Consolidated Full Backup of Restored Virtual Machine

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing backup systems redundantly back up all virtual machine data after restoration, including unchanged data already present in the original full backup image, leading to inefficient data transfer and resource consumption.

Innovation Solution

A method that identifies and separates changed data using a changed block tracker, combining it with unchanged data from the original full backup image to create a consolidated full backup, reducing redundant data transfer and optimizing backup operations.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a full backup operation is performed on a restored virtual machine, then all virtual machine data is backed up ensuring complete data protection, but redundant unchanged data is transferred and stored wasting network bandwidth and storage resources

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata protection completenessVSAvoidnetwork bandwidth consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts only the changed data blocks from the virtual machine's virtual disk since the last backup, rather than backing up the entire disk. The changed block tracker identifies and extracts only the modified portions, which are then transferred and stored as the backup set, eliminating redundant data transfer while maintaining complete data protection.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The virtual disk is segmented into individual data blocks, and the backup process operates at the block level rather than treating the entire disk as a single unit. This segmentation allows the system to identify and backup only the specific blocks that have changed, rather than the entire disk image.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Reliability

If a full backup operation is performed on a restored virtual machine, then all virtual machine data is backed up ensuring complete data protection, but redundant unchanged data is transferred and stored wasting network bandwidth and storage resources

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata protection completenessVSAvoidstorage resource consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts only the changed data blocks from the virtual machine's virtual disk since the last backup, rather than backing up the entire disk. The changed block tracker identifies and extracts only the modified portions, which are then transferred and stored as the backup set, eliminating redundant data transfer while maintaining complete data protection.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The virtual disk is segmented into individual data blocks, and the backup process operates at the block level rather than treating the entire disk as a single unit. This segmentation allows the system to identify and backup only the specific blocks that have changed, rather than the entire disk image.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

3Reliability

If a full backup operation is performed on a restored virtual machine, then all virtual machine data is backed up ensuring complete data protection, but the backup operation time is extended due to processing all data including unchanged portions

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata protection completenessVSAvoidbackup operation duration

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The changed block tracker is enabled and runs continuously before the backup operation to monitor and identify changed data blocks. This preliminary tracking ensures that when the backup is initiated, only the already-identified changed blocks need to be processed, transferred, and stored, significantly reducing backup operation time while maintaining complete data protection.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent extracts only the changed data blocks from the virtual machine's virtual disk since the last backup, rather than backing up the entire disk. The changed block tracker identifies and extracts only the modified portions, which are then transferred and stored as the backup set, eliminating redundant data transfer while maintaining complete data protection.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentUS10705917B2Consolidated full backup of a restored virtual machine

Publication Date: 2020.07.07 COHESITY INC

AI summary

Various systems, methods, and processes for optimizing the performance of a consolidated full backup of a restored virtual machine are disclosed. Changed data and metadata associated with the changed data is received from a hypervisor at a backup module. The hypervisor supports a virtual machine, and the virtual machine employs virtual disks. A confirmation is sent to the hypervisor from the backup module indicating that a full backup of the virtual disks has been created.