Method for compute element state replication

1. A method for compute element state replication, the method comprising:

transforming at least a subset of metadata of a source compute element from a memory based tier of the source compute element to a block representation;

within a destination compute element, mounting the block represented metadata;

reverse transforming the metadata to a memory based tier of the destination compute element; and

using the reverse transformed metadata to operate the destination compute element.

2. The method of claim 1 comprising copying data exclusive to the memory based tier, to a storage service accessible to the destination compute element prior to transforming at least a subset of metadata of the source compute element.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein transforming metadata comprises maintaining base addresses and offsets of the data and metadata.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein transforming metadata comprises transforming memory pointers to a logical representation and reverse transforming comprises restoring the memory pointers based on the logical representation.

5. The method of claim 1 comprising a step of freeze or snapshot prior to transforming the at least subset of metadata.

6. The method of claim 1 comprising:

transforming at least a subset of metadata of the source compute element from the memory based tier of the source compute element to a block representation on a physical storage device; and

moving the physical storage device into the destination compute element.

7. The method of claim 1 comprising:

transforming at least a subset of metadata of the source compute element from the memory based tier of the source compute element to a block representation on a virtual storage service;

replicating the virtual storage service; and

reverse transforming the metadata from the replicated virtual storage service to a memory based tier of a destination compute element corresponding to the replicated virtual storage service, to create multiple copies of the source compute element.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein reverse transforming the metadata comprises reverse transforming a subset of the transformed metadata.

9. The method of claim 8 comprising reverse transforming a subset of the transformed metadata upon demand.

10. A method for tiering, the method comprising:

transforming metadata from a memory based tier in a source compute element to a block representation;

copying the transformed metadata to a block based tier;

reading the block representation in the block based tier upon an access request to data associated with the metadata; and

reverse transforming the metadata to a memory based tier in a destination compute element.

11. The method of claim 10 comprising transforming a subset of the metadata from the memory based tier.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the subset of metadata comprises metadata related to cold files.

13. The method of claim 10 comprising reverse transforming a subset of the transformed metadata.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the subset of reversed transformed metadata comprises metadata associated with accessed data.

15. The method of claim 10 wherein the memory based tier comprises a virtual machine and wherein the block based tier comprises an elastic block service.

16. A memory based storage system, the system comprising:

a source compute element comprising a source memory based tier;

a destination compute element comprising a destination memory based tier; and

a processor to

transform at least a subset of metadata of the source compute element from the source memory based tier to a block representation;

within the destination compute element, mount the block represented metadata; and

reverse transform the transformed metadata to the destination memory based tier.

17. The system of claim 16 further comprising a storage service accessible to the source compute element and to the destination compute element and wherein the processor is to copy exclusive data to the storage service prior to transforming at least a subset of metadata of the source compute element.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the destination compute element comprises the storage service.

19. The system of claim 16 wherein the processor is to reverse transform a subset of the transformed metadata.