Backup without overhead of installed backup agent
View Patent ↗Methods and apparatus involve providing computing backup for virtual representations on a physical hardware platform without the attendant overhead of an installed backup agent per each of the virtual representations. Representatively, a hardware platform has a processor and memory upon and a plurality of virtual machines are configured on the processor and memory as guest computing devices by way of scheduling control of a hypervisor layer. A common I/O path between the virtual machines and the hardware platform exists in the hypervisor layer and a single backup agent for the entirety of the virtual machines monitors data flows in the common I/O path. In this way, each virtual machine avoids dedicated backup agents, and their attendant overhead, especially by avoiding backup agents configured uniquely per a guest operating system, a guest file system, etc. Some other features contemplate particular I/O paths, operating systems, hypervisors, domains, and computer program products.
1. In a computing system environment, a method of providing computing backup, comprising:
providing a hardware platform upon which a plurality of virtual machines are configured;
providing a single backup agent for all the plurality of virtual machines; and
configuring the single backup agent to monitor a common I/O path between the plurality of virtual machines and the hardware platform.
2. The method of claim 1 , further including providing a hypervisor layer on the hardware platform, the common I/O path existing in the hypervisor layer.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein a host operating system exists on the hardware platform which is a same or different operating system than a guest operating system for each said plurality of virtual machines, further including configuring the single backup agent to primarily communicate with the host operating system.
4. In a computing system environment, a method of providing computing backup, comprising:
providing a hardware platform upon which a plurality of virtual machines are configured;
providing a hypervisor layer on the hardware platform, including a common I/O path for the virtual machines; and
providing a single backup agent for all the plurality of virtual machines, the single backup agent configured to monitor data flows in the common I/O path.
5. The method of claim 4 , further including providing a direct path I/O between physical drivers in a dom 0 domain and the hardware platform.
6. The method of claim 5 , further including providing the common I/O path between virtual drivers in a domU domain and the physical drivers in the dom 0 domain.
7. In a computing system environment, a method of providing computing backup, comprising:
receiving a hardware platform upon which a plurality of virtual machines are configured;
configuring a common I/O path between the virtual machines and the hardware platform; and
installing a single backup agent for all the plurality of virtual machines, the single backup agent installed to monitor data flows in the common I/O path.
8. The method of claim 7 , further including providing a direct path I/O between physical drivers in a dom 0 domain and the hardware platform.
9. The method of claim 8 , further including providing the common I/O path between virtual drivers in a domU domain and the physical drivers in the dom 0 domain.
10. The method of claim 9 , further including providing a hypervisor layer on the hardware platform, the common I/O path existing in the hypervisor layer.
11. The method of claim 9 , wherein a host operating system exists on the hardware platform which is a same or different operating system than a guest operating system for each said plurality of virtual machines, further including configuring the single backup agent relative to the host operating system.
12. In a computing system environment, a method of providing computing backup, comprising:
providing a hardware platform having a processor and memory upon which a plurality of virtual machines are configured;
providing a hypervisor layer on the hardware platform for scheduling control over the plurality of virtual machines, including providing a common I/O path between the plurality of virtual machines and the hardware platform; and
providing a single backup agent for all the plurality of virtual machines, the single backup agent configured to monitor data flows in the common I/O path.
13. A computing server, comprising:
a hardware platform, including a processor and memory;
a hypervisor layer on the hardware platform;
a plurality of virtual machines each operating as an independent guest computing device on the processor and memory by way of scheduling control from the hypervisor layer; and
a single backup agent for all of the plurality of virtual machines.
14. The computing server of claim 13 , wherein the hypervisor layer further includes an I/O path between I/O devices to be connected to the hardware platform and virtual or physical drivers for the I/O devices, the single backup agent configured to monitor data flows in the I/O path.
15. The computing server of claim 14 , wherein the I/O path includes a direct path between physical drivers in a dom 0 domain and the hardware platform.
16. The computing server of claim 15 , wherein the I/O path includes a virtual path between virtual drivers in a domU domain and the physical drivers in the dom 0 domain.
17. The computing server of claim 13 , further including a host operating system that is a same or different operating system than a guest operating system for each of the plurality of virtual machines, wherein the single backup agent is prioritized configured to communicate with the host operating system.
18. A computing server, comprising:
a hardware platform, including a processor and memory;
a hypervisor layer on the hardware platform including an I/O path;
a plurality of virtual machines each operating as an independent guest computing device on the processor and memory by way of scheduling control from the hypervisor layer; and
a single backup agent for the entirety of said plurality of virtual machines, the single backup agent configured to monitor data flows in the I/O path.
19. The computing server of claim 18 , including a dom 0 operating system that is a same or different operating system than a domU operating system for each said plurality of virtual machines, wherein the single backup agent is configured to communicate relative to the host operating system.
20. The computing server of claim 19 , wherein the dom 0 operating system is a Linux operating system.
21. The computing server of claim 18 , wherein the hypervisor layer is a Xen hypervisor.
22. A computing server, comprising:
a hardware platform, including a processor and memory;
a hypervisor layer on the hardware platform;
a plurality of virtual machines each operating as a guest computing device on the processor and memory by way of scheduling control from the hypervisor layer;
a common I/O path between the plurality of virtual machines and the hardware platform; and
a single backup agent configured to monitor the common I/O path for all of the plurality of virtual machines.
23. A computer program product available as a download or on a computer readable medium for loading on a computing server in a computing system environment to provide computing backup, the computer program product having executable instructions, comprising:
a component of executable instructions to install a single backup agent in a common I/O path between a hardware platform and a plurality of virtual machines that are configured on the hardware platform.
24. The computer program product of claim 23 , further including a second component of executable instructions to install a hypervisor layer on the hardware platform, the common I/O path existing in the hypervisor layer.
25. The computer program product of claim 24 , further including executable instructions to install the single backup agent to monitor data flows in either or both of 1) a direct path between physical drivers in a dom 0 domain and the hardware platform or 2) a virtual path between virtual drivers in a domU domain and the physical drivers in the dom 0 domain.