Patent attributes
A VM (Virtual Machine) backup calculates, for each of the VMs, a set of blocks corresponding to the VM for inclusion in a backup, such that the set of blocks is calculated according to a prioritized sequence of operations based on a storage array connected to the computing node. The method traverses each of the calculated set of blocks, in which the set of blocks is taken at a common point in time for each VM, and stores the traversed blocks in a backup format configured for restoring the VM corresponding to the set of blocks by restoring the blocks and corresponding blocks at the common point in time. The prioritized sequence of operations allows the most efficient approach to be attempted first, but ensuring robust coverage by attempting successive “fallback” approaches so that effective coverage of all VMs occurs.
