Creating host-level application-consistent backups of virtual machines

摘要

A host server hosting one or more virtual machines can back up host volumes and the one or more virtual machines installed thereon in an application-consistent manner. In one implementation, a host-level requestor instructs a host-level writer to identify which virtual machines qualify for application-consistent backups. The host-level requestor then instructs the host-level writer to initiate virtual machine backups through guest-level requesters in each appropriately-configured virtual machine, wherein the virtual machines create application-consistent backups within the virtual machine volumes. The host-level requester then initiates snapshots of the server volumes on the host-level. The virtual machine-level snapshots can thus be retrieved from within the host-level snapshots of the server volumes.

主权项

1. A computer-implemented method of producing a backup of virtual machine data, the method comprising:
creating a first snapshot of a host volume associated with a host system, the host volume comprising host data and virtual machine data, wherein the virtual machine data is associated with a virtual machine running on the host system; causing the virtual machine to produce a second snapshot, the second snapshot comprising data from an application running on the virtual machine; causing the application to write data to the second snapshot, wherein the data is consistent with a current state of the application, the current state comprising in-memory data of the application; and updating a portion of the first snapshot of the host volume with the second snapshot, the portion associated with the data from the application.