System and method of efficient data backup in a networking environment

• US 20060212439A1
• Filed: 03/21/2005
• Published: 09/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Field, Scott A.
• Application Number:
  US11/086,163
• Publication Number:
  US 20060212439A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1451 by selection of backup contents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1453 using de-duplication of the data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1464 for networked environments

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a system, methods, and a computer-readable medium for efficiently performing a backup of data in a networking environment. In embodiments of the present invention, a backup of a file from a local computing device to a remote computing device is performed. However, the file may not be transmitted to the remote computing device in all instances. Instead, aspects of the present invention determine whether the file is already stored on the remote computing device by another user or by an operating system and/or application program provider. In this regard, a signature of the file is generated and compared to signatures of files stored on the back end computing device. Only in instances when a match to the signature is not found is the complete file transmitted to the back end computing device and stored in a database.

Claims

1. In a networking environment that includes a first computing device and a second computing device, a method of performing a backup of a file stored on the first computing device, the method comprising:

(a) determining if the file is stored on the second computing device, including;

(i) generating a signature of the file;

(ii) transmitting the signature to the second computing device; and

(iii) determining whether the transmitted signature matches a signature stored on the second computing device;

(b) if the file is not stored on the second computing device, transmitting the file from the first computing device to the second computing device; and

(c) updating a database that tracks files on the first computing device that are stored on the second computing device.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising, in response to receiving a command to restore the file, transmitting the file from the second computing device to the first computing device.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the file is restored on the first computing device with the same path, name, and permissions that were associated with the file when transmitted from the first computing device to the second computing device.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first computing device and the second computing device maintain a peer-to-peer relationship in the networking environment and wherein the second computing device is further configured to backup a file stored on the second computing device.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first computing device and the second computing device maintain a server and client relationship in the networking environment.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the signature of the file is generated using a hashing algorithm.

7. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein determining whether the transmitted signature matches a signature stored on the second computing device includes sequentially comparing the signature to signatures generated by applying a hashing algorithm to files stored on the second computing device.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the file implements the functionality of an operating system or application program;

and

wherein the file was previously submitted to the second computing device.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein updating a database that tracks files on the first computing device that are stored on the second computing device includes generating a pointer that references a file that implements the functionality of an operating system, application program, or contains user level data.

10. In a networking environment that includes a first computing device and a second computing device, a method of restoring a volume on the first computing device to a previous state, the method comprising:

(a) identifying the state of the volume using a disk state service;

(b) transmitting data that represents the state of the volume from the first computing device to the second computing device; and

(c) in response to a command to restore the volume to the previous state;

(i) transmitting data that represents the state of the volume from the second computing device to the first computing device; and

(ii) causing the disk state service to restore the volume to the previous state.

11. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the disk state service is a shadow copy service that tracks changes made to the volume from a point-in-time.

12. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the first computing device and the second computing device maintain a peer-to-peer relationship in the networking environment.

13. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the first computing device and the second computing device maintain a server and client relationship in the networking environment.

14. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the state of the volume is identified by issuing an application interface call to the disk state service.

15. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein data that represents the state of the volume is transmitted to the second computing device automatically, and wherein the volume may be restored back to one of a plurality of different versions of the volume.

16. In a computer network that includes a first computing device and a second computing device in communication, a software system for performing a backup of data stored on the first computing device, comprising:

(a) a remote backup module operative to selectively transmit data on the first computing device to the second computing device;

(b) an operating system for managing the data stored on the first computing device; and

(c) a backup database for storing data on the second computing device that is received from the first computing device.

17. The software system as recited in claim 16, wherein the remote backup module does not transmit data from the first computing device to the second computing device that is already stored on the second computing device.

18. The software system as recited in claim 16, wherein the remote backup module is configured to generate a unique signature for a file and determine whether the signature matches a signature stored on the second computing device.

19. The software system as recited in claim 16, wherein the operating system includes a disk state service operative to capture a point-in-time state of a volume on the first computing device.

20. The software system as recited in claim 19, wherein the remote backup module is configured to transmit data that represents the state of the volume to the second computing device.