Archived Snapshot Data Recovery via Mapping Files
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Solution Overview
Problem
Virtualization technologies pose challenges in data management due to higher workload consolidation and the need for instant, granular recovery in virtualized infrastructures, particularly in disaster recovery scenarios where traditional methods are inadequate for efficiently restoring virtual machines and files.
Innovation Solution
An integrated data management and storage system that utilizes snapshot mapping files to efficiently download and reconstruct archived snapshot data from a cloud or archival data store, allowing for reduced data transfer and storage costs, and enabling near-instantaneous recovery of virtual machines and files by using a distributed cluster with deduplication, compression, and replication across multiple nodes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If traditional backup methods are used for virtual machines, then data can be stored, but recovery time is too long and data transfer costs are high
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments virtual machine backup data into immutable backup blocks that can be independently stored and retrieved. Each backup block represents a discrete unit of virtual machine data that can be quickly recovered without requiring full system restoration, thereby reducing recovery time while maintaining data integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-processing virtual machine data into immutable backup blocks during normal operation and storing them in advance. This preliminary segmentation and storage of data blocks enables rapid recovery operations when disasters occur, eliminating the need for time-consuming data reconstruction during recovery.
2Reliability
If complete virtual machine images are archived, then full recovery capability is achieved, but storage costs and data transfer requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential immutable backup blocks from complete virtual machine images for archival storage. By separating and storing only the critical immutable data blocks rather than entire virtual machine images, the system achieves reliable disaster recovery capability while significantly reducing storage volume and data transfer requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies local quality by storing different types of data blocks with different retention policies. Immutable backup blocks that are essential for disaster recovery are preserved indefinitely in archival storage, while other data can be overwritten or deleted, optimizing storage resource allocation while maintaining recovery reliability.
3Stability of the object's composition
If data is archived in immutable blocks, then data integrity is maintained, but data retrieval and reconstruction complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates simplified copies of backup block location information in catalog files that map immutable backup blocks to their original virtual machine contexts. These catalog copies enable straightforward data retrieval and reconstruction by providing direct references to the required backup blocks, eliminating the need for complex reconstruction algorithms while maintaining data integrity through immutable storage.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and systems for efficiently downloading archived snapshot data from the cloud or from an archival data store are described. In a disaster recovery scenario in which an entire storage appliance for backing up different point in time versions of a virtual machine has failed (e.g., due to a fire), archived snapshot data for the different point in time versions may be acquired by a second storage appliance from an archival data store (e.g., cloud-based data storage) using one or more snapshot mapping files. A snapshot mapping file may include pointers to a plurality of data blocks within the archival data store for generating a full image snapshot associated with a particular point in time version of the virtual machine. The plurality of data blocks may comprise the minimum number of data blocks necessary to construct the particular point in time version of the virtual machine.