Efficiently restoring execution of a backed up virtual machine based on coordination with virtual-machine-file-relocation operations
First Claim
1. A system for restoring a virtual machine to execute on a host computing device, based on coordination with a virtual-machine-file-relocation operation, the system comprising:
- the host computing device in communication with a first data storage device;
wherein the host computing device is configured to concurrently execute the virtual machine and the virtual-machine-file-relocation operation,wherein the virtual-machine-file-relocation operation comprises a logical transfer to the first data storage device, based on a relocation sequence, of a copy of data associated with the virtual machine, wherein the copy of data comprises at least one of a configuration file and a virtual disk and is stored in a second data storage device;
a second computing device in communication with the host computing device,wherein the second computing device comprises a media agent and a shared file system mounted to the host computing device, andwherein the shared file system is configured as a recovery point for the virtual machine and as a source of data for the virtual-machine-file-relocation operation;
a third computing device that comprises a data agent;
wherein the data agent is configured to;
(a) instruct the media agent to copy from the copy of data associated with the virtual machine to the second computing device, a first set of data blocks based on a profile of the virtual machine,(b) instruct the media agent to copy from the copy of data associated with the virtual machine to the second computing device, a second set of data blocks based on the relocation sequence of the virtual-machine-file-relocation operation, and(c) instruct the media agent to respond to a read request for a data block issued by the virtual machine on the host computing device by;
(i) if the requested data block is not found on the second computing device, copying the requested data block from the copy of data from the second data storage device to the second computing device, and(ii) transmitting the requested data block from the second computing device in response to the read request; and
wherein each of the computing devices comprises respective one or more hardware processors and computer-readable memory.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The disclosed systems and methods enable a virtual machine, including any applications executing thereon, to quickly start executing and servicing users based on pre-staged data blocks supplied from a backup copy in secondary storage. Substantially concurrently with the ongoing execution of the virtual machine, a virtual-machine-file-relocation operation may move data blocks originating in the backup copy to a primary storage destination that becomes the virtual machine'"'"'s primary data store after the relocation operation completes. An enhanced data agent, operating in conjunction with an enhanced media agent in a storage management system, coordinates restoring of the virtual machine and the launch of the relocation operation. The enhanced media agent may pre-stage certain backed up data blocks which may be needed to launch the virtual machine, based on predictive analysis pertaining to the virtual machine'"'"'s operational profile. The enhanced media agent may also pre-stage backed up data blocks for the relocation operation, based on the operation'"'"'s relocation scheme. Servicing read requests to the virtual machine may take priority over ongoing pre-staging of backed up data. Read requests may be tracked so that the media agent may properly maintain the contents of an associated read cache. Some embodiments of the illustrative storage management system may lack, or may simply not require, the relocation operation, and may operate in a “live mount” configuration.
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Citations
19 Claims
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1. A system for restoring a virtual machine to execute on a host computing device, based on coordination with a virtual-machine-file-relocation operation, the system comprising:
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the host computing device in communication with a first data storage device; wherein the host computing device is configured to concurrently execute the virtual machine and the virtual-machine-file-relocation operation, wherein the virtual-machine-file-relocation operation comprises a logical transfer to the first data storage device, based on a relocation sequence, of a copy of data associated with the virtual machine, wherein the copy of data comprises at least one of a configuration file and a virtual disk and is stored in a second data storage device; a second computing device in communication with the host computing device, wherein the second computing device comprises a media agent and a shared file system mounted to the host computing device, and wherein the shared file system is configured as a recovery point for the virtual machine and as a source of data for the virtual-machine-file-relocation operation; a third computing device that comprises a data agent; wherein the data agent is configured to; (a) instruct the media agent to copy from the copy of data associated with the virtual machine to the second computing device, a first set of data blocks based on a profile of the virtual machine, (b) instruct the media agent to copy from the copy of data associated with the virtual machine to the second computing device, a second set of data blocks based on the relocation sequence of the virtual-machine-file-relocation operation, and (c) instruct the media agent to respond to a read request for a data block issued by the virtual machine on the host computing device by; (i) if the requested data block is not found on the second computing device, copying the requested data block from the copy of data from the second data storage device to the second computing device, and (ii) transmitting the requested data block from the second computing device in response to the read request; and wherein each of the computing devices comprises respective one or more hardware processors and computer-readable memory. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A storage management system for restoring execution of a virtual machine on a host computing device, based on coordination with a virtual-machine-file-relocation operation, the system comprising:
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the host computing device comprising one or more hardware processors and computer-readable memory, and in communication with a first data storage device; a data agent hosted by a first computing device comprising one or more hardware processors and computer-readable memory; a media agent hosted by a second computing device comprising one or more hardware processors and computer-readable memory; wherein the media agent is configured to; determine, based on a profile of the virtual machine received from the data agent prior to execution of the virtual machine by the host computing device, a first set of data blocks to be copied from a backup copy of the virtual machine, wherein the backup copy is stored on a second data storage device in communication with the media agent, and wherein the backup copy comprises at least one of a configuration file and a virtual disk associated with the virtual machine, and copy the first set of data blocks from the backup copy to the second computing device; wherein the host computing device is configured to launch execution of the virtual machine based on the first set of data blocks served by the media agent from the second computing device; and wherein the media agent is further configured to; copy a second set of data blocks from the backup copy to the second computing device, wherein the second set of data blocks is based on a relocation sequence of the virtual-machine-file-relocation operation, which comprises a logical transfer of the backup copy to the first data storage device according to the relocation sequence, and in response to a read request for a data block from the virtual machine;
(i) if the requested data block is not found on the second computing device, copy the requested data block from the backup copy to the second computing device, and (ii) transmit the requested data block from the second computing device to the virtual machine, andwherein while the virtual machine executes on the host computing device prior to the virtual-machine-file-relocation operation, the media agent is configured to respond to the read request at a higher priority than copying the second set of data blocks from the backup copy to the second computing device. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification