Virtual Machine Disaster Recovery via Deduplicated Block Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for protecting data in virtualized computing environments are inefficient and resource-intensive, particularly as the amount of data to be backed up or restored increases, due to the time and resources required for conventional data protection methods.
Innovation Solution
The use of a virtual environment manager and a deduplicated data repository to take snapshots of virtual machines, allowing for efficient incremental backups by tracking changed blocks and creating pointers to redundant data, rather than transmitting redundant data, and enabling direct recovery of individual files without mounting the entire virtual machine disk (VMDK) image.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional methods are used to protect data in virtual environments by taking an image of a virtual disk and storing it in a remote location, then data protection is achieved, but the process takes considerable time and resources
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the changed blocks of data from the virtual machine disk rather than backing up the entire disk image. The backup system identifies and extracts only the portions of data that have changed since the last backup, significantly reducing the amount of data that needs to be transmitted and stored, thereby reducing backup time while maintaining complete data protection capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of data representation from complete disk images to incremental change blocks. By representing backup data as differences rather than full copies, the system transforms the backup process from copying entire virtual disk images to transmitting only modified portions, reducing time and resource consumption while preserving data protection integrity
2Reliability
If the amount of data that needs to be backed up or restored increases, then more comprehensive data protection is achieved, but the time and resources required increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the virtual machine disk into individual data blocks and tracks changes at the block level. Instead of treating the entire disk as a single backup unit, the system divides it into manageable segments (blocks), identifies which segments have changed, and backs up only those segments. This segmentation approach allows comprehensive protection of large datasets while maintaining high backup efficiency by processing only necessary portions
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies partial action by performing backups of only the necessary portion of data (changed blocks) rather than the entire dataset. The system determines the minimum required backup scope by identifying changed blocks, performing backup operations on just those portions, thereby achieving complete data protection coverage with significantly improved productivity compared to full disk image backups
3Ease of repair
If conventional data protection methods are used, then data can be restored, but the process requires mounting the entire virtual machine disk image which is time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and stores only the changed blocks separately from the original virtual machine disk image. During recovery operations, the system extracts only the necessary changed blocks from the backup storage and applies them to restore the virtual machine, rather than mounting and copying entire disk images. This extraction approach enables rapid recovery by transferring only the minimum required data portions
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary organization of backup data by categorizing and indexing changed blocks during the backup process. The system pre-processes backup data into a structure that facilitates quick retrieval, organizing changed blocks by their location and characteristics. This preliminary action enables the recovery system to quickly locate and extract only the specific blocks needed for restoration, dramatically reducing recovery time while maintaining ease of repair
Data Source
AI summary
A method, article of manufacture, and apparatus for protecting data. In some embodiments, this includes creating a copy of a backup virtual machine on a deduplicated data storage device, registering the copy with a virtual environment manager, operating a virtual machine based on the copy and storing changes made during operation of the virtual machine to the copy.