Fast backup solution for cluster shared volumes shared across a cluster of nodes using extent sets as parallel save streams

1. A method for backing up a shared volume using parallel save streams, comprising:

taking a snapshot of the shared storage volume that is shared across a plurality of nodes;

identifying used blocks on the shared storage volume based on the snapshot;

organizing logically the used blocks into extent sets, wherein a number of the extent sets is equal to a number of the plurality of nodes;

assigning the extent sets to the plurality of nodes, wherein each of the plurality of nodes is assigned one extent set; and

streaming, by each of the plurality of nodes, a respective extent set to a backup apparatus, wherein the plurality of nodes stream the extent sets in parallel.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of nodes form a failover cluster, and the shared storage volume is a Cluster Shared Volume.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the extent sets are equally sized.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the extent sets are saved on the backup apparatus as differencing disk images.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein each node except for a last node shares a stream location of its extent set with a next node, and each node except for a first node receives the stream location of the extent set corresponding to a previous node from the previous node, and embeds the stream location of the extent set corresponding to the previous node within a Parent Locator Entry (PLE) of its own streamed extent set.

6. The method of claim 4 , further comprising merging the differencing disk images into a single disk image.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the backup apparatus is a deduplicated backup system.

8. A non-transitory machine-readable medium having instructions stored therein which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform backup operations, the operations comprising:

taking a snapshot of a shared storage volume that is shared across a plurality of nodes;

identifying used blocks on the shared storage volume based on the snapshot;

organizing logically the used blocks into extent sets, wherein a number of the extent sets is equal to a number of the plurality of nodes;

assigning the extent sets to the plurality of nodes, wherein each of the plurality of nodes is assigned one extent set; and

streaming, by each of the plurality of nodes, a respective extent set to a backup apparatus, wherein the plurality of nodes stream the extent sets in parallel.

9. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 8 , wherein the plurality of nodes form a failover cluster, and the shared storage volume is a Cluster Shared Volume.

10. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 8 , wherein the extent sets are equally sized.

11. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 8 , wherein the extent sets are saved on the backup apparatus as differencing disk images.

12. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 11 , wherein each node except for a last node shares a stream location of its extent set with a next node, and each node except for a first node receives the stream location of the extent set corresponding to a previous node from the previous node, and embeds the stream location of the extent set corresponding to the previous node within a Parent Locator Entry (PLE) of its own streamed extent set.

13. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 11 , the operations further comprising merging the differencing disk images into a single disk image.

14. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 8 , wherein the backup apparatus is a deduplicated backup system.

15. A data processing system, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor storing instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform backup operations, the operations including:

taking a snapshot of a shared storage volume that is shared across a plurality of nodes;

identifying used blocks on the shared storage volume based on the snapshot;

organizing logically the used blocks into extent sets, wherein a number of the extent sets is equal to a number of the plurality of nodes;

assigning the extent sets to the plurality of nodes, wherein each of the plurality of nodes is assigned one extent set; and

streaming, by each of the plurality of nodes, a respective extent set to a backup apparatus, wherein the plurality of nodes stream the extent sets in parallel.

16. The data processing system of claim 15 , wherein the plurality of nodes form a failover cluster, and the shared storage volume is a Cluster Shared Volume.

17. The data processing system of claim 15 , wherein the extent sets are equally sized.

18. The data processing system of claim 15 , wherein the extent sets are saved on the backup apparatus as differencing disk images.

19. The data processing system of claim 18 , wherein each node except for a last node shares a stream location of its extent set with a next node, and each node except for a first node receives the stream location of the extent set corresponding to a previous node from the previous node, and embeds the stream location of the extent set corresponding to the previous node within a Parent Locator Entry (PLE) of its own streamed extent set.

20. The data processing system of claim 18 , the operations further comprising merging the differencing disk images into a single disk image.

21. The data processing system of claim 15 , wherein the backup apparatus is a deduplicated backup system.