Method, computer program product, and system for providing a multi-tiered snapshot of virtual disks

A computer program product for saving an object in a tier of a multi-tier virtual storage system while the storage system is active, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having a computer readable program, wherein the computer readable program, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to:

• identity an object to be saved in an upper-level tier in the multi-tier storage system;
• instruct servers associated with lower-level tiers below the tier containing the object to be saved to obtain the latest data stored in the respective associated tiers, use temporary storage to store the obtained data and handle any modifications to the obtained data, and cause applications running in the respective tiers to quiesce;
• make a copy of the identified object;
• and
• instruct the servers associated with the lower-level tiers to obtain the data from the temporary storage and resume quiesced applications running in the respective tiers.

A multi-tier virtual storage system, comprising:

• multiple tiers containing data associated with multiple respective servers, wherein the multi-tier virtual storage system resides on one or more physical storage devices;
• and
• a virtual storage space and Ethernet layer enabling communication between the tiers, wherein when an object to be saved in an upper-level tier in the multi-tier storage system is identified, servers associated with lower-level tiers below the tier containing the object to be saved obtain the latest data stored in the respective associated tiers, use temporary storage to store the obtained data and handle any modifications to the obtained data, and cause applications running in the respective tiers to quiesce;
• and
• a file for making a copy of the identified object, wherein once the identified object is copied, the servers associated with the lower-level tiers obtain the data from the temporary storage and resume quiesced applications running in the respective tiers.