METHOD, SYSTEM, PROGRAM, AND DATA STRUCTURES FOR NAMING FULL BACKUP VERSIONS OF FILES AND RELATED DELTAS OF THE FULL BACKUP VERSIONS

• US 20030158831A1
• Filed: 11/29/1999
• Published: 08/21/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: ZAREMBA, CHRISTOPHER
• Granted Patent: US 6,647,399 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1448 Management of the data involved in backup or backup restore
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99955 Archiving or backup

Abstract

Disclosed is a system, method, program, and data structure for performing a backup operation of a target file. At least one operation is initiated to perform at least one delta backup of the target file to at least one delta backup set. A delta backup set includes changes made to a version of a full backup set of the target file generated at a first time, such as an incremental or differential backup operation. The at least one delta backup set is assigned a name component indicating the version of the full backup set generated at the first time subject to the delta backup and an operation is initiated to perform a full backup of the target file to a version of the full backup set at a second time. The second time follows the first time. A determination is made of all delta backup sets having the name component indicating the version of the full backup set generated at the first time during the full backup operation at the second time. An operation is initiated to render inactive the determined delta backup sets having the name component indicating the version of the full backup generated at the first time.

Claims

1. A method for performing a backup operation of a target file, comprising:

initiating at least one operation to perform at least one delta backup of the target file to at least one delta backup set, wherein the at least one delta backup set includes changes made to a version of a full backup set of the target file generated at a first time;

assigning the at least one delta backup set a name component indicating the version of the full backup set generated at the first time subject to the delta backup;

initiating an operation to perform a full backup of the target file to a version of the full backup set at a second time, wherein the second time follows the first time;

determining all delta backup sets having the name component indicating the version of the full backup set generated at the first time during the full backup operation at the second time; and

initiating an operation to render inactive the determined delta backup sets having the name component indicating the version of the full backup generated at the first time.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the name component assigned to the at least one delta backup set indicating the version of the full backup comprises an object ID uniquely identifying the version of the full backup set generated at the first time.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the full backup set of the target file at the second time renders inactive the full backup set generated at the first time.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein each version of the full backup set is assigned a same name including a name of the target file, thereby causing the version of the full backup set generated at the second time to become the active version of the full backup set and the full backup set generated at the first time becomes inactive.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the delta backup comprises an incremental backup operation that includes all updates to the target file since the previous incremental backup operation, further comprising:

assigning a name to each incremental backup set that includes a name component indicating the version of the full backup set to which the incremental backup set relates and an incremental backup;

during each incremental backup operation, performing;

(i) generating a time value; and

(ii) including new time value as a name component for the incremental backup set created during the incremental backup operation.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein generating the new time value comprises:

determining a latest sequence number; and

incrementing the sequence number to generate the new time value.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the delta backup comprises a differential backup including all cumulative changes to the target file since the last full backup operation, comprising:

initiating at least one operation to perform a differential backup operation that includes updates to the target file since the full backup operation at the first time to a new differential backup set; and

assigning the differential backup set a name including a name component indicating the target file subject to the differential backup, whereby the new differential backup set has a same name as a previous version of the differential backup.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein initiating the operations of each delta backup, the full backup, assigning the name component, and rendering inactive all the determined delta backup sets is performed at a client computer that initiates the operations by communicating a command and the target file to backup to a server computer to backup at a storage device, and wherein determining all the delta backup sets having the name component indicating the target file is performed by the client computer querying the server for all delta backup sets having the name component indicating the target file.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the delta backup comprises an incremental backup, further comprising:

the client computer assigning a name to each incremental backup set that includes a name component indicating the version of the full backup set to which the incremental backup set relates and an incremental backup;

during each incremental backup operation, the client computer further performs;

(i) generating a time value; and

(ii) including new time value as a name component for the incremental backup set created during the incremental backup operation.

10. A system for performing a backup operation of a target file, comprising:

means for initiating at least one operation to perform at least one delta backup of the target file to at least one delta backup set, wherein the at least one delta backup set includes changes made to a version of a full backup set of the target file generated at a first time;

means for assigning the at least one delta backup set a name component indicating the version of the full backup set generated at the first time subject to the delta backup;

means for initiating an operation to perform a full backup of the target file to a version of the full backup set at a second time, wherein the second time follows the first time;

means for determining all delta backup sets having the name component indicating the version of the full backup generated at the first time during the full backup operation at the second time; and

means for initiating an operation to render inactive each determined delta backup set having the name component indicating the version of the full backup set generated at the first time.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein generating the full backup set of the target file at the second time renders inactive the full backup set generated at the first time.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein each version of the full backup set is assigned a same name including a name of the target file, thereby causing the version of the full backup set generated at the second time to become the active version of the full backup set and the full backup set generated at the first time becomes inactive.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the delta backup comprises an incremental backup that includes all updates to the target file since the previous incremental backup operation, further comprising:

means for assigning a name to each incremental backup set that includes a name component indicating the version of the full backup set to which the incremental backup set relates and an incremental backup;

during each incremental backup operation, means for performing;

(i) generating a time value; and

(ii) including new time value as a name component for the incremental backup set created during the incremental backup operation.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the means for initiating the operations of each incremental backup, the full backup, assigning the name component, and rendering inactive all the determined delta backup sets is performed at a client computer that initiates the operations by communicating a command and the target file to backup to a server computer to backup at a storage device, and wherein determining all the delta backup sets having the name component indicating the target file is performed by the client computer querying the server for all delta backup sets having the name component indicating the target file.

15. An article of manufacture for use in programming a computer for performing a backup operation of a target file, the article of manufacture comprising computer usable storage media including at least one computer program embedded therein that causes the computer to perform:

initiating at least one operation to perform at least one delta backup of the target file to at least one delta backup set, wherein the at least one delta backup set includes changes made to a version of a full backup set of the target file generated at a first time;

assigning the at least one delta backup set a name component indicating the version of the full backup set generated at the first time subject to the delta backup;

initiating an operation to perform a full backup of the target file to a version of the full backup set at a second time, wherein the second time follows the first time;

determining all delta backup sets having the name component indicating the version of the full backup set generated at the first time during the full backup operation at the second time; and

initiating an operation to render inactive the at least one determined delta backup set having the name component indicating the version of the full backup set generated at the first time.

16. The article of manufacture of claim 15, wherein the name component assigned to the at least one delta backup set indicating the version of the full backup comprises an object ID uniquely identifying the version of the full backup set generated at the first time.

17. The article of manufacture of claim 15, wherein generating the full backup set of the target file at the second time renders inactive the full backup set generated at the first time.

18. The article of manufacture of claim 17, wherein each version of the full backup set is assigned a same name including a name of the target file, thereby causing the version of the full backup set generated at the second time to become the active version of the full backup set and the full backup set generated at the first time becomes inactive.

19. The article of manufacture of claim 15, wherein the delta backup comprises an incremental backup operation that includes all updates to the target file since the previous incremental backup operation, further comprising:

assigning a name to each incremental backup set that includes a name component indicating the version of the full backup set to which the incremental backup set relates and an incremental backup;

during each incremental backup operation, performing;

(i) generating a time value; and

(ii) including new time value as a name component for the incremental backup set created during the incremental backup operation.

20. The article of manufacture of claim 19, wherein generating the new time value comprises:

determining a latest sequence number; and

incrementing the sequence number to generate the new time value.

21. The article of manufacture of claim 15, wherein the delta backup comprises a differential backup operation including all cumulative changes to the target file since the last full backup operation, further comprising:

initiating at least one operation to perform a differential backup operation that includes updates to the target file since the full backup operation at the first time to a new differential backup set; and

assigning the differential backup set a name including a name component indicating the target file subject to the differential backup, whereby the new differential backup set has a same name as a previous version of the differential backup.

22. The article of manufacture of claim 15, wherein the operations of each delta backup, the full backup, assigning the name component, and rendering inactive all the determined delta backup sets are initiated through commands executed at a client computer and communicated to a server computer, and wherein determining all the delta backup sets having the name component indicating the target file is performed by the client computer querying the server for all delta backup sets having the name component indicating the target file.

23. The article of manufacture of claim 22, wherein the delta backup comprises an incremental backup operation that includes all updates to the target file since the previous incremental backup operation, further comprising:

the client computer assigning a name to each incremental backup set that includes a name component indicating the version of the full backup set to which the incremental backup set relates and an incremental backup;

during each incremental backup operation, the client computer further performs;

(i) generating a time value; and

(ii) including new time value as a name component for the incremental backup set created during the incremental backup operation.

24. A plurality of data structures implemented in a computer useable storage medium accessible to a computer, wherein the data structures comprise:

at least one delta backup set including changes made to a version of a full backup set of the target file generated at a first time, wherein the at least one delta backup set has a name component indicating the version of the full backup set generated at the first time subject to the delta backup; and

a version of the full backup set generated during a backup operation at a second time, wherein the second time follows the first time, wherein adding the full backup set at the second time initiates an operation to render inactive each determined delta backup set having the name component indicating the version of the full backup generated at the first time.

25. The data structures of claim 24, wherein the name component assigned to the at least one delta backup set indicating the version of the full backup set comprises an object ID uniquely identifying the version of the full backup set generated at the first time.

26. The data structures of claim 24, wherein each version of the full backup set is assigned a same name including a name of the target file, thereby causing the version of the full backup set at the second time to become the active version of the full backup set and the full backup set generated at the first time becomes inactive.

27. The data structures of claim 24, wherein the delta backup comprises an incremental backup operation that includes all updates to the target file since the previous incremental backup operation, wherein each incremental backup set includes a name component indicating the version of the full backup set to which the incremental backup set relates, an incremental backup type, a new time value created during the incremental backup operation.

28. The data structures of claim 24, wherein the delta backup comprises a differential backup including all cumulative changes to the target file since the last full backup operation, wherein each differential backup set includes a name component indicating the version of the full backup set to which the differential backup set relates and a differential backup type.