Dynamic Proxy Server for Virtual Machine Backup
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Solution Overview
Problem
The backup process of virtual machine systems often consumes valuable resources, slowing down the virtual machine and hindering its ability to service clients, due to the need to collect, deduplicate, and process data while the system is running, leading to inefficiencies and increased network traffic.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a dynamic proxy server system that can be either physical or virtual, located at the backup target system, to manage and process backup data, reducing the load on the virtual machine system and optimizing resource utilization by deduplicating and compressing data in real-time, thereby minimizing the impact on the virtual machine and IT infrastructure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the backup process is executed by the virtual machine system itself, then the backup can be performed, but the resources of the virtual machine system are consumed and its performance is slowed down
Solution Approach 1:
The backup processing functions (data collection, deduplication, compression) are extracted from the virtual machine system and performed by an external proxy server. This separates the backup workload from the virtual machine system, allowing the VM to maintain full performance while backups are executed externally.
Solution Approach 2:
A proxy server is introduced as an intermediary component between the virtual machine system and the backup target. This mediator handles all resource-intensive backup operations, acting as a buffer that protects the virtual machine system from performance degradation while enabling reliable backup functionality.
2Productivity
If a physical proxy server is used to handle backup processing, then the virtual machine system resources are freed, but the device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The proxy server is designed to perform multiple functions: data collection from virtual machines, deduplication processing, compression, and communication with the backup target. By consolidating these functions into a single multi-functional component, the system avoids the complexity of separate dedicated devices for each function.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of requiring a separate physical proxy server hardware device, the system uses a virtualized proxy server that can be implemented as software running on existing infrastructure. This virtual copy provides the same functional capabilities without the cost and complexity of additional physical hardware.
3Device complexity
If backup data is transferred directly from the virtual machine system to the backup target, then the process is simple, but network traffic and bandwidth consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The proxy server performs deduplication and compression operations on backup data before it is transferred to the backup target. By preprocessing the data in advance, the system reduces the volume of data that needs to be transmitted over the network, thereby reducing bandwidth consumption and transmission time.
Data Source
AI summary
A computer-implemented proxy server local to a backup target system performs a backup method for a system supporting a plurality of virtual machines. The backup method includes receiving an initialization of a connection over a network from a backup server identifying the system to backup to the backup target system, establishing a communication connection over the network with the system to backup including identifying an interface for accessing data of the system to backup, receiving an image of the system to backup from the backup server, retrieving a data set corresponding to the image from the system to backup over the network, and writing the data set to a local file in the backup target system.