Virtual Machine Backup via Storage Unit Snapshot and Metadata
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Solution Overview
Problem
Virtualization technologies face challenges in efficiently performing storage operations on individual virtual machines, particularly in creating snapshots and backups, due to difficulties in managing data growth and protecting critical data across distributed systems.
Innovation Solution
A method is introduced that involves requesting a host computing device to create a snapshot of a virtual machine, identifying virtual data stores based on metadata, and then requesting a primary storage device to perform a storage unit snapshot, allowing changes to be stored separately and merged later, thereby facilitating efficient data management and backup operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a snapshot is taken of a virtual machine, then the current state of the virtual machine is captured for backup purposes, but the virtual machine must be placed in a stable state which may interrupt its operation
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by placing the virtual machine in a stable state before taking the snapshot. This involves pausing the virtual machine's operations and ensuring all data is flushed to storage, creating a consistent snapshot state. This preliminary stabilization ensures data integrity during the snapshot process.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a copy of the virtual machine's storage units using snapshot technology. Instead of copying the entire virtual machine, it creates a snapshot copy of the storage units at a specific point in time, allowing the original virtual machine to continue operating while the snapshot is created for backup purposes.
2Reliability
If storage units are copied to create a backup, then data protection is improved, but the complexity of managing multiple storage locations and metadata increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the storage management task by operating on individual storage units rather than the entire virtual machine. Each storage unit can be snapshotted independently, and the system manages metadata for each storage unit separately, reducing the overall complexity of backup management.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces metadata as an intermediary layer between the storage units and the backup management system. This metadata tracks the relationship between storage units, their locations, and snapshot information, simplifying the management complexity by providing a structured way to organize and track backup data.
3Reliability
If changes to the virtual machine are stored separately from the snapshot, then the snapshot integrity is maintained, but the process of merging changes later becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the storage into separate locations: one for the snapshot copy of storage units and another for storing changes. This separation maintains snapshot integrity by preventing changes from corrupting the snapshot, while the segmented structure actually simplifies the merging process by providing clear, organized locations for consolidation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary organization of changes in separate storage locations before the final merge operation. Changes are collected, organized, and prepared in advance, which simplifies the subsequent merging process rather than making it more complex.
Data Source
AI summary
A data storage environment can include one or more virtual machines instantiated on a host computing device. Based on physical location data of the one or more virtual machines received from the host computing device, a storage manager can control the performance of a secondary copy operation on one or more storage units that store virtual machine data associated with the one or more virtual machines and/or the performance of a secondary copy operation on the one or more virtual machines.