Systems and methods for monitoring application data in a data replication system

• US 7,617,262 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2006
• Issued: 11/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CommVault Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: CommVault Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Ngo, David, Prahlad, Anand
• Primary Examiner(s): To; Baoquoc N
• Application Number:
  US11/640,829
• Publication Number:
  US 20070185939A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,058 Days
• Field of Search: 707/200, 707/202, 707/204
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1734 Details of monitoring file system events, e.g. by the use of hooks, filter drivers, logs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/184 implemented as replicated file system
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99955 Archiving or backup

Abstract

Performing data management operations on replicated data in a computer network. Log entries are generated for data management operations of an application executing on a source system. Consistency point entries are used to indicate a time of a known good, or recoverable, state of the application. A destination system is configured to process a copy of the log and consistency point entries to replicate data in a replication volume, the replicated data being a copy of the application data on the source system. When the replicated data represents a known good state of the application, as determined by the consistency point entries, the destination system(s) may perform a storage operation (e.g., snapshot, backup) to copy the replicated data and to logically associate the copied data with a time information (e.g., time stamp) indicative of the source system time when the application was in the known good state.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring a computer application to perform data replication in a computer network, the method comprising:

detecting data operations sent from a computer application to a file system on a source computer, said data operations operative to write data to a first storage device, wherein the computer application is not a data replication or a data backup application;

populating a first log file with data entries indicative of the data operations sent by the computer application to the file system;

detecting a known good state of the computer application;

quiescing, at the known good state of the computer application, the sending of the data operations from the computer application to the file system; and

inserting in the first log file a marker including time information identifying a time of the known good state of the computer application, wherein the marker indicates a consistency point to a replication system to perform a snapshot of replicated data in the replication system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said quiescing is performed at periodic intervals.

3. The method of claim 2, additionally comprising receiving user input for selecting the periodic intervals.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein a frequency of the periodic intervals is based at least in part on a type of data associated with the computer application.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the periodic intervals are selected automatically.

6. The method of claim 2, additionally comprising determining the periodic intervals based at least in part on an average failure rate of at least one computer in the computer network.

7. The method of claim 2, additionally comprising determining the periodic intervals based at least in part on a load of at least one computer in the computer network.

8. The method of claim 2, additionally comprising determining the periodic intervals based at least in part on an availability of at least one computer in the computer network.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said populating a first log file comprises populating the first log file with data entries from only the computer application.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said quiescing comprises temporarily suspending operation of the computer application.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said quiescing comprises temporarily queuing the data operations without suspending the computer application.

12. A system for generating application data for use in a data replication environment, the system comprising:

a monitor module executing in one or more computer processors, wherein the monitor module is configured to monitor data write operations of a computer application, wherein the computer application is not a data replication or data backup application and to generate first log entries based on the data write operations of the computer application, the monitor module being further configured to quiesce or buffer additional data write operations of the computer application at a known good state of the computer application and to generate a second log entry having a time stamp indicative of a time of the known good state of the computer application; and

at least one log file in communication with the monitor module and configured to store the first and second log entries, wherein the second log entry comprises the time stamp indicative of the time of the know good state of the computer application, and wherein the second log entry indicates a consistency point to a replication system to perform a snapshot of replicated data in the replication system.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the monitor module comprises a filter driver and a data agent module.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the data agent module is configured to issue a command to quiesce the computer application.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the monitor module is application-specific.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein each of the first log entries comprises an identification field, an application-type field and a write-type field.

17. A system for generating application data for use in a data replication environment, the system comprising:

means for detecting with one or more computer processors data operations sent from a computer application to a file system, wherein the computer application is not a data replication or data backup application, said data operations operative to modify data stored on a first storage device;

means for populating a first log file with data entries indicative of the data operations;

means for quiescing, at a known good state of the computer application, the sending of additional data operations from the computer application to the file system; and

means for recording with one or more computer processors a time stamp in the first log file identifying a time of the known good state of the computer application, wherein the time stamp indicates a consistency point to a replication system to perform a snapshot of replicated data in the replication system.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein said means for quiescing is further configured to instruct the computer application to resume sending the additional data operations to the file system.

19. The system of claim 17, further comprising means for receiving input to determine a frequency of quiescing the additional data operations.