Live rollback for a computing environment

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10379967-B2
Application number	US-201715583975-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 1, 2017
Priority date	Dec 1, 2014
Publication date	Aug 13, 2019
Grant date	Aug 13, 2019

Abstract

A first computing device is provided for rolling back a computing environment. The computing device includes processors configured to acquire a stream containing entries including snapshot entries, memory entries, and input/output entries wherein each entry includes information and is associated with a timestamp. The processors are further configured to receive a snapshot entry associated with a first timestamp, revert to a memory state using information provided in at least one memory entry associated with a timestamp after the first timestamp, and re-execute a previously executed process, wherein the re-execution of the process is started using the first timestamp, information from the received snapshot entry, and information for input/output operations corresponding to the input/output entries associated with timestamps after the first timestamp.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A device for creating a rollback stream, the device comprising:
a memory wherein one or more streams are stored in the memory, the one or more streams comprising data to allow for execution of a running process by a computing environment;
one or more processors configured to:
monitor the computing device for an occurrence of an event comprising one of a timer expiration, a memory exception or an input/output operation;
responsive to detecting the occurrence of the event:
gather snapshot data and generate a timestamp based on the event;
marking at least a portion of the memory as one of copy-on-write, read-only or write based on which event is detected;
and
responsive to the event, write the snapshot data associated with the event and the timestamp to the one or more streams.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the event is the timer expiration and wherein the snapshot data associated with the event comprises a state of at least one of the one or more processors.

3. The device of claim 2 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to mark all the memory as one of copy-on-write or read-only responsive to the timer expiration.

4. The device of claim 1 , wherein the event is the memory exception.

5. The device of claim 4 , wherein, responsive to the memory exception, the one or more processors are further configured to mark at least a portion of memory as read-only.

6. The device of claim 4 , wherein, responsive to the memory exception, the one or more processors being further configured to:
mark at least the portion of memory as copy-on-write.

7. The device of claim 1 , wherein the event is the input/output operation and the one or more processors being further configure to mark at least the portion of memory as write and write the I/O operation data and previously generated timestamp to the one or more streams.

8. The device of claim 1 , wherein the timestamp is based on a processor register value.

9. The device of claim 1 , wherein the timestamp is based on a processor retired instruction counter.

10. A method for the creation of a rollback stream, the method being performed by a computing device, the method comprising:
storing one or more streams in memory for a computing device, the one or more streams comprising data to allow for execution of a running process by a computing environment;
monitoring the computing device for an occurrence of an event comprising one of a timer expiration, a memory exception or an input/output operation;
responsive to detecting the occurrence of the event:
gather snapshot data and generate a timestamp based on the event;

marking at least a portion of the memory as one of copy-on-write, read-only or write based on which event is detected; and
responsive to the event, write the snapshot data associated with the event and the timestamp to the one or more streams.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the event is the timer expiration and wherein the snapshot data associated with the event comprises a state of at least one of the one or more processors.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein all the memory is marked as one of copy-on-write or read-only responsive to the timer expiration.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the timer expiration is the expiration of a plurality of timers operating at variable intervals.

14. The method of claim 10 , wherein the event is the memory exception.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein responsive to the memory exception and marking at least a portion of memory as read-only.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein responsive to the memory exception marking at least the portion of memory as copy-on-write.

17. The method of claim 10 , wherein the timestamp is based on a processor register value.

18. The method of claim 10 , wherein the timestamp is based on a processor retired instruction counter.

19. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instructions that are executable by one or more processors of a computing device to cause the device to perform a method for the creation of a rollback stream, the method comprising:
storing one or more streams in memory for a computing device, the one or more comprising data to allow for execution of a running process by a computing environment
monitoring the computing device for an occurrence of an event comprising one of a timer expiration, a memory exception or an input/output operation;
responsive to detecting the occurrence of the event:
gather snapshot data and generate a timestamp based on the event;
marking at least a portion of the memory as one of copy-on-write, read-only or write based on which event is detected; and

responsive to the event, write the snapshot data associated with the event and the timestamp to the one or more streams.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 19 , wherein the event is the timer expiration and wherein the snapshot data associated with the event comprises a state of at least one of the one or more processors.

21. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 20 , wherein the timer expiration is an expiration of one of a plurality of timers operating at variable intervals.

22. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 20 , wherein the expiration is an expiration of a plurality of timers operating at variable intervals.

23. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 19 , wherein the event is the memory exception.

24. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 23 , wherein responsive to the memory exception marking at least the portion of memory as read only.

25. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 23 , wherein responsive to the memory exception marking at least the portion of memory as copy-on-write.

26. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 19 , wherein the timestamp is based on a processor register value.

27. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 19 , wherein the timestamp is based on a processor retired instruction counter.

Assignees

• Citrix System Inc
• Citrix Systems Inc

Inventors

• Wade Chris
• Skowronek Stanislaw

Classifications

• G06F2201/815

  Virtual · CPC title

• G06F11/3476

  Data logging (G06F11/14, G06F11/2205 take precedence) · CPC title

• G06F2201/84

  Using snapshots, i.e. a logical point-in-time copy of the data · CPC title

• G06F11/3096

  wherein the means or processing minimize the use of computing system or of computing system component resources, e.g. non-intrusive monitoring which minimizes the probe effect: sniffing, intercepting, indirectly deriving the monitored data from other directly available data · CPC title

• G06F11/1469 Primary

  Backup restoration techniques · CPC title