Live VM Recovery from Non-Native Backups
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Solution Overview
Problem
Public cloud computing environments do not support live mounting and live recovery of virtual machines (VMs) from non-cloud-native backup copies, as they do not allow VMs to boot from external sources or move data from external backup copies to cloud-based virtual disks without full restore operations, leading to delays and downtime during disaster recovery or migration scenarios.
Innovation Solution
A data storage management system enables live mounting and live recovery of VMs by allowing cloud-based VMs to operate from non-cloud-native backup copies stored in proprietary data stores, using a pseudo-disk driver and data mover process to transfer data directly to cloud-based virtual disks, enabling partial operation during restore and minimizing downtime.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a full restore operation is performed to recover a VM from a non-cloud-native backup copy, then the VM can be fully operational in the cloud environment, but the recovery time and downtime are significantly increased
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by creating a temporary VM instance and mounting the backup copy before the full restore is complete. This allows the VM to begin operating in a partially restored state, performing useful work while the remaining restore operations continue in the background, thereby reducing overall recovery time.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of waiting for the complete restore operation before making the VM operational, the system enables partial operation with the portions of the backup copy that have already been restored. The VM can run with available data blocks while remaining restore operations complete, providing earlier service restoration than a traditional full-wait approach.
2Reliability
If cloud-based VMs are restricted to boot only from cloud-native sources, then cloud environment control and security are maintained, but the ability to perform live mounting and live recovery from external backup copies is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces an intermediary component that acts as a bridge between the external backup storage and the cloud VM. This intermediary manages the mounting of backup copies and the transfer of data blocks, enabling external backup recovery while maintaining cloud environment security controls and monitoring.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a universal recovery mechanism that can handle both cloud-native and non-cloud-native backup copies through a common interface. The temporary VM and data mover process can work with backup copies from any source, making the recovery system versatile while maintaining cloud security boundaries.
3Reliability
If data is transferred from external backup copies to cloud-based virtual disks using traditional methods, then data integrity is ensured, but the transfer process requires complete restoration before VM operation can begin
Solution Approach 1:
The system ensures continuity of useful action by allowing the VM to begin operational tasks with the portion of data already restored, while the remaining data transfer continues uninterrupted in the background. This maintains data integrity through controlled transfer processes while ensuring continuous productive work can commence earlier.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary data transfer operations to restore critical data blocks before the VM needs to operate. By prioritizing essential data restoration and enabling partial mounting, the system ensures data integrity for operational needs while preparing the VM for earlier deployment.
Data Source
AI summary
Live mounting a virtual machine (VM) causes the VM to run off a backup copy or snapshot previously taken of a “live” production VM. The live-mounted VM is generally intended for temporary use such as to validate the integrity and contents of the backup copy for disaster recovery validation, or to access some contents of the backup copy from the live-mounted VM without restoring all backed up files. These uses contemplate that changes occurring during live mount are not preserved after the live-mounted VM expires or is taken down. Thus, live mounting a VM is not a restore operation and usually does not involve access to every block of data in the backup copy. However, live mounting provides live VM service in the cloud sooner than waiting for all of the backup copy/snapshot to be restored.