Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for online rehydration. One of the methods includes intercepting a request issued by a virtual computing instance to a primary storage system, wherein the request identifies first data stored in the primary storage system; determining whether the first data has been rehydrated by a rehydration system; and in response to determining that at least a first portion of the first data has not been rehydrated by the rehydration system: submitting, to the rehydration system, a rehydration request that identifies the first portion of the first data that has not been rehydrated; obtaining, from the rehydration system, a response that includes a copy of the first portion of the first data, wherein the rehydration system has obtained the copy from a backup storage system; and responding to the request using the copy of the first portion of the first data.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for online rehydration. One of the methods includes intercepting a request issued by a virtual computing instance to a primary storage system, wherein the request identifies first data stored in the primary storage system; determining whether the first data has been rehydrated by a rehydration system; and in response to determining that at least a first portion of the first data has not been rehydrated by the rehydration system: submitting, to the rehydration system, a rehydration request that identifies the first portion of the first data that has not been rehydrated; obtaining, from the rehydration system, a response that includes a copy of the first portion of the first data, wherein the rehydration system has obtained the copy from a backup storage system; and responding to the request using the copy of the first portion of the first data.

Abstract: The disclosure herein describes generating a protected entity of a VCI. A state document is generated based on the metadata state of the VCI and an entity data stream is set to a URI associated with the data of the VCI. Components and associated URIs of the VCI are identified. A combined data stream is set to a URI configured to provide access to the state document, the entity data stream, and the URIs of the components of the VCI. A snapshot API for providing a snapshot of the state of the protected entity, a serialization API for providing a serialized version of the protected entity, and a de-serialization API for converting a serialized version of the protected entity into a de-serialized version of the protected entity are defined. The protected entity is configured to enable the data and metadata of the VCI to be efficiently backed up.

Abstract: System and method for managing space in storage object structures stored in a storage system uses an object B tree structure to manage a storage object in a storage object structure in the storage system, which provides virtual physical block addresses for data of the storage object and for metadata of nodes of the object B tree structure. The metadata of the nodes of the object B tree structure is written in the storage object structure using first real physical block addresses, which are translated from the virtual block addresses for the metadata of the nodes of the object B tree structure using a metadata system file B tree structure. The data of the storage object is written in the storage object structure using second real physical block addresses, which are translated from the virtual block addresses for the data of the storage object using a data system file B tree structure.

Abstract: System and method for creating group snapshots of multiple storage objects uses storage structures to store the storage objects in a storage system. In order to create a group snapshot of storage objects, a prepare snapshot process is executed at each of multiple host computers managing the storage objects as storage structures to block input and output operations on the storage objects stored in the storage structures. A commit snapshot process is then executed at each of the multiple host computers to create snapshots of the storage object in the respective storage structures. In addition, the snapshots of the storage object are recorded in the respective storage structures as snapshot entries in the respective storage structures.

Abstract: System and method for creating linked clones of storage objects stored in a storage uses a target storage structure that includes a linked clone being created from a selected snapshot of a storage object and surface snapshots. The linked clone is created in the target storage structure with references to the selected snapshot of the storage object in a source storage structure without completely copying the selected snapshot to the target storage structure. The surface snapshots, which correspond to other snapshots of the storage object in the source storage structure, are created in the target storage structure with references to the other snapshots without completely copying the other snapshots to the target storage structure to produce the linked clone with similar snapshots as the storage object at a point in time when the selected snapshot was captured.

Abstract: System and method for managing different types of snapshots of storage objects stored in a storage system uses a storage structure that includes both a storage object and any snapshots of the storage object. When a request to delete a snapshot of the storage object is received, a determination is made whether the snapshot is a first snapshot type. After determining that the snapshot is not the first snapshot type, the snapshot is deleted from the storage structure. After determining that the snapshot is the first snapshot type, the snapshot is marked as delete designated, and a deletion of the snapshot from the storage structure is prevented when there is a second snapshot type snapshot remaining in the storage structure that was created after the snapshot had been created so that the snapshot is available when the second snapshot type snapshot is subsequently used.

Abstract: System and method for managing snapshots of storage objects stored in a storage system uses a storage structure that includes both a storage object and any snapshots of the storage object. When a request to delete the storage object is received, the storage structure that includes the storage object is checked to determine if there is at least one snapshot in the storage structure. After determining that there is at least one snapshot in the storage structure, the storage object is marked as being delete designated without deleting the storage structure. After determining that there is no snapshot in the storage structure, the storage structure is deleted.

Abstract: The disclosure herein describes generating a protected entity of a VCI. A state document is generated based on the metadata state of the VCI and an entity data stream is set to a URI associated with the data of the VCI. Components and associated URIs of the VCI are identified. A combined data stream is set to a URI configured to provide access to the state document, the entity data stream, and the URIs of the components of the VCI. A snapshot API for providing a snapshot of the state of the protected entity, a serialization API for providing a serialized version of the protected entity, and a de-serialization API for converting a serialized version of the protected entity into a de-serialized version of the protected entity are defined. The protected entity is configured to enable the data and metadata of the VCI to be efficiently backed up.

Abstract: System and method for managing storage replication consistency groups for storage objects of processing entities uses a replication group identifier for a storage replication consistency group received from a storage interface manager of a storage system with multiple computer data storage devices. The replication group identifier is received when a creation request for a new logical storage unit for a processing entity is transmitted from a host computer to the storage interface manager. The replication group identifier can then be used to request additional logical storage units that will be assigned to the same storage replication consistency group.

Abstract: System and method for creating group snapshots of multiple storage objects uses storage structures to store the storage objects in a storage system. In order to create a group snapshot of storage objects, a prepare snapshot process is executed at each of multiple host computers managing the storage objects as storage structures to block input and output operations on the storage objects stored in the storage structures. A commit snapshot process is then executed at each of the multiple host computers to create snapshots of the storage object in the respective storage structures. In addition, the snapshots of the storage object are recorded in the respective storage structures as snapshot entries in the respective storage structures.

Abstract: System and method for managing different types of snapshots of storage objects stored in a storage system uses a storage structure that includes both a storage object and any snapshots of the storage object. When a request to delete a snapshot of the storage object is received, a determination is made whether the snapshot is a first snapshot type. After determining that the snapshot is not the first snapshot type, the snapshot is deleted from the storage structure. After determining that the snapshot is the first snapshot type, the snapshot is marked as delete designated, and a deletion of the snapshot from the storage structure is prevented when there is a second snapshot type snapshot remaining in the storage structure that was created after the snapshot had been created so that the snapshot is available when the second snapshot type snapshot is subsequently used.

Abstract: System and method for managing snapshots of storage objects stored in a storage system uses a storage structure that includes both a storage object and any snapshots of the storage object. When a request to delete the storage object is received, the storage structure that includes the storage object is checked to determine if there is at least one snapshot in the storage structure. After determining that there is at least one snapshot in the storage structure, the storage structure is marked as being delete designated without deleting the storage structure. After determining that there is no snapshot in the storage structure, the storage structure is deleted.

Abstract: System and method for managing space in storage object structures stored in a storage system uses an object B tree structure to manage a storage object in a storage object structure in the storage system, which provides virtual physical block addresses for data of the storage object and for metadata of nodes of the object B tree structure. The metadata of the nodes of the object B tree structure is written in the storage object structure using first real physical block addresses, which are translated from the virtual block addresses for the metadata of the nodes of the object B tree structure using a metadata system file B tree structure. The data of the storage object is written in the storage object structure using second real physical block addresses, which are translated from the virtual block addresses for the data of the storage object using a data system file B tree structure.

Abstract: System and method for creating linked clones of storage objects stored in a storage uses a target storage structure that includes a linked clone being created from a selected snapshot of a storage object and surface snapshots. The linked clone is created in the target storage structure with references to the selected snapshot of the storage object in a source storage structure without completely copying the selected snapshot to the target storage structure. The surface snapshots, which correspond to other snapshots of the storage object in the source storage structure, are created in the target storage structure with references to the other snapshots without completely copying the other snapshots to the target storage structure to produce the linked clone with similar snapshots as the storage object at a point in time when the selected snapshot was captured.

Abstract: System and method for managing storage replication consistency groups for storage objects of processing entities uses a replication group identifier for a storage replication consistency group received from a storage interface manager of a storage system with multiple computer data storage devices. The replication group identifier is received when a creation request for a new logical storage unit for a processing entity is transmitted from a host computer to the storage interface manager. The replication group identifier can then be used to request additional logical storage units that will be assigned to the same storage replication consistency group.

Abstract: A framework for performing transformations of logical storage volumes in software is provided. This framework interposes on various operations that can be performed on a logical storage volume, such as input/output (IO) operations, via one or more filters, which may be implemented by an appliance that is inserted into the data path of the operations issued to the logical storage volume.

Abstract: Examples perform live migration of virtual machines (VM) from a source host to a destination host. The live migration performs time-consuming operations before the source host is stunned, reducing the downtime apparent to users. Some examples contemplate pre-copying memory from the source VM to the destination VM, and the opening of disks on the destination VM before stunning the source VM.

Abstract: Examples perform live migration of virtual machines (VM) from a source host to a destination host. The live migration performs time-consuming operations before the source host is stunned, reducing the downtime apparent to users. Some examples contemplate pre-copying memory from the source VM to the destination VM, and the opening of disks on the destination VM before stunning the source VM.

Abstract: A framework for converting between copy-on-write (COW) and redo-based technologies is disclosed. To take a virtual disk snapshot, disk descriptor files, which include metadata information about data stored in virtual volumes (vvols), are “swizzled” such that the descriptor file for a latest redo log, to which IOs are currently performed, points to the base vvol of a COW-based vvol hierarchy. A disk descriptor file previously associated with the base vvol may also be updated to point to the vvol newly created by the snapshot operation. To revert to an earlier disk state, a snapshot may be taken before copying contents of a snapshot vvol of the COW-based vvol hierarchy to a base vvol of the hierarchy, thereby ensuring that the reversion can be rolled back if it is unsuccessful. Reference counting is performed to ensure that vvols in the vvol hierarchy are not orphaned in delete and revert use cases.