Selecting a backup process for a file system

• US 10,452,486 B2
• Filed: 01/30/2014
• Issued: 10/22/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Inventors: Nanivadekar, Mandar
• Primary Examiner(s): Leroux, Etienne P
• Assistant Examiner(s): Agharahimi, Farhad
• Application Number:
  US15/114,954
• Publication Number:
  US 20160342481A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,091 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1451 by selection of backup contents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1458 Management of the backup or restore process
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1461 Backup scheduling policy
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1469 Backup restoration techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3034 where the computing system component is a storage system, e.g. DASD based or network based digital input from or digital output to record carriers G06F3/06; digital recording or reproducing G11B20/18; for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS], H04L67/1097
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/113 Details of archiving lifecycle management in storage systems G06F3/0649; backup systems G06F11/1446
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/81 Threshold
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0619 in relation to data integrity, e.g. data losses, bit errors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0644 Management of space entities, e.g. partitions, extents, pools
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/065 Replication mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0673 Single storage device

Abstract

A computer-implemented system or method for selecting a backup process for backing up a file system. The selection of a backup process can be based on multiple criteria, including an estimated completion time for each of multiple available backup processes.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium that stores instructions, that when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

estimating a completion time for performing each of a file system backup process and image backup process for backing up at least a portion of a volume of a file system;

selecting one of the file system backup process or the image backup process to back up the volume of the file system,

wherein selecting is based at least in part on the estimated completion time for each of the file system backup process and image backup process; and

initiating performance of the selected one of the file system backup process or the image backup process on at least the portion of the volume of the file system.

2. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the estimating the completion time for performing each of the file system backup process or image backup process includes scanning the volume of the file system in order to determine values for a set of backup parameters that affect the completion time of each of the file system backup process and image backup process.

3. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the estimating the completion time for performing each of the file system backup process and image backup process includes determining a number of files and a file size of each file of at least the portion of the volume.

4. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the estimating the completion time for performing each of the file system backup process and image backup process includes determining a size of a system backup for the at least the portion of the volume of the file system.

5. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein estimating the completion time for performing each of the file system backup process and image backup process includes determining a size of a backup catalog for the volume of the file system.

6. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein estimating the completion time for performing each of the file system backup process and image backup includes estimating an I/O speed of one or more source devices of the file system.

7. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein selecting one of the file system backup process or the image backup process includes comparing the estimated completion time of each of the file system backup process and image backup process in order to determine whether the respective estimated completion times differ by an amount that exceeds a threshold.

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein selecting one of the file system backup process or the image backup process includes:

when the estimated completion time of each of the file system backup process and image backup process is less than a threshold, then selecting one of the file system backup process or the image backup process by default.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the selecting one of the file system backup process or the image backup process includes:

when the estimated completion time of each of the file system backup process or image backup process is less than a threshold, then selecting one of the file system backup process or the image backup process based on an alternative criterion.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the alternative criterion includes one of (i) a number of files in the at least portion of the volume of the file system, and/or (ii) an amount of fragmentation of the volume of the file system.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to perform operations that include maintaining, in a data store, values for a set of backup parameters that affect the completion time of each of the file system backup process and image backup process, and wherein the estimating the completion time includes using the values for the set of backup parameters that are maintained in the data store.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the maintaining values for the set of backup parameters includes performing a scan of the volume of the file system in order to determine the values at a first instance.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the maintaining values for the set of backup parameters includes monitoring the volume of the file system and its use in order to update the data store to include an updated values for the set of backup parameters.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the file system backup process backs up files of the volume of the file system using an application programming interface (API) of the file system.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the image backup process backs up underlying data blocks of the volume of the file system.

16. A method for performing a backup of a volume of a file system, the method being implemented by one or more processors and comprising:

estimating a completion time for performing each of a file system backup process and image backup process for backing up at least a portion of a volume of a file system;

selecting one of the file system backup process or the image backup process to back up the at least portion of the volume of the file system, based at least in part on the estimated completion time for one of the file system backup process or image backup process; and

initiating performance of the selected one of the file system backup process or the image backup process on the volume of the file system.

17. A computer system comprising:

a memory, including memory to store a set of instructions;

one or more processors that use instructions from the set of instructions in order to;

estimate a completion time for performing each of a file system backup process and image backup process for backing up at least a portion of a volume of a file system;

select one of the file system backup process or the image backup process to back up at least the portion of the volume of the file system, based at least in part on the estimated completion time for one of the file system backup process or image backup process; and

initiate performance of the selected one of the file system backup process or the image backup process on the volume of the file system.