Abstract: A method for creating snapshots and backups in a virtual computing environment is provided. The method includes writing application output of an application spanning one or more virtual machines as an application consistency group to a writeback cache, wherein the one or more virtual machines are implemented using one or more compute nodes and wherein the writeback cache is implemented in direct attached storage in the one or more compute nodes. The method includes pausing I/O (input/output) operations of the application and marking the pausing, in the writeback cache. The method includes resuming the I/O operations of the application, after the marking and dumping data, according to the marking, from the writeback cache to a data node, as a snapshot.

Abstract: A method and system for incremental backup is disclosed. The method includes writing a first update to a secondary node and writing a second update to the secondary node. The secondary node comprises a replication storage group (RSG). Further, the order in which the updates are written at the secondary node is consistent with the order in which the updates were written at a primary node.

Abstract: Various systems, methods, and processes to perform adaptive throttling of write operations in hybrid storage environments are disclosed. A credit value is assigned to a virtual machine. Input/output (I/O) operations generated by an application executing on the virtual machine are throttled based on the credit value assigned to the virtual machine. The credit value is assigned to the virtual machine in proportion to static measures and dynamic conditions. The static measures and the dynamic conditions are used to calculate a quality of service provided to the virtual machine by a storage system.

Abstract: A method for creating snapshots and backups in a virtual computing environment is provided. The method includes writing application output of an application spanning one or more virtual machines as an application consistency group to a writeback cache, wherein the one or more virtual machines are implemented using one or more compute nodes and wherein the writeback cache is implemented in direct attached storage in the one or more compute nodes. The method includes pausing I/O (input/output) operations of the application and marking the pausing, in the writeback cache. The method includes resuming the I/O operations of the application, after the marking and dumping data, according to the marking, from the writeback cache to a data node, as a snapshot.

Abstract: Various systems and methods for management and provisioning of virtual machines are disclosed. For example, embodiments include selecting a potential node to host a virtual machine, where the node is selected from among a plurality of potential nodes. The selection may be based on a virtual machine (VM) configuration of a virtual machine, which may include various requirements needed to host the VM. Embodiments also include provisioning the VM on the host node after the host node is selected from among the plurality of potential nodes, and determining whether a currently-hosted node are operating in accordance with various criteria needed for the VM.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for coordinating service execution within a shared storage cluster file system environment to optimize cluster performance is disclosed. In one embodiment, the method includes accessing host information in memory comprising mappings between file data and a plurality of nodes, wherein the mappings indicate at least one portion of the file data that is accessed by at least one node of the plurality of nodes on behalf of at least one application and executing at least one service on the at least one node of the plurality of nodes using at least one processor, wherein the at least one service accesses the at least one portion of the file data in the memory.

Abstract: Various systems and methods for management and provisioning of virtual machines are disclosed. This invention may be used, e.g., in conjunction with clusters of nodes that are potentially capable of hosting one or more virtual machines. In one aspect of this invention, the nodes may rank themselves, or be ranked, based on their ability to support a requested virtual machine configuration. Each of the clusters may also be ranked based on, for example, the aggregate ranks of the nodes within that cluster. After the nodes and/or clusters have been ranked, a cluster and/or a node may be selected to host the virtual machine, and the virtual machine may be provisioned on that cluster and/or node.

Abstract: A method, system, computer system, and computer program product to quickly synchronize replicas of data stored at multiple secondary nodes upon failure of a primary node. Secondary nodes to which an update to data in a region of a storage area is sent are identified. When all of the secondary nodes have acknowledged the update, a notification is sent to each of the secondary nodes. Respective indicator(s) (e.g., “outstanding update” or “out of sync” indicators) can be set to indicate that the data have changed in respective region(s) at one of the secondary nodes when the update has been received at that secondary node. The indicator(s) can be reset for the respective region(s) when the notification sent by the primary node is received at the secondary node. Data in the region(s) can be synchronized with data at secondary nodes when either node has an indicator set for that region.

Abstract: Techniques for creating checkpoints are disclosed. In one particular exemplary embodiment, the techniques may be realized as a method for creating file system checkpoints comprising the steps of modifying a first data block and a second data block with a first transaction, associating the first data block with a first stamp, and associating the second data block with a second stamp, wherein the first stamp and the second stamp are substantially similar.

Abstract: Enabling an off-host computer to migrate data of a data volume. In one embodiment, the off-host computer copies data contents of n data blocks of a first data volume to n data blocks, respectively, of a second data volume. A host computer is capable of modifying data contents of a first plurality of data blocks of the n data blocks of the first data volume after the off-host computer begins copying data contents of the n data blocks of the first data volume to the n data blocks, respectively, of the second data volume.

Abstract: A method and system for incremental backup is disclosed. The method includes attaching a first plex to a log, which includes a log plex. The method also includes writing data to said log plex and said first plex.

Abstract: Disclosed is an apparatus and method for transforming unrelated data volumes into related data volumes. The present invention is employed after creation of first and second unrelated data volumes. In one embodiment, the second data volume is refreshed to the data contents of the first data volume so that the second data becomes a PIT copy of the first data volume. Refreshing the second data volume includes overwriting all data of the second data volume with data copied from the first data volume. However, before all data of the second data volume is overwritten with data copied from the first data volume, data of the first data volume can be modified.

Abstract: A snapshot manager switches the roles of a production storage device and a corresponding snapshot device by modifying read and write requests to the devices. Thus, translation mapping information concerning the acting snapshot device does not change, so a remote computing device can perform a backup from the acting snapshot without having to restart every time content is written to the production device. After the backup operation, the snapshot manager can update the underlying data source from the acting production device to capture writes to production that occurred during the backup. The snapshot manager then reverts the roles of the storage device and the snapshot to normal.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method and apparatus for incrementally baking up a data volume. In one embodiment of the method, the data volume is created in a first memory, and a point-in-time (PIT) copy of the data volume is created at time T0. First data of the data volume is modified between times T0 and T1, wherein time T1 is subsequent to time T0. Second data of the data volume is copied to a second memory after time T1. The second data of the data volume is modified after the second data is copied to the second memory. Lastly, data of the PIT copy is overwritten with (1) the copy of the second data stored in the second memory and (2) the modified first data of the data volume.

Abstract: A method, system, computer system, and computer program product to quickly synchronize replicas of data stored at multiple secondary nodes upon failure of a primary node. Secondary nodes to which an update to data is sent are identified. The secondary nodes insert the update into a respective log of updates to a respective copy of the data. When all of the secondary nodes have acknowledged the update, a notification is sent to each of the secondary nodes. In response to receiving the notification, each of the secondary nodes clears the update from the respective log. Data at one secondary node can be synchronized with data at another secondary node when one of the nodes has received updates from the primary node that the other secondary node has not yet received.

Abstract: A method, system, computer system, and computer-readable medium that enable a copy of data to be converted from a full-data snapshot to a space-saving snapshot, or vice versa, while retaining all the contents of the snapshot. Full-data snapshots can be used for efficient read operations and off-host processing operations. Space-saving snapshots can be used to store multiple copies of primary data in a minimum amount of storage space without consuming unnecessary storage space to store duplicate copies of data that are not changing. The ability to convert between full-data and space-saving snapshots enables organizational storage, backup, and recovery needs to be met using the best type of snapshot for a given operation.

Abstract: A method, system, computer system, and computer-readable medium to trigger protection of a set of data based upon the type or class of the data in the set and/or an amount of data that has changed since some prior point in time. Types of protection that can be triggered include full backup, incremental backup, switching to a different type of continuous replication, intermittent replication, and virus detection. Using the type of the data as a basis for triggering protection enables the operational significance of different sets of data to be taken into account when allocating protection resources. Data sets may be pre-classified, or an automated determination of the type of a data set may be determined by variables measured at run-time. The amount of the changed data in a set that triggers protection may vary in accordance with the type of the set of data.

Abstract: Various methods and systems for updating a copy-on-write snapshot based on a dirty region log are disclosed. For example, a method involves maintaining a dirty region log and updating a copy-on-write snapshot change tracking map, based on information in the dirty region log. In some embodiments, the copy-on-write snapshot change tracking map is updated in response to an indication of a dirty region log cleaning cycle. The dirty region log cleaning cycle is inhibited until after the copy-on-write snapshot change tracking map has been updated. The method can be used to update multiple copy-on-write snapshot change tracking maps, each of which is associated with a respective one of several copy-on-write snapshots, based on information in the dirty region log. Such a method can be performed by a virtualizing network device.

Abstract: Disclosed is an apparatus or method performed by a computer system for creating a hierarchy of data volumes. Each data volume in the hierarchy is a point-in-time (PIT) copy of another data volume in the hierarchy or a PIT copy of a data volume V. In one embodiment of the apparatus or method, the contents of a first data volume in the hierarchy can be refreshed to the contents of a second data volume in the hierarchy such that the first data volume becomes a PIT copy of the second data volume. Before the first data volume is fully refreshed to the contents of the second data volume, data of the first data volume can be read or modified.

Abstract: A method and system for mirror storage element resynchronization in a storage virtualization device is disclosed. According to one embodiment of the present invention, a read operation on a region of a data volume is received at a first module of a first storage virtualization device where the data volume is associated with at least a first mirror storage element and a second mirror storage element, a state indicated by a bit corresponding to the region of the data volume within a first synchronization map is determined in response to receiving the read operation, the read operation is processed using the first module if the bit is determined to indicate a first state and using a second module of the first storage virtualization device if the bit is determined to indicate a second state.