Virtual Machine Backup Information Migration Across Data Centers

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Solution Overview

Problem

When a virtual machine is migrated across data centers, the existing backup systems fail to transfer backup information effectively, leading to a loss of protection and inability to restore original backup data, resulting in increased risks of data loss and high costs for reconfiguring backup policies.

Innovation Solution

A method and system for migrating virtual machine backup information by sending a migration trigger message from a first backup server to a second backup server, ensuring that backup data and policies are transferred and updated, allowing continuous backup and restoration capabilities across data centers.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If a virtual machine is migrated from one data center to another, then the virtual machine can utilize new computing resources and improve system flexibility, but the backup protection is lost and data restoration capability is compromised

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvevirtual machine migration capabilityVSAvoidbackup protection continuity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by establishing backup relationships between source and target backup servers before virtual machine migration occurs. The migration trigger message initiates backup information transfer in advance, ensuring that backup protection is already in place before the migration completes, thus preventing any gap in backup coverage.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces a migration trigger message as an intermediary that carries backup server information between the virtual machine migration process and the backup servers. This intermediary enables the coordination between migration and backup systems, allowing backup information to be transferred through the migration trigger message without disrupting either process.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Speed

If backup information is not migrated when a virtual machine moves to a new location, then the migration process remains simple and fast, but the backup data cannot be inherited and restoration is impossible

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemigration speedVSAvoidbackup data inheritance

Core Design Contradiction:

SpeedVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The system extracts only the essential backup information (backup server identification and backup data location) from the complete backup system state and transfers it through the migration trigger message. This selective extraction allows rapid information transfer without copying entire backup datasets, maintaining migration speed while ensuring backup inheritance capability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Ease of operation

If backup information migration is implemented manually after virtual machine migration, then system automation is reduced and operational control is increased, but time is lost and operational efficiency decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemanual backup configuration controlVSAvoidbackup reconfiguration time

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements self-service by automatically initiating backup information migration when a virtual machine migration trigger message is received. The backup servers autonomously exchange migration trigger messages and transfer backup information without human intervention, eliminating the need for manual backup reconfiguration while reducing time loss and maintaining operational efficiency.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

4Reliability

If backup servers are deployed in every data center to ensure local backup protection, then backup reliability is improved, but system complexity and infrastructure costs increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvelocal backup protectionVSAvoidbackup server deployment complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies universality by enabling backup servers to serve multiple data centers through information sharing. A backup server in one data center can provide backup services for virtual machines migrated from other data centers by receiving migration trigger messages and transferring backup information, thus reducing the need for dedicated backup servers in every location while maintaining local backup protection capability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS10678648B2Method, apparatus, and system for migrating virtual machine backup information

Publication Date: 2020.06.09 HUAWEI TECH CO LTD

AI summary

A method, an apparatus, and a system for migrating virtual machine backup information, which implement backup information migration after a virtual machine is migrated. The method includes: receiving, by a first backup server, a migration trigger message, where the migration trigger message carries pre-migration virtual-machine identification information and indication information of a second backup server; determining, by the first backup server, backup information of the virtual machine according to the pre-migration virtual-machine identification information; and sending, by the first backup server, the backup information to the second backup server. Therefore, the migrated virtual machine inherits backup information existing before the migration, such that the migrated virtual machine continues to be protected by backup data existing before the migration, and data of the virtual machine is backed up according to a backup policy existing before the migration.