Elastic virtual backup proxy

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10579283-B1
Application number	US-201715499742-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Apr 27, 2017
Priority date	Apr 27, 2017
Publication date	Mar 3, 2020
Grant date	Mar 3, 2020

Abstract

Rules are stored for dynamically managing virtual machine backups in a computing environment. Each rule includes a triggering condition and an action to be performed when the triggering condition is satisfied. A selection of at least one rule to apply to the environment is received. The environment is polled to detect changes. The selected at least one rule is evaluated against a detected change. Based on the evaluation, a determination is made that a triggering condition has been satisfied. An action specified in the at least one rule is performed where the action includes one of commissioning a new virtual backup proxy or decommissioning an existing virtual backup proxy.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
storing a plurality of rules, each rule comprising a triggering condition, and an action to be performed when the triggering condition is satisfied, wherein a first action in a first rule comprises automatically commissioning a new virtual backup proxy to backup virtual machines in a computing environment, and a second action in a second rule comprises automatically decommissioning an existing virtual backup proxy in the computing environment, each virtual backup proxy being a virtual machine that is hosted by a host;
receiving from a user a selection of at least one rule to be applied to the computing environment;
polling the computing environment to detect changes in the computing environment;
evaluating the selected at least one rule against a detected change in the computing environment;
based on the evaluating, determining that a triggering condition specified in the at least one rule has been satisfied; and
performing, in response to the triggering condition specified in the at least one rule being satisfied, automatically commissioning the new virtual backup proxy when the selected at least one rule is the first rule or automatically decommissioning the existing virtual backup proxy when the selected at least one rule is the second rule to dynamically manage a number of virtual backup proxies in the computing environment, the automatically decommissioning comprising purging the existing virtual backup proxy.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the triggering condition in the at least one rule specifies a ratio comprising a number of virtual backup proxies and a number of virtual machines, and the method comprises:
detecting that a current number of virtual machines in the computing environment exceeds the ratio; and
commissioning one or more new virtual backup proxies to comply with the ratio.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the triggering condition in the at least one rule specifies a ratio comprising a number of virtual backup proxies and a number of virtual machines, and the method comprises:
detecting that a current number of virtual backup proxies in the computing environment exceeds the ratio; and
decommissioning one or more existing virtual backup proxies to comply with the ratio.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the triggering condition in the at least one rule specifies a number of concurrent backup sessions that a virtual backup proxy is allowed to manage, and the method comprises:
detecting that an existing virtual backup proxy is managing a number of concurrent backup sessions that exceeds the number of concurrent backup sessions allowed; and
commissioning one or more new virtual backup proxies to reduce the number of concurrent backup sessions being handled by the existing virtual backup proxy.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the triggering condition in the at least one rule specifies a threshold duration of time that a virtual backup proxy should be in service, and the method comprises:
detecting that an existing virtual backup proxy has been in service for a period of time that exceeds the threshold duration; and
decommissioning the existing virtual backup proxy.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the commissioning a new virtual backup proxy to backup virtual machines comprises:
selecting, from a template repository, a virtual backup proxy template having an operating system image of an operating system that is the same as a virtual machine to be backed up.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein automatically commissioning the new virtual backup proxy in response to the triggering condition being satisfied comprises recording, in a configuration database, a new Internet Protocol (IP) address assigned to the newly commissioned virtual backup proxy.

8. The method of claim 1 comprising:
displaying, on an electronic screen, a dialog box comprising an option specifying elastic virtual backup proxies;
receiving a selection of the option from a user; and
in response to the user selecting the option for elastic virtual backup proxies, automatically changing the number of virtual backup proxies based on one or more of a plurality of factors, the plurality of factors comprising a first factor indicating a number of virtual machines to backup, a second factor indicating a backup window time, a third factor indicating a duration of time that a virtual backup proxy has been in service, a fourth factor indicating a number of concurrent backup sessions, and a fifth factor indicating a level of service specified in a service level agreement.

9. A system for elastic management of virtual backup proxies, the system comprising: a processor-based system executed on a computer system and configured to:
store a plurality of rules for dynamically managing virtual machine backups in a computing environment, each rule comprising a triggering condition, and an action to be performed when the triggering condition is satisfied, wherein a first action in a first rule comprises automatically decommissioning an existing virtual backup proxy in the computing environment;
poll the computing environment to detect changes in the computing environment;
evaluate the first rule against a detected change in the computing environment;
based on the evaluation, determine that a triggering condition specified in the first rule has been satisfied;
perform, in response to the triggering condition specified in the first rule being satisfied, automatically decommissioning the existing virtual backup proxy, the automatically decommissioning the existing virtual backup proxy comprising purging the existing virtual backup proxy; and
updating a graphical topology map from a first pictorial representation to a second pictorial representation, different from the first pictorial representation, wherein the first pictorial representation comprises a plurality of virtual machine widgets representing the virtual machines, a first virtual backup proxy widget representing the existing virtual backup proxy, and a plurality of graphical linkages between the virtual machine widgets and the first virtual backup proxy widget, representing an assignment of the existing virtual backup proxy to the virtual machines, and
wherein the second pictorial representation comprises the plurality of virtual machine widgets and does not comprise the first virtual backup proxy widget because the existing virtual backup proxy has been purged.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein a second action in a second rule comprises automatically commissioning a new virtual backup proxy, a triggering condition in the second rule specifies a ratio comprising a number of virtual backup proxies and a number of virtual machines, and the processor-based system is configured to:
detect that a current number of virtual machines in the computing environment exceeds the ratio;
determine that the triggering condition in the second rule has been satisfied; and
commission one or more new virtual backup proxies to comply with the ratio in response to the triggering condition in the second rule being satisfied.

11. The system of claim 9 wherein a second action in a second rule comprises automatically decommissioning an existing virtual backup proxy, a triggering condition in the second rule specifies a ratio comprising a number of virtual backup proxies and a number of virtual machines, and the processor-based system is configured to:
detect that a current number of virtual backup proxies in the computing environment exceeds the ratio;
determine that the triggering condition in the second rule has been satisfied; and
decommission one or more existing virtual backup proxies to comply with the ratio in re

Assignees

• Emc Ip Holding Co Llc

Inventors

• Chopra Shelesh
• Kulkarni Gururaj
• Mohammed Samad
• Mandic Vladimir

Classifications

• G06F2009/45587

  Isolation or security of virtual machine instances · CPC title

• G06F2009/45579

  I/O management, e.g. providing access to device drivers or storage · CPC title

• G06F2009/45562

  Creating, deleting, cloning virtual machine instances · CPC title

• G06F8/65

  Updates (security arrangements therefor G06F21/57) · CPC title

• G06F2009/45583

  Memory management, e.g. access or allocation · CPC title