Systems and methods to identify unprotected virtual machines

• US 9,740,702 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2013
• Issued: 08/22/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CommVault Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: CommVault Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Pawar, Rahul S., Kottomtharayil, Rajiv, Gokhale, Parag, Deshpande, Sumer Dilip, Dornemann, Henry Wallace
• Primary Examiner(s): Beausoliel, Jr., Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ganger, Arthur
• Application Number:
  US13/930,795
• Publication Number:
  US 20140181045A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,516 Days
• Field of Search: 707564
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1451 by selection of backup contents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1458 Management of the backup or restore process
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1461 Backup scheduling policy
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1464 for networked environments
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1484 involving virtual machines
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/13 File access structures, e.g. distributed indices arrangements of input from, or output to, record carriers G06F3/06
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/815 Virtual

Abstract

Virtualization sprawl can lead to virtual machines with no designated periodic backup. If the data associated with these unprotected virtual machines is not backed up, it cannot be restored if needed, leading to system failures. A data storage system identifies and protects the unprotected virtual machines. For instance, the system compares a list of virtual machines with a list of computing devices having a designated backup policy in the data storage system and determines which of the virtual machines are unprotected. The system further automatically categorizes the unprotected virtual machines, identifies those unprotected virtual machines that remain uncategorized, and applies a default backup policy to the uncategorized and unprotected virtual machines to provide protected virtual machines.

Claims

1. A method to identify virtual machine stored storage policies in a data management system, the method comprising:

monitoring a first plurality of client devices that are physical machines that generate primary data stored on one or more primary storage devices;

monitoring a second plurality of client devices that are virtual machines that generate primary data stored on one or more primary storage devices;

directing one or more media agents to perform at least one data protection operation that copies the primary data stored on one or more primary storage devices to create secondary data stored on one or more secondary storage devices, the at least one data protection operation converts the primary data from a native format to secondary data in a backup format wherein the backup format is different than the native format;

determining which of the first and second plurality of client devices are virtual machines, by automatically requesting, with one or more computer processors comprising computer hardware, a first list of virtual machines in a data management system from virtual machine management software;

receiving the first list of the virtual machines in the data management system in response to the request;

during the at least one data protection operation, automatically retrieving, with one or more computer processors, a second list of virtual machines in the data management system from a storage manager, each virtual machine on the second list associated with a stored storage policy of a plurality of stored storage policies contained in a management database, wherein each stored storage policy includes a data structure specifying at least a type of data protection operation;

automatically comparing, with one or more computer processors, the first list with the second list;

automatically identifying, based at least in part on the comparison, and with one or more computer processors, one or more unprotected virtual machines that are not associated with any stored storage policy;

automatically querying, with one or more computer processors, the unprotected virtual machines to obtain characteristics associated with the unprotected virtual machines;

receiving from the unprotected virtual machines, in response to said querying, characteristics by which to associate the at least one virtual machine with a stored storage policy, wherein the characteristics comprise;

a cluster of computing entities to which each of the unprotected virtual machines belong, a location of a datastore associated with each of the unprotected virtual machines, a department to which each of the unprotected virtual machines is assigned, a name of each of the unprotected virtual machines, a quest host name associated with each of the unprotected virtual machines, a resource pool associated with each of the unprotected virtual machines and a type of virtual machine manager associated with each of the unprotected virtual machines;

automatically comparing, with one or more computer processors, the received characteristics of the unprotected virtual machines with pre-defined backup categories associated with the criteria for the different backup policies, wherein each of the pre-defined categories are associated with a stored storage policy of the plurality of stored storage policies;

categorizing one or more matching unprotected virtual machines when the received characteristics match the criteria of the cluster of computing entities, the location of the datastore, the department to which the unprotected virtual machine is assigned, the name of the unprotected virtual machine, the quest host name, the resource pool, and the type of virtual machine manager associated with the stored storage policy;

automatically associating with one or more computer processors, the stored storage policy of one of the pre-defined backup categories with the one or more matching unprotected virtual machines; and

directing the one or media agents during the at least one data protection operation to copy the primary data generated by the matching unprotected virtual machines in the native format to the one or more secondary storage devices in the backup format based on the associated stored storage policy.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the storage manager queries the virtual machine management software for the first list of the virtual machines in the data management system.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the first list of virtual machines in the data management system is stored in a database associated with the virtual machine management software.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the second list of virtual machines is stored in a management database associated with the storage manager.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the unprotected virtual machines are not associated with a backup storage policy.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing a notification of the unprotected virtual machines to a system administrator through a graphical user interface.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising storing an indication of the unprotected virtual machines.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the indication is stored in a management database associated with the storage manager.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the virtual machine management software interfaces with the virtual machines in the data management system to retrieve the characteristics.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the characteristics further comprise a physical server associated with the at least one virtual machine.

11. A system to identify virtual machine backup policies in an information management cell, the system comprising:

a first plurality of client devices that are physical machines that generate primary data stored on one or more primary storage devices;

a second plurality of client devices that are virtual machines that generate primary data stored on one or more primary storage devices;

a storage manager comprising computer hardware including one or more computer processors, the storage manager configured to;

direct one or more media agents to perform at least one data protection operation that copies the primary data stored on one or more primary storage devices to create secondary data stored on one or more secondary storage devices, the at least one data protection operation converts the primary data from a native format to secondary data in a backup format wherein the backup format is different than the native format;

determine which of the first and second plurality of client devices are virtual machines, by automatically requesting a first list of virtual machines in an information management cell from virtual machine management software;

receive the first list of virtual machines in the information management cell in response to the request;

during the at least one data protection operation, automatically retrieve a second list of virtual machines in the information management cell from a storage manager, each virtual machine on the second list associated with a stored storage policy of a plurality of stored storage policies contained in a management database, wherein each stored storage policy includes a data structure specifying at least a type of data protection operation;

automatically compare the first list with the second list;

automatically identify, based at least in part on the comparison, one or more unprotected virtual machines that are not associated with any stored storage policy;

automatically query the unprotected virtual machines to obtain characteristics associated with the unprotected virtual machines;

receive from the unprotected virtual machines, in response to said querying, the characteristics in order to associate the at least one virtual machine with a stored storage policy, wherein the characteristics comprise;

a cluster of computing entities to which each of the unprotected virtual machine belongs, a location of a datastore associated with each of the unprotected virtual machines, a department to which each of the unprotected virtual machines is assigned, a name of the virtual machine, a guest host name associated with each of the unprotected virtual machines, a resource pool associated with each of the unprotected virtual machines and a type of virtual machine manager associated each of the unprotected virtual machines;

automatically compare the received characteristics of the unprotected virtual machines with pre-defined backup categories associated with the criteria for the different backup policies, wherein each of the pre-defined categories are associated with a stored storage policy of the plurality of stored storage policies;

categorize one or more matching unprotected virtual machines into one of the pre-defined backup categories, when the received characteristics match the criteria of the cluster of computing entities, the location of the datastore, the department to which the unprotected virtual machine is assigned, the name of the unprotected virtual machine, the guest host name, the resource pool, and the type of virtual machine manager associated with the stored storage policy;

automatically associate the stored storage policy of one of the pre-defined backup categories with the one or more matching unprotected virtual machines;

direct the one or media agents during the at least one data protection operation to copy the primary data generated by the matching unprotected virtual machines in the native format to the one or more secondary storage devices in the backup format based on the associated stored storage policy.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the storage manager queries the virtual machine management software for the first list of the virtual machines in the information management cell.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein the first list of virtual machines in the information management cell is stored in a database associated with the virtual machine management software.

14. The system of claim 11 wherein the list of computing devices is stored in a management database associated with the storage manager.

15. The system of claim 11 wherein the unprotected virtual machines are not associated with a backup storage policy.

16. The system of claim 11 further comprising providing a notification of the unprotected virtual machines to a system administrator through a graphical user interface.

17. The system of claim 11 wherein the computer-readable instructions are further configured to store an indication of the unprotected virtual machines.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the indication is stored in a management database associated with the storage manager.

19. The system of claim 11 wherein the virtual machine management software interfaces with the virtual machines in the information management cell to retrieve the characteristics.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the characteristics further comprise a physical server associated with the at least one virtual machine.