Comm Vault Systems, Inc.

Sunil Kumar Gutta

Rahul S Pawar

Sri Karthik Bhagi

Vijay H Agrawal

Henry Wallace Dornemann

Amit Mitkar

Sumedh Pramod Degaonkar

Jianwei Chen

Jon-Paul Futey

Amit Bhaskar Ausarkar

Manojkumar Machindra Waghmare

Systems and methods disclosed herein improve on current technology for block-level data replication to cloud computing environments. A new system architecture deploys one or more replication tail proxies in a cloud computing environment, locally (at the cloud) tracks replicated data and determines which replicated data meet criteria for reconstructing a desired point-in-time in the cloud, and persists data blocks received at the replication tail proxy until they are processed as recovery points. The disclosed approach presents resiliency and performance advantages. First, the resiliency of block-level data replication to cloud is improved by deploying the replication tail proxy in the destination cloud. Second, a Recovery Time Objective (RTO) is reduced by enabling faster cloud deployment of virtual machines for disaster recovery, failover, and/or test purposes based on the replicated data.

Cloud-based destination for block-level data replication processing

An illustrative live synchronization feature uses file system block-level backup copies, snapshot techniques, change tracking, and volume-level granularity to ensure the integrity of destination volumes. Two protection mechanisms guard the destination data and ensure consistency from one live sync restore to the next. First, an inter-job software snapshot captures the destination volume image after each restore. The snapshot is created at the very end of each live sync restore and is reverted at the beginning of the next live sync restore. A second and more granular protection mechanism uses intra-job block monitoring to detect, and later to reverse, changes that the snapshots cannot capture. This second mechanism acts as a mini-block-level restore nested inside another block-level restore. This dual approach ensures that each incremental live sync restore finds the destination volume with a guaranteed pristine image identical to where the preceding live sync restore left it.

Ensuring the integrity of data storage volumes used in block-level live synchronization operations in a data storage management system

Systems and methods for performing file-level restore operations for block-level data volumes are described. In some embodiments, the systems and methods restore data from a block-level data volume contained in secondary storage by receiving a request to restore one or more files from the block-level data volume, mounting a virtual disk to the block-level data volume, accessing one or more mount paths established by the virtual disk between the data agent and the block-level data volume, and browsing data from one or more files within the block-level data volume via the established one or more mount paths provided by the virtual disk.

Restore for block-level backups

Embodiments disclosed herein include systems and processes for replicating one or more user computing systems of an information management system at an external resource system to create a backup or fallback of the user computing systems. Replicating the user computing systems may include replicating data as well as the applications, operating systems and configuration of the user computing systems. This replicated or fallback user computing system may be implemented on a virtual machine at the external resource system. Thus, if a user computing system becomes inaccessible, a new user computing system can be generated based on the backup copy of the user computing system at the external resource system. Further, in some embodiments, the copy of the user computing system may be interacted with at the external resource system. Thus, certain embodiments disclosed herein can be used to transition an information management system to an external resource system.

External dynamic virtual machine synchronization

An information management system is described herein that performs either a pre-processing or a post-processing operation to increase browse and restore speeds when a user attempts to browse for and restore files from a secondary copy of a data volume. For example, the information management system can implement the pre-processing operation by parsing a master file table (MFT) when a secondary copy operation is initiated on the data volume. The information management system can implement the post-processing operation by parsing the MFT after a secondary copy operation is complete. The parsing can occur to identify records of the MFT that include information useful for enabling a user to browse a secondary copy of the data volume. The information management system can then store the secondary copy of these records for use later in constructing an interface for browsing a secondary copy of the data volume.

Faster browse of secondary copies of block-level data volumes

Hypervisor-independent block-level live browse is used for directly accessing backed up virtual machine (VM) data. Hypervisor-free file-level recovery (block-level pseudo-mount) from backed up VMs also is disclosed. Backed up virtual machine ('VM') data can be browsed without needing or using a hypervisor. Individual backed up VM files can be requested and restored to anywhere without a hypervisor and without the need to restore the rest of the backed up virtual disk. Hypervisor-agnostic VM backups can be browsed and recovered without a hypervisor and from anywhere, and individual backed up VM files can be restored to anywhere, e.g., to a different VM platform, to a non-VM environment, without restoring an entire virtual disk, and without a recovery data agent at the destination.

Hypervisor-independent block-level live browse for access to backed up virtual machine (VM) data and hypervisor-free file-level recovery (block- level pseudo-mount)

An illustrative ISCSI server computing device provides user computing devices with 'private writable snapshots' of a desired volume of data and/or further provides 'private writable backup copies.' The ISCSI service is provided without invoking snapshot limits imposed by storage arrays and further without specialized backup software and pseudo-disk drivers installed on the user computing devices. A user can browse as well as edit personal versions of any number and/or versions of block-level backup copies&#x2014;the &#x201c;private writable backup copies.&#x201d; Likewise, a user can browse and edit personal versions of any number of snapshots of one or more versions of one or more desired data volumes&#x2014;the &#x201c;private writable snapshots.&#x201d; A user can have any number of co-existing private writable snapshots and private writable backup copies. Sparse files, extent-files, software snapshots, and/or media agents co-residing on the ISCSI server are used in the illustrative embodiments.

Live browsing and private writable environments based on snapshots and/or backup copies provided by an ISCSI server

Browse and restore for block-level backups

Hypervisor-independent block-level live browse for access to backed up virtual machine (VM) data and hypervisor-free file-level recovery (block-level pseudo-mount)

Growing community of inventors

Hyderabad Telangana, India

Sunil Kumar Gutta