Abstract: A cluster includes cluster shared volumes and nodes. A subset of the nodes are designated as being backup proxy nodes responsible for backing up the cluster shared volumes. The cluster shared volumes are divided into groups, each group having a number of cluster shared volumes that is less than a total number of cluster shared volumes in the cluster. Generation is initiated for a particular snapshot for a number of cluster shared volumes belonging to a particular group. The backup proxy nodes backup data from the particular cluster shared volumes belong to the particular group using the particular snapshot. After the backup, the steps initiating snapshot generation and backing up are repeated until each group of cluster shared volumes has been backed up.

Abstract: A method and system for maintaining live database data across hybrid storage. Specifically, the disclosed method and system entail accessing live backup database data in part residing on local storage and in part residing on remote storage. That is, on occasion, available local storage capacity may fall short of the required free storage space to accommodate the full restoration or recovery of a given database. Accordingly, to overcome this shortfall, the disclosed method and system detect and cycle the recovery of frequently accessed asset (or database) data files, of the given database, from remote storage onto local storage.

Abstract: A method and system for efficiently restoring synthetic full backup based virtual machines that include user checkpoints. Specifically, the method and system disclosed herein overcome a behavioral limitation exhibited in present virtual machine backup methodologies, where said methodologies ignore the presence of user checkpoints storing state for a virtual machine. In accounting for the user checkpoints while recovering a virtual machine, embodiments of the invention maintain restoration points for virtual machine state instantiated by the user, in addition to those instantiated by the system.

Abstract: A unified backup workflow process for different hypervisor configurations of virtual machines on different storage of a cluster leverages RCT-based backup functionality so that backup operations can be performed by a single host of the cluster. The process enables backing up together virtual machines that are local, as well as part of CSV or SMB storage using virtual machine level snapshots as checkpoints rather than volume level snapshots that were traditionally used. Backup data is sent to a backup server as a data stream rather than a file, which avoids the necessity of maintaining chains or structures that identify parent-child disks on the server.

Abstract: In one example, a method includes obtaining cluster and machine configuration information, sending a restore request for one or more machines, and loading a backup of a virtual machine, the backup having been created by a federated backup process involving the physical proxy node, and the virtual machine includes data that resides on a virtual federated database that is an element of a cluster environment and to which respective databases of each of a plurality of nodes of the cluster environment are mapped. Next, the virtual machine is taken offline after the backup of the virtual machine has been loaded, and after the virtual machine has been taken offline, the virtual machine is removed from the node where it resides. The backup of the virtual machine is then restored, and the restored virtual machine brought online, after which the restored virtual machine is enabled as a cluster-wide virtual machine.

Abstract: In one example, a method includes receiving, at a physical proxy node, a backup request from a client outside the cluster environment, the backup request identifies a VM that is to be backed up, and including data that resides on a virtual federated database that is an element of the cluster environment and to which respective databases of each node of the cluster environment are mapped, and the backup request is received at the physical proxy node due to the position of the physical proxy node in a PSOL. Next, initiating, with an agent at the physical proxy node, a save program on the physical proxy node, and initiating, with the save program, a secondary save process on the physical proxy node that is a federated backup process and includes reading the VM identification from the backup request, and backing up the VM identified in the backup request.

Abstract: A virtual machine backup process where a plurality of types of snapshots of the virtual machine coexist includes: obtaining a list of files comprising virtual hard disks and differencing virtual hard disks associated with the virtual machine; sorting the list of files to identify relationships and to generate a current tree in which differencing virtual hard disks point to corresponding parent virtual hard disks; comparing the current tree with a previous tree associated with the virtual machine from the last backup of the virtual machine; identifying differencing virtual hard disks in the current tree that are not present in the previous tree as incremental backup data; and backing up the incremental data. The incremental data is merged with a previous synthetic full backup of the virtual machine to generate a new synthetic full backup of the virtual machine.

Abstract: A method for processing backup generation requests includes receiving a backup generation request; in response to receiving the backup generation request: identifying a backup to transfer to a backup storage, the backup includes data blocks; performing a data allocation analysis on the backup to generate an offset table; dividing, based on at least the offset table, the backup into sub-portions, each of the sub-portions includes at least one of the data blocks; and transferring, using at least two data streams, at least two of the sub-portions to a backup storage.

Abstract: In one example, a method for data protection in a cluster environment includes identifying data in the cluster environment that is to be backed up, where the identified data includes data that resides on a shared disk of the cluster environment. Next, a physical proxy node, from which a backup of the identified data will be performed, is selected. The selected physical proxy node is in the cluster environment. A federated backup of the identified data is then performed from the physical proxy node and generates a backup. The backup is then stored for later restoration to a node of the cluster environment.

Abstract: A production host for hosting virtual machines includes a persistent storage and a production agent. The persistent storage stores virtual machine data associated with a virtual machine of the virtual machines and a virtual machine shadow copy associated with the virtual machine data. The production agent obtains a backup generation request for the virtual machine; in response to the backup generation request, generates the virtual machine shadow copy; makes a determination that the virtual machine shadow copy comprises an auto-recovery disk that comprises some data; in response to the determination, merges the virtual machine shadow copy using a parent block set storage template to obtain a backup of the virtual machine; and store the backup in backup storage. The parent block set storage template is not associated with the virtual machine shadow copy.

Abstract: A remote backup agent that provides data storage services to virtual machines includes a persistent storage and a processor. The persistent storage stores workflows for the virtual machines. The processor performs a first remote backup of the virtual machines based on the workflows using production agents hosted by production hosts that also host the virtual machines; obtains a workflow update; updates the workflows based on the workflow update to obtain updated workflows; and performs a second remote backup of the virtual machines based on the updated workflows using the production hosts without modifying the production agents.

Abstract: An optimized solution for accessing virtual machine state while restoration of a respective virtual machine is underway. Specifically, the optimized solution disclosed herein implements a fetching mechanism for retrieving granular virtual machine state over a network and/or from a remote storage system. The fetching mechanism leverages block allocation information in parallel with disk caching to provide instant (or near instant) access to a virtual machine state while also, concurrently, restoring the respective virtual machine.

Abstract: A method and system for efficiently restoring synthetic full backup based virtual machines that include user checkpoints. Specifically, the method and system disclosed herein overcome a behavioral limitation exhibited in present virtual machine backup methodologies, where said methodologies ignore the presence of user checkpoints storing state for a virtual machine. In accounting for the user checkpoints while recovering a virtual machine, embodiments of the invention maintain restoration points for virtual machine state instantiated by the user, in addition to those instantiated by the system.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a sender process on a node of a node cluster communicates a live object to a receiver process. The sender process determines a shared binary file and a shared file location. The sender process serializes the live object to be communicated to a receiver process, into a binary data stream and writes the binary data stream into the predetermined shared binary file. The receiver process receives a shared binary filename and the shared location associated with the shared binary file. The receiver process de-serializes the binary data stream and reconstructs the live object. The communication is independent of the type of proxy, i.e., virtual or physical, and operating systems of the proxies, such as Windows, Mac OS, or Linux. The live objects may be VM configurations and VHD information metadata.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a system in response to a request to back up a virtual machine (VM) to a backup storage system, retrieves history data from the backup storage system. The history data has been previously backed up in the backup storage system during a previous backup operation of the VM. The history data includes a change tracking identifier (ID) associated with a consistent state of a VM disk attached to the VM at the point-in-time of the previous backup operation. The system validates the history data against a current configuration of the VM. The current configuration includes information of one or more current consistent states of the VM disk. The system determines a backup type for each of the current consistent states based on the validated history data. The system backs up each of the current consistent states based on the backup type.

Abstract: A remote backup agent that provides data storage services to virtual machines includes a persistent storage and a processor. The persistent storage stores workflows for the virtual machines. The processor performs a first remote backup of the virtual machines based on the workflows using production agents hosted by production hosts that also host the virtual machines; obtains a workflow update; updates the workflows based on the workflow update to obtain updated workflows; and performs a second remote backup of the virtual machines based on the updated workflows using the production hosts without modifying the production agents.

Abstract: A unified backup workflow process for different hypervisor configurations of virtual machines on different storage of a cluster leverages RCT-based backup functionality so that backup operations can be performed by a single host of the cluster. The process enables backing up together virtual machines that are local, as well as part of CSV or SMB storage using virtual machine level snapshots as checkpoints rather than volume level snapshots that were traditionally used. Backup data is sent to a backup server as a data stream rather than a file, which avoids the necessity of maintaining chains or structures that identify parent-child disks on the server.

Abstract: Embodiments are directed to a large-scale data backup system and method. A backup process accesses a defined policy defining how the virtual machines are to be grouped into a plurality of groups, and groups the plurality of virtual machines into the plurality of groups according to the defined policy with each group containing a number of virtual machines that can be backed up in a single backup operation without causing a system error. It then takes a snapshot backup of each group of the plurality of groups in a respective data rollover operation, and saves the snapshot backup of each group to a storage media. The policy may be a user-defined policy or a dynamic system-defined policy, and may be based on characteristics such as total number of virtual machines, system characteristics, and backup system constraints.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a system in response to a request to back up a virtual machine (VM) to a backup storage system, retrieves history data from the backup storage system. The history data has been previously backed up in the backup storage system during a previous backup operation of the VM. The history data includes a change tracking identifier (ID) associated with a consistent state of a VM disk attached to the VM at the point-in-time of the previous backup operation. The system validates the history data against a current configuration of the VM. The current configuration includes information of one or more current consistent states of the VM disk. The system determines a backup type for each of the current consistent states based on the validated history data. The system backs up each of the current consistent states based on the backup type.

Abstract: A method and system for implementing data lossless synthetic full backups. Specifically, the method and system disclosed herein improves upon traditional synthetic full backup operations by considering all user-checkpoint branches, rather than just the active user-checkpoint branch, representing all chains of incremental changes to a virtual disk of a virtual machine. In considering all user-checkpoint branches, no data pertinent to users involved in the development of the non-active (or inactive) user-checkpoint branches is lost.