical volume comprises data of the VM;

the snapshot comprises the data of the VM in the logical volume; and

the one or more log files of the database application are backed up separately from the data of the database application.

10. The information management system of claim 1, wherein the snapshot manager is further configured to, as part of the detection of the plurality of applications executing on the client computing device, determine the plurality of data agents executing on the client computing device.

11. A method of generating a snapshot of data relating to a plurality of applications, the method comprising:

detecting a plurality of applications executing on a client computing device, the client computing device configured to execute a plurality of data agents, each data agent being associated with at least one of the plurality of applications executing on the client computing device, wherein;

data generated by the plurality of applications is stored in a logical volume in primary storage subsystem; and

the plurality of data agents comprises at least a database data agent associated with a database application, the database data agent configured to back up one or more log files of a database log of the database application to secondary storage subsystem separately from data of the database application;

sending requests to the plurality of data agents to check whether the associated applications are in consistent states;

in response to receiving notifications from the plurality of data agents that the associated applications are in consistent states, obtaining a snapshot of the logical volume that comprises the data generated by the plurality of applications;

generating mapping information between a particular one of the plurality of applications and a portion of the snapshot relating to the particular one of the plurality of applications, the mapping information comprising database application mapping information between the database application and a portion of the snapshot relating to the database application;

copying the snapshot to the secondary storage subsystem using one or more media agents;

truncating the database log of the database application using a second computing device;

receiving an instruction to restore data of the database application from the snapshot in the secondary storage subsystem;

accessing the database application mapping information;

locating a part of the snapshot corresponding to the data of the database application to be restored based at least in part on the database application mapping information; and

copying the part of the snapshot from the secondary storage subsystem to the primary storage subsystem using one or more media agents.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the one or more log files of the database application are backed up at an interval that is shorter than an interval for obtaining a snapshot of the logical volume.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein one or more log files in the secondary storage subsystem are stored separately from the snapshot in the secondary storage subsystem.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the database log of the database application is truncated in response to receiving an indication that said obtaining a snapshot of the logical volume and said copying the snapshot to the secondary storage subsystem are successful.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein said truncating the database log of the database application makes the one or more log files available for the database application to add new log entries.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising

copying at least a portion of one or more log files from the secondary storage subsystem to the primary storage subsystem using one or more media agents.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising processing the part of the snapshot copied to the primary storage subsystem and the at least a portion of the one or more log files copied to the primary storage subsystem to restore the data of the database application for which the instruction to restore was received.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein processing the at least a portion of the one or more log files comprises forming a log chain from the at least a portion of the one or more log files.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the client computing device is a virtual machine (VM);

the plurality of applications are executing on the VM;

the logical volume comprises data of the VM;

the snapshot comprises the data of the VM in the logical volume; and

the one or more log files of the database application are backed up separately from the data of the database application.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein detecting the plurality of applications executing on the client computing device comprises determining the plurality of data agents executing on the client computing device.