Snapshot Chain Partitioning for VM Backup
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Solution Overview
Problem
The performance of data storage operations, such as consolidation and rebasing, is hindered by large full image snapshots, especially when disk space is limited, and existing snapshot chain management systems struggle with high storage utilization and efficient recovery mechanisms in virtualized environments.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a system that partitions data into multiple snapshot chains with each chain having a full image snapshot and incremental snapshots, allowing for staggered acquisition and generation of additional full image snapshots to control chain lengths, thereby improving performance and reducing storage costs by limiting the number of incremental snapshots and optimizing disk usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If full image snapshots are stored frequently to ensure data recovery capability, then reliability of recovery is improved, but storage space consumption increases and performance of storage operations deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the snapshot chain into multiple sub-chains, where each sub-chain contains a limited number of incremental snapshots (e.g., 5-10) followed by a full image snapshot. This segmentation prevents any single sub-chain from consuming excessive storage space while maintaining recovery capability through the distributed full images across sub-chains.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements nested snapshot chains where sub-chains are nested within a parent snapshot chain. Each sub-chain contains incremental snapshots that reference a full image, and multiple sub-chains reference different full images. This nested structure allows efficient storage by reusing base images across sub-chains while maintaining comprehensive recovery points.
2Quantity of substance
If incremental snapshots are retained in long chains to maximize storage efficiency, then storage efficiency is improved, but performance of consolidation and rebasing operations deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
By dividing the snapshot chain into sub-chains with limited lengths (e.g., 5-10 incremental snapshots each), the patent ensures that consolidation and rebasing operations only need to process a small number of incremental snapshots per sub-chain rather than traversing entire long chains. This segmentation dramatically improves operation performance while maintaining storage efficiency through the nested structure.
3Volume of stationary object
If snapshot chain length is increased to reduce number of full images, then storage requirements are reduced, but recovery time and computational overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the recovery process into parallel operations across multiple sub-chains. Since each sub-chain contains only a limited number of incremental snapshots (e.g., 5-10), recovery time for any individual sub-chain is minimized. The segmented structure allows parallel processing during recovery operations, reducing overall recovery time compared to traversing a single long chain.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary actions by pre-organizing snapshots into sub-chains with controlled lengths and pre-computing necessary metadata for each sub-chain. This preliminary organization enables faster recovery operations as the system doesn't need to dynamically traverse and process entire long chains during recovery, but can directly access and apply the limited incremental snapshots in each sub-chain.
4Volume of stationary object
If disk space is limited and full image snapshots are reduced in frequency, then storage costs are reduced, but performance of storage operations and recovery capability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The nested snapshot chain structure allows multiple sub-chains to share common base images and incremental snapshots at different levels of the hierarchy. This nesting enables the system to reduce the total number of full images stored (lowering storage costs) while maintaining performance because operations can work with smaller sub-chain segments rather than entire chains, and recovery capability is preserved through the distributed full images in the nested structure.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and systems for backing up and restoring different point in time versions of a virtual machine, a real machine, an application, a database, or a set of electronic files using a plurality of independently managed snapshot chains are described. The different point in time versions of the data being backed-up may be stored using two or more snapshot chains corresponding with two or more data partitions of the data being backed-up. Over time, additional full image snapshots may be acquired from an external server or generated locally by a storage appliance to limit the snapshot chain lengths and to limit the aggregate block chain lengths for the snapshot chains. Acquisition and generation of the additional full image snapshots may be staggered across different data partitions to limit computational and storage costs per snapshot.