Virtual Machine Backup Migration with Change Tracking

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Solution Overview

Problem

Virtual machine backups are time-consuming and require large storage due to the extensive data involved, and are complicated by the ability of virtual machines to migrate or have their underlying storage devices changed.

Innovation Solution

Maintaining a record of changes to virtual machine data and metadata since the last backup, allowing for incremental backups that only copy changed data and snapshots, which can be migrated with the virtual machine to new host devices, ensuring continuous backup support during migration.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If full backups of virtual machine data are performed, then backup completeness is ensured, but backup time and storage space requirements increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebackup completenessVSAvoidbackup time

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The backup system segments virtual machine data into changed and unchanged portions by maintaining change records. Instead of backing up the entire virtual machine image, only the changed segments are identified and backed up, reducing backup time and storage requirements while maintaining completeness through the change tracking mechanism

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary tracking of data changes by maintaining change records that log modifications to virtual machine data since the last backup. This preliminary action enables the system to know exactly what needs to be backed up during the actual backup operation, avoiding unnecessary backup of unchanged data

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If full backups of virtual machine data are performed, then backup completeness is ensured, but storage space requirements increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebackup completenessVSAvoidstorage space

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system discards unchanged data from the backup process by using change records to identify only what has been modified. The change tracking mechanism recovers the information about what changed, allowing the system to backup only necessary data while maintaining the ability to restore complete virtual machine state

Inventive Principle:

Principle #34Discarding and recovering

3Ease of operation

If traditional backup methods are used, then backup simplicity is maintained, but migration capability and adaptability are compromised

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebackup simplicityVSAvoidmigration capability

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The backup system achieves multi-functionality by integrating change tracking, incremental backup, and migration support into a single unified mechanism. The change records and backup infrastructure serve multiple purposes: tracking changes for incremental backups, enabling selective data migration, and maintaining backup integrity across different host devices, thereby achieving adaptability without sacrificing operational simplicity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS8832029B2Incremental virtual machine backup supporting migration

Publication Date: 2014.09.09 MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING LLC

AI summary

A record of changes to virtual machine data of a virtual machine and a record of changes to snapshots of the virtual machine that have been received since the virtual machine was last backed up are maintained. In response to it being time to perform an incremental backup of the virtual machine, a portion of the virtual machine data is backed up based on the record of changes to the virtual machine data, and a portion of the snapshots is backed up based on the record of changes to the snapshots. In response to it being time to migrate the virtual machine to a second host device, the virtual machine data, the record of changes to the virtual machine data, the record of changes to the snapshots, and one or more of the snapshots are migrated to the second host device.