Selective Virtual Machine Snapshot via Hypervisor Agent
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional virtual machine systems face inefficiencies in selectively performing snapshot and backup copy operations for individual virtual machines stored in shared storage, as they often require snapshots at the Logical Unit Number (LUN) level, affecting productivity and resource utilization.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a hypervisor and a virtual server agent that allows for selective snapshot and backup copy operations for individual virtual machines by issuing commands to perform snapshot copy operations independently on each virtual machine without affecting others in shared physical computer storage devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If snapshot copy operations are performed at the LUN level in shared storage, then all virtual machines are protected, but resource usage and time consumption increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the snapshot operation from the LUN level to the individual virtual machine level. Instead of creating a snapshot of the entire LUN containing multiple virtual machines, the system enables selective snapshot operations on specific virtual machines only. This is achieved through the virtual server agent that can identify and operate on individual virtual machine data within the shared storage, thereby reducing the scope of snapshot operations and improving efficiency while maintaining data protection for selected virtual machines.
2Reliability
If snapshot operations are performed on all virtual machines, then comprehensive backup is achieved, but storage space and processing resources are wasted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by enabling different snapshot operations for different virtual machines based on their individual needs. The virtual server agent allows selective application of snapshot operations to specific virtual machines rather than uniformly applying them to all virtual machines in the LUN. This targeted approach ensures that only necessary virtual machines consume additional storage space and processing resources, optimizing resource utilization while maintaining backup completeness for critical virtual machines.
3Ease of manufacture
If LUN-level snapshots are used, then implementation simplicity is maintained, but selectivity and precision of backup operations are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a virtual server agent as an intermediary between the snapshot management system and the virtual machines in shared storage. This agent provides the selective capability by identifying individual virtual machines and enabling targeted snapshot operations. The intermediary layer maintains compatibility with existing LUN-based storage infrastructure while adding the precision of individual virtual machine selection, thus bridging the gap between implementation simplicity and backup selection precision.
Data Source
AI summary
System and techniques for performing snapshot and backup copy operations for individual virtual machines in a shared storage. The system can also include one or more shared physical computer storage devices communicatively coupled to the hypervisor to store the plurality of virtual machines. A plurality of storage volumes can be provided in the one or more shared physical computer storage devices where each storage volume uniquely corresponding to one of the virtual machines. The system can issue a command to a hypervisor to perform a snapshot or backup copy operation with a particular information management policy.