Virtual machine fault tolerance

• US 9,990,257 B2
• Filed: 09/07/2015
• Issued: 06/05/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
• Original Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
• Inventors: Forgette, Eric Paul, Kenchammana-Hosekote, Deepak, Gaonkar, Shravan, Lent, Arthur Franklin
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Kamini B
• Application Number:
  US14/846,955
• Publication Number:
  US 20150378850A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,002 Days
• Field of Search: 714 411, 714 41
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1435 using file system or storage system metadata
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1451 by selection of backup contents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1469 Backup restoration techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1471 involving logging of persistent data for recovery
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1484 involving virtual machines
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/203 using migration
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2035 without idle spare hardware
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2048 where the redundant components share neither address space nor persistent storage
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/815 Virtual middleware or OS functionality using virtual machines to implement generic software techniques for error detection or fault masking G06F11/1484
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/84 Using snapshots, i.e. a logical point-in-time copy of the data

Abstract

One or more techniques and/or systems are provided for hosting a virtual machine from a snapshot. In particular, a snapshot of a virtual machine hosted on a primary computing device may be created. The virtual machine may be hosted on a secondary computing device using the snapshot, for example, when a failure of the virtual machine on the primary computing device occurs. If a virtual machine type (format) of the snapshot is not supported by the secondary computing device, then the virtual machine within the snapshot may be converted to a virtual machine type supported by the secondary computing device. In this way, the virtual machine may be operable and/or accessible on the secondary computing device despite the failure. Hosting the virtual machine on the secondary computing device provides, among other things, fault tolerance for the virtual machine and/or applications comprised therein.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

aggregating a first snapshot of a virtual machine and a second snapshot of the virtual machine to create a snapshot of the virtual machine;

determining that a primary virtual machine type of the snapshot is not supported by a computing device;

converting the snapshot from the primary virtual machine type to a secondary virtual machine type supported by the computing device to create a converted snapshot; and

hosting the virtual machine on the computing device based upon the converted snapshot.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the hosting comprises:

hosting the virtual machine as an aggregate of the first snapshot and the second snapshot based upon the converted snapshot.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the aggregating comprises:

consolidating first virtual machine data within the first snapshot and second virtual machine data within the second snapshot to create the snapshot.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the hosting comprises:

creating a new snapshot of the virtual machine hosted on the computing device.

5. The method of claim 4, comprising:

to determining that a second computing device is available to host the virtual machine; and

hosting the virtual machine on the second computing device based upon the new snapshot from the computing device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the hosting the virtual machine on the second computing device comprises:

determining that the secondary virtual machine type of the new snapshot is not supported by the second computing device; and

converting the new snapshot from the secondary virtual machine type to the primary virtual machine type supported by the second computing device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first snapshot and the second snapshot are created based upon a backup scheme for the virtual machine.

8. The method of claim 1, comprising:

determining that the snapshot is of the virtual machine while in an on state.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the converting comprises:

hosting the virtual machine, in the on state, within a virtual machine host software environment using the snapshot, the virtual machine host software environment configured to support the primary virtual machine type;

shutting down the on state of the virtual machine to an off state;

converting the virtual machine in the off state from the primary virtual machine type to the secondary virtual machine type; and

hosting the virtual machine, converted to the secondary virtual machine type, on the computing device.

10. The method of claim 9, the virtual machine host software environment hosted by the computing device.

11. The method of claim 9, the virtual machine host software environment hosted by a second computing device different than the computing device.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the converting comprises:

determining that the snapshot corresponds to a snapshot of the virtual machine while in an off state;

converting the virtual machine in the off state from the primary virtual machine type to the secondary virtual machine type; and

hosting the virtual machine, converted to the secondary virtual machine type, on the computing device.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the hosting comprises:

determining that an application accesses data hosted by the virtual machine; and

providing the application with access to the virtual machine hosted on the computing device.

14. A computing device, comprising:

a memory having stored thereon instructions for performing a method; and

a processor coupled to the memory, the processor configured to execute the instructions to cause the processor to;

aggregate a first snapshot of a virtual machine and a second snapshot of the virtual machine to create a snapshot of the virtual machine;

determine that a primary virtual machine type of the snapshot is not supported by a computing device;

convert the snapshot from the primary virtual machine type to a secondary virtual machine type supported by the computing device to create a converted snapshot; and

host the virtual machine on the computing device based upon the converted snapshot.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the instructions cause the processor to:

consolidate first virtual machine data within the first snapshot and second virtual machine data within the second snapshot to create the snapshot.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the instructions cause the processor to:

host the virtual machine as an aggregate of the first snapshot and the second snapshot based upon the converted snapshot.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the instructions cause the processor to:

create a new snapshot of the virtual machine hosted on the computing device.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the instructions cause the processor to:

determine that a second computing device is available to host the virtual machine; and

host the virtual machine on the second computing device based upon the new snapshot from the computing device.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the instructions cause the processor to:

determine that an application accesses data hosted by the virtual machine; and

provide the application with access to the virtual machine hosted on the computing device.

20. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions for performing a method, which when executed by a machine, causes the machine to:

aggregate a first snapshot of a virtual machine and a second snapshot of the virtual machine to create a snapshot of the virtual machine;

determine that a primary virtual machine type of the snapshot is not supported by a computing device;

convert the snapshot from the primary virtual machine type to a secondary virtual machine type supported by the computing device to create a converted snapshot; and

host the virtual machine on the computing device based upon the converted snapshot.