Method and system for creating and restoring an image file

• US 20040003314A1
• Filed: 06/28/2002
• Published: 01/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Witt, Wesley A., Miller, Edward S.
• Granted Patent: US 7,293,150 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/6
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1417 Boot up procedures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1458 Management of the backup or restore process
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1469 Backup restoration techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/10 File systems; File servers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/11 by using information not detectable on the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99954 Version management

Abstract

An image file format and a method of creating and restoring an image file is provided by the present invention. The image file format includes a plurality of streams such as a control stream, a data stream, a bitmap stream, and a cluster map stream. An audit trail stream, properties stream and fix-up stream may also be provided. The present invention allows the contents of a storage media to be captured and stored as an image file. The image file is used to restore the storage media to a previous state or allows multiple computers to be provided with a common configuration. The plurality of streams further allow the image file to be viewed, edited or otherwise manipulated.

Claims

1. A destination storage media having an image file stored thereon, wherein the image file is created from source data stored on a source storage media, the image file including a plurality of image streams, comprising:

a control stream including data identifying the image file;

a data stream containing the source data; and

a cluster map stream containing a plurality of records, each record identifying;

a first location corresponding to allocation of a portion of the source data on the source media, and

a second location corresponding to a location of the portion of source data in the data stream.

2. The destination storage media of claim 1 wherein the source data includes a plurality of files, further comprising:

a property stream that identifies at least one of the plurality of files of the source data by a unique file identifier and a version.

3. The destination storage media of claim 1 wherein the source data includes a plurality of files, further comprising:

an audit trail stream that identifies files modified subsequent to the image file being created by a file identifier.

4. The destination storage media volume of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the source data is encrypted.

5. The destination storage media volume of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the source data is compressed.

6. The destination storage media volume of claim 1, wherein the control stream identifies geometry of the source storage media.

7. The destination storage media volume of claim 1, wherein the source data includes a plurality of files, each file comprising a set of data and wherein the set of data for each file is stored in contiguous locations within the data stream.

8. The destination storage media of claim 1, further comprising:

a bitmask stream containing data identifying allocated and unallocated clusters of the source storage media.

9. The destination storage media volume of claim 8, wherein the bitmask stream comprises a plurality of bits, each bit corresponding to a cluster on the source storage media volume and each bit having a value that identifies whether the cluster on the source storage media volume is allocated or unallocated.

10. The destination storage media volume of claim 1, wherein the first location comprises a starting and ending cluster number representing a series of contiguous blocks where the portion of source data is placed on a storage media volume when the image file is restored.

11. The destination storage media volume of claim 1, wherein the second location comprises an offset and a length, the offset identifying a starting location in the data stream containing the portion of data and the length identifying a set of contiguous locations within the data stream that contain the portion of data.

12. The destination storage media volume of claim 1, wherein the portion of source data is compressed and wherein the second location comprises an offset and a size, the offset identifying a starting location in the data stream containing the portion of data and the size identifying a set of contiguous locations within that data stream that contain the compressed portion of data.

13. A method for creating an image file on a destination storage media volume from source data on a source storage media volume;

the source data including a plurality of files and control information that identifies a location on the source storage media containing data for each of the plurality of files, comprising;

creating a plurality of image streams including a data stream, and a cluster map stream;

reading the control information and identifying the location of the data for at least one file on the source storage media volume;

reading the data for the at least one file;

writing the data for the at least one file into the data stream;

creating a cluster map record identifying the location of the data on the source storage media volume and a location of the data in the data stream;

adding the cluster map record to the cluster map stream; and

writing the plurality of image streams to the destination storage media.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the plurality of streams further comprises a fix-up stream, further comprising:

modifying the control information and the cluster map record to identify a new location of the data on the source storage media volume.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

encrypting the data for the at least one file.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

compressing the data for the at least one file.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the plurality of files includes at least a first file and a second file, the first file and second file including a set of identical data, comprising:

writing the data for the first file into the data stream;

creating a first cluster map record for the first file and a second cluster map record for the second file, the first cluster map record identifying the location of the data in the data stream and a first location of the data on the source storage media, the second cluster map record identifying the location of the data in the data stream and a second location of the data on the source storage media volume.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of writing the data for the at least one file into the data stream comprises writing the data to contiguous locations within the data stream and wherein the cluster map record identifies contiguous locations of the data on the source storage media volume.

19. A method for restoring data to a first storage media from an image file on a second storage media, wherein the image file comprises a cluster map stream and a data stream, the cluster map including a plurality of records and the data stream including the data to be restored to the first storage media volume;

reading, from the image file, one of the plurality of records, the record identifying;

a first location corresponding to a location of a set of data in the data stream;

a second location, the second location corresponding to a location for the set of data on the first storage media;

reading the data from the data stream from the first location;

writing the data to the first storage media at the second location;

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the set of data in the data stream is compressed, further comprising:

decompressing the set of data before writing the data to the first storage media.

21. The method of claim 19 wherein the set of data in the data stream is encrypted, further comprising:

decrypting the set of data before writing the data to the first storage media.

22. The method of claim 19 wherein the step of writing the data to the first storage media further comprises writing the data to a set of contiguous clusters.

23. The method of claim 19 wherein the restored data includes control information that identifies storage media geometry and a location of files, further comprising modifying the control information based on geometry of the first storage media.

24. A computer-readable medium having computer executable instruction for creating an image file on a destination storage media volume from source data on a source storage media volume;

the source data including a plurality of files and control information that identifies a location on the source storage media containing data for each of the plurality of files, comprising;

creating a plurality of image streams including a data stream, and a cluster map stream;

reading the control information and identifying the location of the data for at least one file on the source storage media volume;

reading the data for the at least one file;

writing the data for the at least one file into the data stream;

creating a cluster map record identifying the location of the data on the source storage media volume and a location of the data in the data stream;

adding the cluster map record to the cluster map stream; and

writing the plurality of image streams to the destination storage media.

25. The computer-readable medium of claim 24 wherein the plurality of streams further comprises a fix-up stream, further comprising:

modifying the control information and the cluster map record to identify a new location of the data on the source storage media volume.

26. The computer-readable medium of claim 24, further comprising:

encrypting the data for the at least one file.

27. The computer-readable medium of claim 24, further comprising:

compressing the data for the at least one file.

28. The computer-readable medium of claim 24, wherein the plurality of files includes at least a first file and a second file, the first file and second file including a set of identical data, comprising:

writing the data for the first file into the data stream;

creating a first cluster map record for the first file and a second cluster map record for the second file, the first cluster map record identifying the location of the data in the data stream and a first location of the data on the source storage media, the second cluster map record identifying the location of the data in the data stream and a second location of the data on the source storage media volume.

29. The computer-readable medium of claim 24, wherein the step of writing the data for the at least one file into the data stream comprises writing the data to contiguous locations within the data stream and wherein the cluster map record identifies contiguous locations of the data on the source storage media volume.

30. A computer-readable medium having computer executable instructions for restoring data to a first storage media from an image file on a second storage media, wherein the image file comprises a cluster map stream and a data stream, the cluster map including a plurality of records and the data stream including the data to be restored to the first storage media volume;

reading, from the image file, one of the plurality of records, the record identifying a first location, the first location corresponding to a location of a set of data in the data stream and identifying a second location, the second location corresponding to a location for the set of data on the first storage media;

reading the data from the data stream from the first location;

writing the data to the first storage media at the second location;

31. The computer-readable medium of claim 30 wherein the set of data in the data stream is compressed, further comprising:

decompressing the set of data before writing the data to the first storage media.

32. The computer-readable medium of claim 30 wherein the set of data in the data stream is encrypted, further comprising:

decrypting the set of data before writing the data to the first storage media.