Veritas Technologies LLC

Symantec Corporation

Suhas Ashok Dantkale

Satyendra Thakur

Niranjan Sanjiv Pendharkar

Kirubakaran Kaliannan

Chaitanya Yalamanchili

Prasad Vadlamannati

Christopher Uhler

Rakesh Ranjan

Frederick Bosco Anthonisamy

Prasanna V Wakhare

Abhishek Narula

Amarinder Singh Randhawa

Nirendra Awasthi

Yojana Narharrao Raut

Subhadeep De

Vidyut Kaul

Phani Karthik Maradani

Ketan Mahajan

Ketan Nilangekar

Puneet Bakshi

Vivek Agrawal

A method of converting a data format in a storage system is provided. The method includes identifying a condition for when to make a data conversion from a write-optimized virtual disk format to a read-optimized virtual disk format; and locating, in response to the identified condition, a version of data. The method may include moving the version of data to a thin-provisioned format in-place virtual disk and detecting a set of overwrites from a remaining set of versions of the data, including blocks of data having been previously overwritten. The method may further include compacting each block within the set of overwrites to create a contiguous block such that an associated physical memory space is reclaimed, wherein the read-optimized virtual disk format of the data includes the thin-provisioned format in-place virtual disk and the contiguous block.

Policy and heuristic based conversion of write-optimized virtual disk format into read-optimized virtual disk format

The disclosed computer-implemented method for performing data replication in distributed cluster environments may include (1) identifying a distributed cluster environment that includes (A) a plurality of compute nodes that execute a plurality of virtual machines and (B) a data node that stores data that has been replicated from storage devices used by the virtual machines, (2) determining, at the data node, storage-utilization totals for the virtual machines that represent amounts of storage space on the storage devices used by the virtual machines, (3) identifying, based at least in part on the storage-utilization totals, a virtual machine whose storage-utilization total is highest among the plurality of virtual machines, (4) prioritizing the virtual machine and then in response to the prioritization, (5) directing the compute node to initiate a data replication process with the data node in connection with the virtual machine. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.

Systems and methods for performing data replication in distributed cluster environments

The disclosed computer-implemented method for making snapshots available may include (i) identifying a writeback log that records input/output operations of a compute node within a high-availability environment, (ii) placing, in the writeback log, a marker that indicates a start of a snapshot to be stored on a data node, (iii) marking, after placing the marker and before all data within the snapshot has been transferred to the data node, the snapshot as available, (iv) receiving, from an additional compute node, a request to read from the snapshot, and (v) sending, from the compute node to the additional compute node, metadata indicating which portion of data from the snapshot is stored on the data node and which portion of the data from the snapshot is not stored on the data node but is stored in the writeback log. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.

Systems and methods for making snapshots available

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.

System and method for creating snapshots in openflame environment

Write operations are scheduled for multiple nodes in a shared storage cluster that supports volume replication. Requests are received from nodes for allocation of space for write operations in a replication log. In response to a received request, the current capacity of the requesting node to manage a backlog can be determined. The amount of space in the replication log allocated to the node is then calibrated to the node's capacity, thereby preventing self-throttling. A separate priority can be assigned to each volume, and space in the replication log assigned to each volume based on its priority. Nodes can target synchronous and other latency sensitive operations to higher priority volumes. A single global queue can be maintained to schedule write operations for all nodes, thereby providing a fair scheduling. A separate local queue can be maintained for each node, thereby providing specific levels of preference to specific nodes.

I/O scheduling and load balancing across the multiple nodes of a clustered environment

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.

Adaptive throttling in hybrid storage environments

A system and method for minimizing duplicate data transfer in a clustered storage system, having compute nodes in a compute plane coupled to data nodes in a data plane is provided. The method may include generating a hash key relating to content of a virtual disk associated with a compute node. During a data replication phase, the method may detect duplicate data stored in respective storage units of the compute node and the data node using the hash key. Further, the method may eliminate redundant data transfers through the use of an index and mapping scheme, where only non-duplicate data is transferred along with a set of logical block addresses associated with duplicate data from the replicating compute node to the data node. During a data recovery phase, the method may transfer duplicate data from a peer compute node or from a virtual machine to the requesting compute node, eliminating excess data transfer.

Scalable clusterwide de-duplication

I/O scheduling and load balancing across the multiple nodes of a clustered environment using a single global queue

I/O scheduling and load balancing across the multiple nodes of a clustered environment utilizing data volume based scheduling priorities

A computer-implemented method for distributing replication tasks within computing clusters may include (1) identifying a primary volume that is replicated to a secondary volume, (2) identifying a computing cluster with access to the primary volume that includes at least a first node and a second node, (3) receiving a request to write data to the primary volume, (4) logging, via the first node, the request to write the data to the primary volume to a replication log, and (5) using the replication log to replicate, via the second node, the data to the secondary volume. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.

Systems and methods for distributing replication tasks within computing clusters

A method and system for load balancing. The method includes determining that connectivity between a first host and a primary array controller of a storage system has failed. The first host is configured to send input/output messages (I/Os) to a storage system through a storage network fabric. An available host is discovered at a multi-pathing driver of the first host. The available host is capable of delivering I/Os to the primary array controller. An I/O is redirected from said first host to the available host over a secondary communication network for delivery to the storage system.

Method and system for cluster wide adaptive I/O scheduling by a multipathing driver

A reconfiguration is distributed among multiple nodes of a cluster. Upon detecting an initiation of a reconfiguration of the cluster, reconfiguration functionality is delegated from the master node to one or more slave nodes in the cluster. Thus, multiple nodes perform reconfiguration functionality in parallel, such that one or more slave nodes perform delegated reconfiguration tasks that would conventionally be performed by the master node. The cluster reconfiguration can be in the form of one or more nodes joining or leaving the cluster. Data to facilitate the cluster reconfiguration can be transmitted from the master node to a slave node to which reconfiguration functionality is being delegated. Such data can include, for example, identifiers of nodes joining or leaving the cluster and/or information concerning the architecture and shared storage media of the cluster.

Distributed cluster reconfiguration

A computer-implemented method for achieving file-level data-protection operations using block-level technologies may include: 1) identifying an I/O operation directed to at least one data block on a primary storage system, 2) accessing a data-protection list that uniquely identifies files that are to be protected by a data-protection operation, 3) determining that the I/O operation is directed to at least a portion of at least one file identified on the data-protection list, and then, in response to the determination, 4) performing the data-protection operation on the I/O operation. Various additional methods, systems, and configured computer-readable media are also disclosed.

Systems and methods for achieving file-level data-protection operations using block-level technologies

A method and apparatus for securing data volumes to a remote computer using journal volumes is provided. In one embodiment, a method for securing data volumes in memory to a remote computer using at least one processor includes accessing at least one data volume and at least one journal volume, replicating the at least one journal volume after each operation of a plurality of file system operations associated with the at least one data volume and creating at least one data volume copy at a remote computer using the at least one replicated journal volume.

Growing community of inventors

Mountain View, CA, United States of America

Suhas Ashok Dantkale