Block-based incremental backup

• US 20070112895A1
• Filed: 05/11/2006
• Published: 05/17/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Ahrens, Matthew, Maybee, Mark
• Application Number:
  US11/432,067
• Publication Number:
  US 20070112895A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1435 using file system or storage system metadata
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1451 by selection of backup contents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/835 Timestamp

Abstract

A method for backing up a file system, including obtaining a first indirect block comprising a first block pointer, obtaining a first birth time from the first block pointer, determining whether the first birth time is subsequent to a time of a last backup, and backing up a first block referenced by the first block pointer, if the first birth time is subsequent to the time of the last backup.

Claims

1. A method for backing up a file system, comprising:

obtaining a first indirect block comprising a first block pointer;

obtaining a first birth time from the first block pointer;

determining whether the first birth time is subsequent to a time of a last backup; and

backing up a first block referenced by the first block pointer, if the first birth time is subsequent to the time of the last backup.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

if the first birth time is not subsequent to the time of the last backup and the first indirect block comprises a second block pointer;

obtaining a second birth time associated with a second block from the second block pointer;

determining whether the second birth time is subsequent to the time of the last backup; and

backing up the second block, if the second birth time is subsequent to the time of the last backup.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first birth time corresponds to a transaction group associated with an input/output request to store the first indirect block.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first indirect block is associated with a file in the file system.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the last backup corresponds to an incremental backup of the file.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the last backup corresponds to a full backup of the file system.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first block is a data block.

8. A system for backing up a file in a file system, comprising:

the file comprising;

a plurality of data blocks and at least one indirect block, wherein the indirect block comprises a birth time associated with at least one of the plurality of data blocks, and

a root block comprising a birth time associated with the at least one indirect block;

a storage pool allocator configured to store the plurality of data blocks, the at least one indirect block, and the root block on a disk,

wherein the root block is backed up if a birth time associated with the root block is after a time of a last backup,

wherein the at least one indirect block is backed up if a birth time of the at least one indirect block is after the time of the last backup, and

wherein only the ones of the plurality of data blocks having a birth time after the time of the last backup are backed up.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the birth time associated with the at least one indirect block corresponds to a transaction group associated with an input/output request to store the at least one indirect block.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the at least one indirect block is obtained by examining a list of indirect blocks referenced by the root block of the file.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the last backup corresponds to an incremental backup of the file.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the last backup corresponds to a full backup of the file system.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the plurality of data blocks, the at least one indirect block, and the root block are organized in a hierarchical tree structure.

14. A computer usable medium comprising computer readable program code embodied therein for causing a computer system to:

obtain a first indirect block comprising a first block pointer;

obtain a first birth time from the first block pointer;

determine whether the first birth time is subsequent to a time of a last backup; and

back up a first block referenced by the first block pointer, if the first birth time is subsequent to the time of the last backup.

15. The computer usable medium of claim 14, further comprising computer readable program code embodied therein for causing a computer system to:

if the first birth time is not subsequent to the time of the last backup and the first indirect block comprises a second block pointer;

obtain a second birth time associated with a second block from the second block pointer;

determine whether the second birth time is subsequent to the time of the last backup; and

back up the second block, if the second birth time is subsequent to the time of the last backup.

16. The computer usable medium of claim 14, wherein the first birth time corresponds to a transaction group associated with an input/output request to store the first indirect block.

17. The computer usable medium of claim 14, wherein the first indirect block is associated with a file in the file system.

18. The computer usable medium of claim 17, wherein the last backup corresponds to an incremental backup of the file.

19. The computer usable medium of claim 14, wherein the last backup corresponds to a full backup of a file system.

20. The computer usable medium of claim 14, wherein the first block is a data block.