Patent attributes
Methods and apparatus involve providing computing backup for virtual representations on a physical hardware platform without the attendant overhead of an installed backup agent per each of the virtual representations. Representatively, a hardware platform has a processor and memory upon and a plurality of virtual machines are configured on the processor and memory as guest computing devices by way of scheduling control of a hypervisor layer. A common I/O path between the virtual machines and the hardware platform exists in the hypervisor layer and a single backup agent for the entirety of the virtual machines monitors data flows in the common I/O path. In this way, each virtual machine avoids dedicated backup agents, and their attendant overhead, especially by avoiding backup agents configured uniquely per a guest operating system, a guest file system, etc. Some other features contemplate particular I/O paths, operating systems, hypervisors, domains, and computer program products.
