Efficiently restoring execution of a backed up virtual machine based on coordination with virtual-machine-file-relocation operations

A method for restoring execution of a virtual machine on a host computing device in a storage management system, based on coordination with a virtual-machine-file-relocation operation, the method comprising:

• prior to execution of the virtual machine, receiving, by a media agent component of the storage management system from a data agent component of the storage management system, a profile of the virtual machine;
• determining, by the media agent, based on the profile of the virtual machine, a first set of data blocks to be copied from a backup copy of data associated with the virtual machine, wherein the backup copy is stored on a secondary storage device in communication with the media agent, and wherein the backup copy comprises at least one of a configuration file and a virtual disk associated with the virtual machine;
• copying the first set of data blocks, by the media agent, from the backup copy to a read-cache associated with the media agent on a secondary storage computing device;
• launching execution of the virtual machine on the host computing device, based on the first set of data blocks, which set of blocks is served by the media agent from the read-cache;
• copying a second set of data blocks, by the media agent, from the backup copy to the read-cache, wherein the second set of data blocks is based on a relocation sequence of the virtual-machine-file-relocation operation, and wherein the virtual-machine-file-relocation operation comprises a logical transfer, according to the relocation sequence, of the backup copy to a destination on a primary storage device in communication with the host computing device;
• serving a read request for a data block, by the media agent, wherein the serving the read request comprises:
• (i) if the requested data block is not found in the read-cache, copying, by the media agent, the requested data block from the backup copy to the read-cache, and
• (ii) transmitting, by the media agent, the requested data block from the read-cache;
• and
• wherein while the virtual machine executes on the host computing device prior to the virtual-machine-file-relocation operation, the media agent serves the read request at a higher priority than the copying the second set of data blocks from the backup copy to the read-cache, as instructed by the data agent.

A method for coordinating, in a storage management system, between a restoration of a virtual machine and a virtual-machine-file-relocation operation, the method comprising:

• instructing a media agent, by a data agent, to copy a first set of data blocks from a copy of data associated with the virtual machine to a read-cache associated with the media agent,
• wherein the copy of data comprises one or more configuration files and one or more virtual disks and is stored on a secondary storage device, and
• wherein the first set of data blocks is based on a profile of the virtual machine that pertains to launching execution of the virtual machine on a host computing device;
• launching execution of the virtual machine on the host computing device, based at least in part on the first set of data blocks;
• instructing the media agent, by the data agent, to copy a second set of data blocks from the copy of data to the read-cache,
• wherein the virtual-machine-file-relocation operation comprises a logical transfer, according to a relocation sequence, of the copy of data associated with the virtual machine to a destination on a primary storage device that is in communication with the host computing device, and
• wherein the second set of data blocks is based on the relocation sequence;
• while the virtual machine executes on the host computing device prior to the virtual-machine-file-relocation operation, instructing the media agent, by the data agent, to serve a read request for a data block that originates from the host computing device, wherein serving the read request comprises:
• (i) if the requested data block is not found in the read-cache, copying, by the media agent, the requested data block from the copy of data to the read-cache, and
• (ii) transmitting, by the media agent, the requested data block from the read-cache, wherein the read request is to be served at a higher priority than the copying the second set of data from the copy of data to the read-cache;
• and
• while the virtual machine and the virtual-machine-file-relocation operation execute concurrently on the host computing device, instructing the media agent, by the data agent, to:
• (A) serve the read request for the data block that originates from the host computing device, wherein serving the read request comprises:
• (i) if the requested data block is not found in the read-cache, copying, by the media agent, the requested data block from the copy of data to the read-cache, and (ii) transmitting, by the media agent, the requested data block from the read-cache, and
• (B) copy a third set of data blocks from the copy of data to the read-cache, wherein the third set of data blocks is based on the relocation sequence of the virtual-machine-file-relocation operation, and wherein the copying of the third set of data blocks is to be at the same priority as the serving the read request.