Generating backup sets to a specific point in time

• US 20070136381A1
• Filed: 12/13/2005
• Published: 06/14/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Cannon, David, Hannigan, Kenneth
• Granted Patent: US 7,904,425 B2
• 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 11/1458 Management of the backup or restore process
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1469 Backup restoration techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/835 Timestamp

Abstract

A system, method and computer program product are provided for generating backup sets for a specific point in time from backup data stored in a backup storage device. A backup set, in accordance with an illustrative embodiment, is a collection of the files and data that would have been the most recently backed-up version of a computer'"'"'s files and data at the particular point in time if the backup set had been created at that point in time. In order to generate the backup set, versions of data objects are identified in the backup storage system that have backup timestamps equal to or prior to the designated point in time and that have deactivation times that are after the designated point in time. In addition, a mechanism for deleting versions of data objects based on a retention time and an inactive version limit is provided.

Claims

1. A computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having a computer readable program, wherein the computer readable program, when executed on a computing device, causes the computing device to:

receive a request for generation of a backup set, wherein the request includes a point in time for which the backup set is to be generated, wherein the point in time is a point in time prior to a current time;

identify versions of data objects in a backup storage system that would have been the most recently backed-up version of the data objects at the point in time if the backup set had been created at that point in time; and

store the identified versions of data objects as the backup set for the point in time.

2. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the computer readable program causes the computing device to identify versions of data objects in a backup storage system by:

identifying versions of data objects in the backup storage system that are the most recent versions of the data objects at the point in time and that have deactivation times after the point in time.

3. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the computer readable program causes the computing device to identify versions of data objects in a backup storage system by:

identifying a first candidate set of versions of data objects in a backup storage system that have backup timestamps equal to or prior to the point in time; and

identifying a second candidate set of versions of data objects in the first candidate set that have deactivation times after the point in time.

4. The computer program product of claim 3, wherein the computer readable program causes the computing device to identify a first candidate set of versions of data objects by:

retrieving backup catalog information for the versions of data objects;

searching entries in the backup catalog information to identify entries having a backup timestamp that is equal to or prior to the point in time; and

storing entries having a backup timestamp that is equal to or prior to the point in time in the first candidate set.

5. The computer program product of claim 4, wherein the computer readable program causes the computing device to identify a second candidate set of versions of data objects in the first candidate set by:

searching the entries in the first candidate set to identify entries having a deactivation time that is after the point in time; and

storing entries having a deactivation time that is after the point in time in the second candidate set.

6. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the data object is an electronic file.

7. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the computer readable program further causes the computing device to:

search the versions of the data objects to identify data objects having a backup timestamp that is older than a retention time parameter;

determine, for each version of a data object, in the versions of the data objects, having a backup timestamp older than the retention time parameter, whether the version is an active version of the data object; and

delete the version of the data object if the version of the data object is not an active version of the data object.

8. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the computer readable program further causes the computing device to:

search the versions of the data objects to identify data objects for which a number of versions maintained in the backup storage system is greater than a version limit; and

delete an oldest version of the versions of data objects that have a number of versions maintained in the backup storage system that is greater than the version limit.

9. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the request for generation of a backup set includes at least one parameter designating a type of data object to include in the backup set, and wherein the computer readable program further causes the computing device to identify versions of data objects in a backup storage system by filtering data objects to be included in the backup set based on the at least one parameter.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the at least one parameter designating the type of data object to include in the backup set designates at least one of an identifier of one or more client computing devices for which the backup set is to be generated, an identifier of one or more server computing devices for which the backup set is to be generated, or an identifier of one or more directories and sub-directories to include in the backup set.

11. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the computer readable program causes the computing device to identify versions of data objects in a backup storage system in a single operation that is executed on each data object in the backup storage system meeting criteria set forth in the request for generation of a backup set.

12. A system, comprising:

a processor;

a memory coupled to the processor; and

a storage device coupled to the processor, wherein the memory stores instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

receive a request for generation of a backup set, wherein the request includes a point in time for which the backup set is to be generated, wherein the point in time is a point in time prior to a current time;

identify versions of data objects in a backup storage system that would have been the most recently backed-up version of the data objects at the point in time if the backup set had been created at that point in time; and

store the identified versions of data objects as the backup set for the point in time.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the instructions cause the processor to identify versions of data objects in a backup storage system by:

identifying versions of data objects in the backup storage system that are the most recent versions of the data objects at the point in time and that have deactivation times after the point in time.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the instructions cause the processor to identify versions of data objects in a backup storage system by:

identifying a first candidate set of versions of data objects in a backup storage system that have backup timestamps equal to or prior to the point in time; and

identifying a second candidate set of versions of data objects in the first candidate set that have deactivation times after the point in time.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the instructions cause the processor to identify a first candidate set of versions of data objects by:

retrieving backup catalog information for the versions of data objects;

searching entries in the backup catalog information to identify entries having a backup timestamp that is equal to or prior to the point in time; and

storing entries having a backup timestamp that is equal to or prior to the point in time in the first candidate set.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the instructions cause the processor to identify a second candidate set of versions of data objects in the first candidate set by:

searching the entries in the first candidate set to identify entries having a deactivation time that is after the point in time; and

storing entries having a deactivation time that is after the point in time in the second candidate set.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the data object is an electronic file.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

search the versions of the data objects to identify data objects having a backup timestamp that is older than a retention time parameter;

determine, for each version of a data object, in the versions of the data objects, having a backup timestamp older than the retention time parameter, whether the version is an active version of the data object; and

delete the version of the data object if the version of the data object is not an active version of the data object.

19. The system of claim 12, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

search the versions of the data objects to identify data objects for which a number of versions maintained in the backup storage system is greater than a version limit; and

delete an oldest version of the versions of data objects that have a number of versions maintained in the backup storage system that is greater than the version limit.

20. The system of claim 12, wherein the request for generation of a backup set includes at least one parameter designating a type of data object to include in the backup set, and wherein the instructions further cause the processor to identify versions of data objects in a backup storage system by filtering data objects to be included in the backup set based on the at least one parameter.

21. The system of claim 12, wherein the instructions cause the processor to identify versions of data objects in a backup storage system in a single operation that is executed on each data object in the backup storage system meeting criteria set forth in the request for generation of a backup set.

22. A method, in a data processing system, for generating a backup set, comprising:

receiving a request for generation of a backup set, wherein the request includes a point in time for which the backup set is to be generated, wherein the point in time is a point in time prior to a current time;

identifying versions of data objects in a backup storage system that are the most recent versions of the data objects at the point in time and that have deactivation times after the point in time; and

storing the identified versions of data objects as the backup set for the point in time.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the step of identifying versions of data objects in a backup storage system is performed in a single operation that is executed on each data object in the backup storage system meeting criteria set forth in the request for generation of a backup set.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein identifying versions of data objects in a backup storage system comprises:

identifying a first candidate set of versions of data objects in a backup storage system that have backup timestamps equal to or prior to the point in time; and

identifying a second candidate set of versions of data objects in the first candidate set that have deactivation times after the point in time.