Virtual Disk Backup via Raw Device Mapping API
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current backup systems for virtual machines lack visibility into virtual disk configurations and relationships, making it difficult for backup servers to effectively backup and restore virtual disks that utilize raw devices, which span multiple physical storage components.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a backup API on the Virtual Machine Manager (VMM) to obtain file system properties and raw device maps, and using a backup agent to facilitate data transfer between source and target storage, enabling the backup server to prepare and monitor the backup process, and restore virtual disks by recreating raw disk device maps and allocating storage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a backup server is used to backup virtual disks, then backup functionality is provided, but the backup server lacks visibility into virtual disk configurations and relationships
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary component (backup agent or virtualization management platform) that sits between the backup server and the virtual disk infrastructure. This intermediary has the capability to detect virtual disk configurations, raw device mappings, and relationships, then relay this information to the backup server, enabling the backup server to perform informed backups without having direct visibility into the complex virtualized storage architecture
Solution Approach 2:
The solution adds a new dimension to the backup architecture by introducing a management layer or API interface that exposes virtual disk metadata and configuration information. This additional dimension allows the backup server to access configuration data without directly interacting with the underlying storage infrastructure, effectively solving the visibility problem through architectural layering
2Adaptability or versatility
If raw device mapping is used to span multiple physical storages, then storage flexibility is improved, but the complexity of backup and recovery increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a logical copy or representation of the complex raw device mapping relationships in the form of metadata, configuration files, or mapping tables. This copied information structure allows the backup system to understand and manage multi-physical-storage configurations without directly dealing with the underlying complexity, enabling simplified backup and recovery operations that work with the abstracted representation rather than the concrete complex infrastructure
Solution Approach 2:
The solution performs preliminary actions by pre-establishing and documenting the relationships between virtual disks and physical storage components through configuration files or metadata. This preliminary mapping information is prepared in advance, allowing the backup and recovery processes to proceed systematically without needing to dynamically discover or figure out the complex relationships during the actual backup or recovery operations
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods are disclosed for performing a backup or restoring one or more virtual disks of a virtual machine (VM) having a universally unique identifier (UUID). A backup API within a virtual machine manager (VMM) on a host can discover virtual disks that are configured for a particular VM. The VMM can use the backup API to communicate with a backup agent on a source storage to discover mappings of virtual disks to portions of storage, including mapping of raw virtual disks to logical units of storage on a storage device or appliance. Backup of the virtual disks can include backing up the VM configuration data and metadata and backing up the raw disk mapping files. Backups can be in accordance with one or more policies stored at the backup server and associated with the virtual machine UUID or associated with an account that the virtual machine, or its user, are associated with.