Abstract: Embodiments for a method of backing up virtual hard disks by: parsing a list of base parent and differencing disks to identify disk parameters and child disks of immediate parent disks; creating a differencing disk chain in reverse time order of modification of the base parent disk starting from the base parent disk to a latest child differencing disk; identifying changed sectors in each child disk starting from the latest child differencing disk; creating a list detailing a respective differencing disk, sector offsets and logical data sector index for each changed sector; iteratively adding updated sectors to the list for latest changed sectors that were not previously added to the list by a later child disk by reading the changed sectors from their respective child disk; and merging, in a single step, the changed sectors read from their respective child disks into the base parent disk.

Abstract: A backup manager for managing backup services includes persistent storage and a backup analyzer. The persistent storage includes a backup data repository and protection policies. The backup analyzer identifies a new backup stored in backup storage; performs a backup compatibility analysis on the new backup to determine inter-backup compatibility of the identified new backup; updates the backup data repository based on the inter-backup compatibility to obtain an updated backup data repository; and modifies a backup schedule using the updated backup data repository to meet a requirement of a protection policy of the protection policies.

Abstract: A manager for managing generation of backups for clients includes persistent storage and a backup manager. The persistent storage stored protection policies associated with the clients and native backup functionality information associated with the clients. The backup manager programmed obtains a portion of the native backup functionality information from a client of the clients; obtains at least one protection policy of the protection policies that is associated with the client; makes a determination that the at least one protection policy and the portion of the native backup functionality information are unique; in response to the determination: generates modifier data based on: the portion of the native backup functionality information and the at least one protection policy; and generates a backup for the client using a modifier associated with the modifier data.

Abstract: A manager for providing services to clients includes persistent storage and an orchestration manager. The persistent storage includes protection policies. The orchestration manager obtains a backup from a client of the clients based on a protection policy of the protection policies; makes a determination that an application catalog associated with the client is not stored in backup storages; in response to making the determination: obtains the application catalog from the client; stores the application catalog in the backup storages; and stores the obtained backup in the backup storages.

Abstract: A backup storage for managing backups of clients includes persistent storage and a backup analyzer. The persistent storage includes the backups, protection policies, and an early deletion schedule. The backup analyzer obtains a request to analyze a protection policy of the protection policies; in response to obtaining the request: obtains backup data information associated with the protection policy; makes a determination, based on the backup data information and the protection policy, that a portion of the backups associated with the protection policies overprotect a client of the clients associated with the protection policy; and modifies the early deletion schedule based on the determination to obtain a modified early deletion schedule.

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: Techniques for virtual proxy based backup of virtual machines in a cluster environment are disclosed. In some embodiments, each of a subset of virtual machines hosted by physical nodes in a cluster environment is configured as a virtual proxy dedicated to backup operations. During backup, data rollover of each virtual machine in the cluster environment that is subjected to backup is performed using a virtual proxy.

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 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: 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: 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 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 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: 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.