Virtual Machine Disk Sector Recovery via Image Comparison
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current virtual machine recovery methods in cloud environments are inefficient, as they often require recovering all data, leading to prolonged downtime due to the need to transfer and restore entire virtual machine datasets, even when only a portion has changed since the last backup.
Innovation Solution
A method that creates an image of a virtual machine disk, compares it with the current state to identify changed sectors, and selectively transfers only those changed sectors from a backup repository to the original location, reducing the need to recover all data and thus minimizing recovery time.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If all virtual machine data is transferred and restored during recovery, then complete data restoration is achieved, but recovery time is prolonged
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by comparing the backup image with the current virtual machine disk to identify only the changed sectors, then restoring only those specific sectors rather than the entire disk. This selective restoration approach maintains data completeness for changed portions while significantly reducing recovery time compared to full disk restoration.
2Reliability
If the entire virtual machine disk is imaged and restored, then data integrity is ensured, but storage and transfer resources are wasted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the changed sectors from the backup image through comparison operations, separating the necessary restoration data from the unchanged portions. This extraction process ensures data integrity for modified sectors while eliminating the need to store and transfer redundant unchanged data, thereby reducing storage and transfer resource consumption.
3Reliability
If full virtual machine disk restoration is performed, then complete recovery is achieved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the virtual machine disk into individual sectors and identifies changed sectors through comparison operations. By dividing the restoration task into sector-level operations rather than treating the entire disk as a single unit, the system simplifies the restoration process while maintaining complete recovery of changed data through targeted sector-by-sector restoration.
Data Source
AI summary
A method, computer program product, and computing system for recovery of virtual machines are described. A method may include creating, via a computing device, an image of at least a portion of a virtual machine disk. The method may further include comparing, via the computing device, the image of the portion of the virtual machine disk with the portion of the virtual machine disk that currently exists to determine changed sectors of the portion of the virtual machine disk. The method may additionally include restoring, via the computing device, the changed sectors of the portion of the virtual machine disk.