Cloneless Snapshot Reversion via Abandoned Flags

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Solution Overview

Problem

In software-defined data centers, reverting to a past snapshot while preserving intervening snapshots is computationally expensive due to the complexity of snapshot trees and the need for cloning, which leads to performance degradation.

Innovation Solution

A method that allows reversion to a past snapshot without creating clones or altering the snapshot tree height, by adding a flag to the snapshot map to indicate abandoned snapshots, allowing new snapshots to be created at the end of the chain and marking intervening snapshots as abandoned, thus avoiding the need for cloning and reducing computational complexity.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of information

If a clone of the previous version is created to avoid loss of intervening state during reversion, then data preservation is improved, but computational cost increases and performance degrades

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepreservation of intervening snapshot dataVSAvoidreversion operation performance

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the intervention snapshot data from the reversion process by introducing a separate flag field in the snapshot map to mark abandoned snapshots. This allows the system to preserve intervening data without incorporating it into the reversion clone, thereby maintaining data preservation while avoiding the computational cost of full cloning.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of creating a clone to preserve data (traditional approach), the patent inverts the approach by using flags to mark and exclude specific snapshots from the reversion chain. This inversion eliminates the need for cloning while still achieving data preservation through selective inclusion/exclusion mechanisms.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

2Reliability

If cloning is used to preserve intervening snapshots during reversion, then data integrity is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata integrity during reversionVSAvoidsnapshot tree structure complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the snapshot management process by introducing a dedicated flag field within the snapshot map structure. This segmentation allows the system to handle snapshot preservation through a simple boolean indicator rather than complex cloning operations, thereby maintaining data integrity while reducing structural complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

3Loss of information

If clone levels are increased to preserve more snapshots, then data preservation capability is improved, but computational overhead increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenumber of preserved snapshotsVSAvoidcomputational overhead for snapshot management

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the parameter approach from creating multiple clone levels to using a flag field in the snapshot map. This parameter change allows the system to preserve any number of snapshots without increasing computational overhead, as the flag mechanism provides constant-time snapshot identification and management regardless of the number of preserved snapshots.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentUS11822950B2Cloneless snapshot reversion

Publication Date: 2023.11.21 VMWARE INC

AI summary

The present disclosure is related to methods, systems, and machine-readable media for cloneless snapshot reversion. A request can be received to revert to a past snapshot of a virtual computing instance in a snapshot chain of a snapshot tree provided by a software defined data center. A live snapshot can be created at an end of the snapshot chain comprising the past snapshot. An intervening snapshot in the snapshot chain can be indicated as abandoned in a snapshot map associated with the snapshot tree based on the reversion.