Nutanix, Inc.
Method, apparatus, and computer program product for generating consistent snapshots without quiescing applications

Abstract:

The present disclosure provides a method, apparatus, and computer program product for generating consistent snapshots without quiescing applications. The snapshots correspond to consistency groups that in turn correspond to one or more vDisks on one or more nodes. Some embodiments of the present disclosure address the problem of generating consistent backup snapshots that cover cases of multiple virtual machines (VMs) that operate in a multi-node distributed computing environment (e.g., in clusters) without quiescing the accessing entity(ies). In some embodiments, the process includes identification of a triggering snapshot event, disabling of write complete responses to requesting entities for the resources corresponding to the snapshot to be generated, generating snapshots while one or more additional write requests are received, and using one or more techniques to insure that all actions corresponding to the snapshotting function do not occur outside of a specified time frame.