VM Back up enhancement

This feature will enhance VM backup functionality, to make it possible taking internal/external snapshots lively, and make it works better with underlining components such as LVM.

Name: Wenchao Xia
Email: xiawenc@linux.vnet.ibm.com, xiaxia347os@163.com

General Summary

This feature would provide APIs that can do:

1 block device live snapshot as internal/external/blank delta data, export sync API for all type.
2 vmstate live save as internal/external data, export async API for external data, fix the size problem.
3 combination(internal block snapshot + internal vmstate save, internal block snapshot + external vmstate save, external block snapshot external vmstate save).
4 a way to screen dump in the time of snapshot complete.

Component Details

Now qemu support block device live external snapshot, live migration to file, static internal block snapshot + internal vmstate save, following are the blanks need to be filled:

1 block device live internal snapshot, block device data drain, provide the interfaces in unified style.
2 change vmstate save from static to live, fix the problem that size is not predictable, add support to save vmstate to external file format that qemu support(raw, qcow2...).
3 an API allow management stack configure the combination.
4 qmp/hmp for related information retrieving.

User Cases

General goal from backup application persperctive:

Pic 1, general goal on backup server

Overall relationship of components:

pic2, co-operation relationship in the big picture

take LVM2 as an example as third party tool, vmstate save are optional:

Case 1: external image snapshot data + external vmstate data

This is what qemu 1.3 support. Step:

 1 save vmstate to external place.
 2 blkdev-snapshot-sync each block device.
 3 Copy out data.
 4 Resume.

Todo:

 Fix the vmstate size issue(may introduce a new API), provide a interface integrate the calls.

Advantage:

 less dependence, chain and block bitmap are managed by qemu.

Case 2: internal image snapshot data + external vmstate data

Step:

 1 save vmstate to external place.
 2 pause VM(may call GA before).
 3 internal snapshot each block device.
 4 LVM create snapshot.
 5 resume.

Todo:

 Fix the vmstate size issue, add block internal snapshot support, provide an interface integrate the calls.

Advantage:

 Internal snapshot are a bit faster, qemu managed the block snapshot consistence.

Lack:

 live commit internal snapshots now, so fit more for desktop usage now.

Case 3: internal image blank data (drain) + external vmstate data

Step:

 1 save vmstate to external place.
 2 pause VM(may call GA before).
 3 drain each block device.
 4 LVM create snapshot.
 5 resume.

Todo:

 Fix the vmstate size issue, add block device drain support, provide a interface integrate the calls.

Advantage:

 Fast, backing chain and block bitmap management can be offloaded from qemu to lower component, this also gives a chance to lower software/hardware to accelerate it.

Case 4: internal image snapshot data + internal vmstate data

This is what qemu support as static method. Step:

 1 save vmstate to internal place.
 2 internal snapshot each block device.
 (3) pause the vm.
 (4) LVM create snapshot.
 (5) resume.

Todo:

 Fix the vmstate size issue, change it to commit.

Advantage:

 qemu can manage bitmap and backing chain, so it is consistent.

Lack:

 Can't delete internal snapshit lively, so fit better for desktop usage.