Virtual Machine Backup Appliance with Segmented Storage
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing virtual machine backup tools are limited by potential corruption of backup copies and restricted storage capacity, leading to loss of data and limited concurrent data protection tasks.
Innovation Solution
A virtual machine backup appliance creates and stores backup copies based on a schedule, generates clone copies periodically, and stores them on external nodes like disks and tapes, while also creating disaster recovery copies at regular intervals, allowing for restoration from available copies depending on their creation time.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If backup copies are stored on the same storage system as the virtual machine, then backup operations are simpler and faster, but the backup copies can be corrupted along with the virtual machine data
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the storage architecture by separating backup copies from the virtual machine data storage. The backup appliance creates independent backup copies that are stored separately from the virtual machine's original data, ensuring that corruption of one does not affect the other. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by prioritizing reliability through physical separation while managing complexity through a dedicated backup appliance.
Solution Approach 2:
The backup appliance serves as an intermediary between the virtual machine and the storage system. It receives data from the virtual machine, processes it into backup copies, and stores them on external storage media. This intermediary approach allows simple backup operations while maintaining storage separation, resolving the contradiction between operational simplicity and data isolation.
2Reliability
If multiple backup copies are maintained to prevent data loss, then data protection reliability improves, but storage capacity requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The backup appliance performs preliminary actions by creating backup copies at scheduled intervals before data corruption or loss occurs. It maintains multiple copies (full backups and incremental backups) in advance, ensuring that when data loss is detected, restoration can proceed immediately without requiring additional storage operations. This preliminary backup strategy balances reliability needs with storage capacity constraints.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by differentiating the storage requirements for different backup types. Full backups are stored on external storage media with higher reliability requirements, while incremental backups are stored locally with standard capacity requirements. This differentiated storage approach optimizes the balance between maintaining multiple copies for reliability and managing storage capacity efficiently.
3Reliability
If backup operations are performed continuously to ensure data protection, then data loss is minimized, but system performance and productivity are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The backup appliance operates periodically rather than continuously, creating backup copies at scheduled intervals. This periodic action allows the virtual machine to maintain full system performance during normal operations while ensuring data protection through regular backup cycles. The backup appliance can be configured to operate during off-peak hours or in background processes, minimizing impact on overall system productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The backup function is extracted from the virtual machine's primary operations and performed by a dedicated backup appliance. This extraction allows backup operations to occur independently without affecting the virtual machine's performance. The backup appliance handles all backup tasks externally, ensuring that data protection reliability is maintained while system productivity is preserved during normal virtual machine operations.
4Adaptability or versatility
If clone copies are created from backup copies, then restoration flexibility improves, but the time required for backup operations increases
Solution Approach 1:
The backup appliance creates clone copies as preliminary actions during the backup process itself. By generating clone copies from backup copies in advance, the system prepares multiple restoration options before they are needed, reducing the time required when actual restoration operations must be performed. This preliminary creation of clone copies balances restoration flexibility with backup operation time.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses copying to create clone copies from backup copies, enabling multiple restoration scenarios without requiring separate data collection operations. The clone copies are created efficiently through copying existing backup data, providing restoration flexibility while minimizing the time added to backup operations. This copying approach allows the system to maintain multiple restoration options without proportionally increasing backup time.
Data Source
AI summary
Virtual machine backup is described. A backup copy is created of a data set associated with a virtual machine based on a backup schedule. A clone copy is created of the backup copy based on a clone schedule. The clone copy is stored on an external destination node including a disk and/or a tape. A disaster recovery copy may be created of the backup copy and metadata associated with the backup copy based on a checkpoint at an interval. A request to restore the data set may be received. The data set may be restored based on the backup copy, the clone copy, or the disaster recovery copy.