Patent application number | Description | Published |
20100049930 | Managing Backups Using Virtual Machines - One embodiment is a method for providing incremental backups for a source computing machine, the method including: (a) creating a first backup snapshot including a virtual machine (VM) snapshot of an initial copy of a source computing machine volume, wherein said VM snapshot includes a timestamp and a first redo log file; (b) reconfiguring and customizing said first backup snapshot to create a first bootable VM, writing changes associated with said reconfiguring and customizing into said first redo log file, then creating a first bootable snapshot including a VM snapshot of said first bootable VM, wherein said VM snapshot of said first bootable VM includes a timestamp for said first bootable VM and a redo log file; (c) performing an incremental update of said first backup snapshot or a subsequent backup snapshot, then creating a subsequent backup snapshot including a VM snapshot of said incremental update, wherein said VM snapshot of said incremental update includes a timestamp for said incremental update and a redo log file; and (d) reconfiguring and customizing said subsequent backup snapshot to create a subsequent bootable VM, then creating a subsequent bootable snapshot including a VM snapshot of said subsequent bootable VM, wherein said VM snapshot of said subsequent bootable VM includes a timestamp for said subsequent bootable VM and a redo log file. | 02-25-2010 |
20100077165 | Tracking Block-Level Changes Using Snapshots - Writes to blocks of a protected storage volume that occur between the beginning of a prior backup interval and the beginning of a current backup interval are tracked using a first snapshot that is maintained through the current backup interval. At the beginning of the current backup interval, a second snapshot is generated. Blocks that are indicated by a dirty block list of the first snapshot as having been changed are read from the snapshot volume for the second snapshot and copied to a backup storage volume. For the next backup interval, the second snapshot or alternatively, a newly generated third snapshot, is used to track writes to blocks of a protected storage volume that occur between the beginning of the current backup interval and the beginning of a next backup interval. | 03-25-2010 |
20110088027 | TRACKING BLOCK-LEVEL WRITES - One embodiment is a method of installing a block-level write tracking driver in a Microsoft Windows™ operating system so that no reboot of the system is need, another embodiment is a method of installing a block-level write tracking driver in a Linux operating system so that no reboot of the system is needed, and still another embodiment is a method of tracking block-level writes to snapshots under newer Microsoft Windows™ operating systems. | 04-14-2011 |
20120297005 | BREAKING LOCKS HELD BY TWO-PHASE COMMIT TRANSACTIONS WHILE PRESERVING DATA CONSISTENCY - A technique for breaking locks held by two-phase commit (2PC) transactions while preserving data consistency that guarantees that either the “commit” phase or the “abort” phase of the 2PC protocol is completed at a higher-priority server. Accordingly, all locks on data objects are released and a high-priority operation can proceed. Data consistency is also preserved because the 2PC coordinator adheres to the 2PC protocol and properly notifies both the higher-priority server and one or more lower-priority servers when they are available. | 11-22-2012 |
20150370659 | USING STRETCHED STORAGE TO OPTIMIZE DISASTER RECOVERY - Exemplary methods, apparatuses, and systems include receiving a command to perform a failover workflow for a plurality of logical storage devices from a protected site to a recovery site. A first logical storage device within the plurality of logical storage devices is determined to be a stretched storage device. In response to the failover command, a site preference for the first logical storage device is switched from the protected site to the recovery site. The failover includes a live migration of a virtual machine that resides on the first logical storage device. The live migration is performed without interruption to one or more services provided by the virtual machine. The site preference for the first logical storage device is switched prior to performing the live migration of the virtual machine. | 12-24-2015 |
20150370660 | USING STRETCHED STORAGE TO OPTIMIZE DISASTER RECOVERY - Exemplary methods, apparatuses, and systems include determining that at least a portion of a protected site has become unavailable. A first logical storage device within underlying storage of a recovery site is determined to be a stretched storage device stretched across the protected and recovery sites. A failover workflow is initiated in response to the unavailability of the protected site, wherein the failover workflow includes transmitting an instruction to the underlying storage to isolate the first logical storage device from a corresponding logical storage device within the protected site. | 12-24-2015 |
20150372945 | MAPPING COMPUTER RESOURCES TO CONSUMERS IN A COMPUTER SYSTEM - Mapping computer resources to consumers in a computer system is described. In an example, a method of mapping computer resources to consumers in a computer system includes: receiving tags assigned to the computer resources at a resource manager executing in the computer system, where the resource manager: identifies a first tag assigned to a first computer resource; determines whether a first consumer is associated with the first tag; enables the first consumer to access the first computer resource if the first consumer is associated with the first tag; and prevents the first consumer from accessing the first computer resource if the first consumer is not associated with the first tag. | 12-24-2015 |
20150378758 | Processing Virtual Machine Objects through Multistep Workflows - Techniques to process virtual machine objects through multistep workflows in a computer system are described. In an example, a method of processing virtual machine objects through a workflow having a plurality of ordered steps in a computer system includes executing the workflow on computing resources of the computer system using the virtual machine objects as parametric input, where the computing resources: divide the virtual machine objects into workgroups; perform instances of a step of the workflow in parallel on the workgroups as the workgroups complete a prior step in the workflow; and execute an agent to delegate the workgroups to, and receive results from, the instances of the step as the workflow is executed. | 12-31-2015 |
20150378759 | DETERMINING STATUS OF MIGRATING VIRTUAL MACHINES - Systems and techniques are described for determining the status of migrating virtual machines. A described technique includes initiating a migration of one or more virtual machines from a source host that is located at a source site to a destination host that is located at a destination site. A determination is made that a fault has occurred during the migration of the one or more virtual machines. In response to determining that the error has occurred, a determination is made, for each virtual machine of the one or more virtual machines, whether the virtual machine has been fully migrated from the source host to the destination host. | 12-31-2015 |
20150378767 | USING ACTIVE/ACTIVE ASYNCHRONOUS REPLICATED STORAGE FOR LIVE MIGRATION - Examples perform live migration of VMs from a source host to a destination host. The disclosure changes the storage environment, directly or through a vendor provider, to active/active synchronous and, during migration, migrates only data which is not already stored at the destination host. The source and destination VMs have concurrent access to storage disks during migration. After migration, the destination VM executes, with exclusive access to the storage disks, and the system is returned to the previous storage environment (e.g., active/active asynchronous). | 12-31-2015 |
20150378771 | USING A DELTA QUERY TO SEED LIVE MIGRATION - Examples perform live migration of objects such as VMs from a source host to a destination host. The disclosure exposes the contents of the storage disk at the destination host, compares the storage disk of the destination host to the source host, and during migration, migrates only data which is not already stored at the destination host. The source and destination VMs have concurrent access to storage disks during migration. After migration, the destination VM executes, with exclusive access to the storage disks. | 12-31-2015 |
20150378785 | USING ACTIVE/PASSIVE ASYNCHRONOUS REPLICATED STORAGE FOR LIVE MIGRATION - The disclosure describes performing live migration of objects such as virtual machines (VMs) from a source host to a destination host. The disclosure changes the storage environment, directly or through a vendor provider, to active/passive synchronous or near synchronous and, during migration, migrates only data which has not already been replicated at the destination host. The source and destination VMs have concurrent access to storage disks during migration. After migration, the destination VM executes with exclusive access to the storage disks, and the system is returned to the previous storage environment of active/passive asynchronous. | 12-31-2015 |
20150378831 | USING A RECOVERY SNAPSHOT DURING LIVE MIGRATION - Examples perform live migration of VMs from a source host to a destination host using destructive consistency breaking operations. The disclosure makes a record of a consistency group of VMs on storage at a source host as a fail-back in the event of failure. The source VMs are live migrated to the destination host, disregarding consistency during live migration, and potentially violating the recovery point objective. After live migration of all of the source VMs, consistency is automatically restored at the destination host and the live migration is declared a success. | 12-31-2015 |
20150378839 | RECOVERY SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PERFORMING SITE RECOVERY USING REPLICATED RECOVERY-SPECIFIC METADATA - A recovery system and method for performing site recovery utilizes recovery-specific metadata and files of protected clients at a primary site to recreate the protected clients at a secondary site. The recovery-specific metadata is collected from at least one component at the primary site, and stored with the files of protected clients at the primary site. The recovery-specific metadata and the files of the protected clients are replicated to the secondary site so that the protected clients can be recreated at the secondary site using the replicated information. | 12-31-2015 |
20150378847 | MAINTAINING CONSISTENCY USING REVERSE REPLICATION DURING LIVE MIGRATION - Examples maintain consistency of writes for a plurality of VMs during live migration of the plurality from a source host to a destination host. The disclosure intercepts I/O writes to a migrated VM at a destination host and mirrors the I/O writes back to the source host. This “reverse replication” ensures that the CG of the source host is up to date, and that the source host is safe to fail back to if the migration fails. | 12-31-2015 |