Data Protection Server Backup Virtual Machines
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for an effective method and system to back up and restore data for virtual machines, particularly when they are used as servers, as existing solutions do not adequately address the complexities of data management across multiple operating systems and environments.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that utilizes a directory service or an agent installed on the host operating system to monitor changes in protected volumes of virtual machines, periodically sending these changes to a data protection server, which updates replicas and allows for the restoration of file versions to the virtual machine or another machine.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If virtual machines are used to host multiple operating systems and applications, then system versatility and resource utilization are improved, but data management complexity and backup difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a data protection server as an intermediary component that specializes in handling backup operations for virtual machines. This mediator handles the complexity of data protection across multiple OS and applications, allowing the virtualization system to maintain versatility while offloading backup complexity to a dedicated component.
Solution Approach 2:
The data protection server is designed with multi-functional capabilities to handle diverse backup scenarios across different operating systems and virtual machine configurations. It provides universal backup, restore, and shadow copy functions that work across heterogeneous environments, reducing the need for separate solutions for each OS or application type.
2Reliability
If data is backed up to a data protection server, then data reliability and recoverability are improved, but network bandwidth consumption and backup time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements periodic shadow copy operations that create incremental backups at scheduled intervals rather than continuous full backups. This periodic approach ensures data reliability through regular snapshots while minimizing network bandwidth consumption and backup time by only transferring changed data blocks between periods.
Solution Approach 2:
The data protection server performs preliminary data processing and compression before network transmission, and pre-allocates storage resources on the server. This preliminary preparation reduces the actual backup time and network bandwidth requirements during the critical data transfer phase, while maintaining complete data reliability through verified transfers.
3Speed
If shadow copies are created for rapid data recovery, then restore speed is improved, but storage space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates shadow copies only for the portions of data that have changed since the last backup, rather than duplicating entire volumes. This partial copying approach enables rapid restore of recent changes while consuming minimal additional storage space, achieving fast recovery without excessive storage overhead.
Solution Approach 2:
Shadow copies are implemented as nested differential layers within the backup hierarchy, where each shadow copy contains only the changes since its parent backup. This nested structure allows rapid restoration by applying only the necessary differential layers while maintaining compact storage, as smaller differential copies are stored within the overall backup structure.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and system for backing up and restoring data of virtual machines. A virtual machine may be discovered through a directory service or via an agent that is installed on the host operating system that is running the virtual machine. If the agent is installed on the virtual machine, the agent monitors changes to a set of protected volumes on the virtual machine. If the agent is installed on the host, the agent monitors changes to the protected volumes, which may contain one or more virtual servers on the host. Periodically, these changes from the host or the virtual server are sent to a data protection server. The data protection server updates its replicas of protected volumes with the sent changes. Versions of files on a data protection server corresponding to a volume of a virtual server may be restored to the virtual machine, to another machine, or may be viewed from the data protection server.