Method and apparatus for data backup

• US 20060015698A1
• Filed: 09/15/2005
• Published: 01/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Park, Han-sub, Kim, Jin-min
• Application Number:
  US11/226,204
• Publication Number:
  US 20060015698A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/162
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1441 Resetting or repowering

Abstract

A data backup method and a data backup apparatus in which a part of a user data area in a volatile memory, wherein data is lost when the power is turned off, is predesignated as a backup area and data is rapidly backed up in an emergency. The data backup method includes the operations of: receiving a command related to data backup through a user interface; obtaining a backup area which is a continuous space of a desired size by adjusting backup priorities between pieces of backup object data when the backup area is to be adjusted in order to execute the command; moving and storing data of the obtained backup area to a non-volatile memory according to a predetermined condition. Accordingly, the user data backup can be rapidly and automatically executed to prevent permanent loss of a database, document file, and the like.

Claims

1. A data backup method comprising:

receiving a command related to data backup through a user interface;

obtaining a backup area which is a continuous space of a desired size by adjusting backup priorities between pieces of backup object data when the backup area is to be adjusted in order to execute the command;

moving and storing data of the obtained backup area to a non-volatile memory according to a predetermined condition.

2. The data backup method of claim 1, wherein, when the command is a backup area setting command, the obtaining a backup area comprises obtaining an area to be backed up which has a continuous space as large as the size of the backup area of the command by determining whether a currently executed process is terminated and terminating the process according to the determining result.

3. The data backup method of claim 1, wherein the obtaining a backup area comprises adding additional backup object data to a list of objects to be backed up after determining whether a backup area of continuous space can be obtained and expanding a backup area according to the determining result when the command is a backup object adding command.

4. The data backup method of claim 3, wherein the obtaining a backup area comprises expanding an area to be backed up by terminating a currently executed process or moving and storing backup object data with lower priority among pieces of backup object data included in the backup object list to a general area when available capability of a memory is insufficient due to adding a backup object.

5. The data backup method of claim 1, wherein the obtaining a backup area comprises moving and storing object data to be deleted from a backup area to a general area and deleting the object data from a backup object list when the received command is a backup data deleting command.

6. The data backup method of claim 1, wherein the moving and storing data includes moving and storing the data of the obtained backup area to a non-volatile memory when power supplied to a memory having the backup area falls below a predetermined level.

7. A computer-readable storage medium having a backup data structure recorded thereon, the medium comprising:

a general area in which data, which will be immediately deleted when power is not supplied, is stored; and

a backup area in which data, which will be moved and stored to a non-volatile memory when a predetermined condition is met, is stored,

wherein according to a backup data management command received through a user interface, the data written in the backup area is moved and stored to the general area or the data written in the general area is moved and stored to the backup area according to backup priorities of data.

8. A data backup apparatus comprising:

a user interface unit receiving a backup data management command;

a determining unit determining whether a backup area is adjusted to execute the command and obtaining a continuous backup area of desired size by adjusting backup priorities between pieces of backup object data according to the determining result; and

a backup executing unit moving and storing data of the obtained backup area to a non-volatile memory according to a predetermined condition.

9. The data backup apparatus of claim 8, further comprising a backup object list storing unit storing the backup object data in a list form.

10. The data backup apparatus of claim 8, wherein, when the command is a backup area setting command, the determining unit issues a command to obtain an area to be backed up which has a continuous space as large as the size of the backup area of the command by determining whether it is needed to terminated a currently executed process and terminating the process according to the determining result.

11. The data backup apparatus of claim 8, wherein the determining unit issues a command to add an additional backup object data to a list of a object to be backed up after determining whether a backup area of continuous space and expanding the backup area according to the determining result when the command is a backup object adding command.

12. The data backup apparatus of claim 11, wherein the determining unit issues a command to expand an area to be backed up by terminating a currently executed process or move and store backup object data with lower priority among pieces of the backup object data in the backup object list to a general area when a backup object is added and therefore available capability is lacking.

13. The data backup apparatus of claim 8, wherein the determining unit moves object data to be deleted from a backup area and stores the object data to a general area, and deletes the object data from the backup object list when the command is a backup data deleting command.

14. The data backup apparatus of claim 8, wherein the backup executing unit moves and stores the data of the obtained backup area to a non-volatile memory when power supplied to a memory having the backup area falls below a predetermined level.

15. A computer-readable storage medium encoded with processing instructions for causing a processor to perform a data backup method, the method comprising:

receiving a command related to data backup through a user interface;

obtaining a backup area which is a continuous space of a desired size by adjusting backup priorities between pieces of backup object data when the backup area is to be adjusted in order to execute the command;

moving and storing data of the obtained backup area to a non-volatile memory according to a predetermined condition.

16. A method of setting a backup area, comprising:

receiving data about the size of an area to be backed up;

adjusting a size of the area to be backed up based on an available capability of a RAM; and

setting a continuous area as the area to be backed up.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the setting comprises:

checking whether an area used by a current process or program being executed is needed;

setting the backup area of the RAM such that data space as large as the adjusted size of the area to be backed up is a continuous area, when the area used by the current process or program is not needed;

determining whether to obtain a continuous area even by terminating the process or the application program, when the area used by the current process or the application program being executed is needed; and

terminating the process or the application program and setting a continuous backup area, when the continuous area is to be obtained by terminating the process or the application program.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the setting further comprises performing a soft reset after the terminating.

19. A method of expanding the backup area, comprising:

determining whether a size of an area to be expanded is not greater than an available capability of a RAM;

determining whether a continuous area of the RAM can be obtained by terminating a currently executed process, when the size of the area to be expanded is not greater that the size of the available capability of the RAM;

terminating the currently executed process and adding an original area of the backup area and an additional area to adjust the backup area and the size thereof, when the process is determined to be terminated;

performing a soft reset after the terminating;

adding the original area of the backup area and the additional area to adjust the backup area and the size thereof, when the currently executed process is determined not to be terminated;

determining whether the additional area can be obtained when backup object data having lower priority than the backup object data which is to be added is deleted from the backup object list, when the size of the area to be expanded is greater than the available capability of the RAM;

setting the size of the area to be backed up to a maximum available capability limit of the RAM; and

adjusting the backup priorities.