MULTI-CLIENT CLUSTER-BASED BACKUP AND RESTORE

• US 20080208933A1
• Filed: 03/03/2008
• Published: 08/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Lyon, James M.
• Granted Patent: US 7,900,002 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1453 using de-duplication of the data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1456 Hardware arrangements for backup
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1464 for networked environments
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1469 Backup restoration techniques
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99955 Archiving or backup

Abstract

Backup and restore technology comprising a backup engine, one or more client backup modules coupled to the backup engine via a backup protocol, and a backup database coupled to the backup engine, the backup database including a set of clusters, the set of clusters forming one or more backups, wherein each cluster of the set of clusters is unique such that single-instance storage across clients is achieved.

Claims

1. A method for restoring a backup of a storage media, the method comprising:

receiving a request for a cluster data,

the request associated with the backup,

a backup database comprising the backup,

the backup database further comprising a plurality of cluster data,

each of the plurality of cluster data being unique wherein single-instance storage within the backup database is provided;

reading the cluster data from the backup database; and

providing the cluster data read from the backup database.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the backup database contains a plurality of backups, the plurality of backups associated with a plurality of machines.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the backup database further comprises:

a set of cluster hashes,

each cluster hash of the set of cluster hashes uniquely corresponding to one of the plurality of cluster data in the backup database, and

each of the plurality of cluster data in the backup database uniquely corresponding to one of the cluster hashes in the set of cluster hashes.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the backup comprises a set of cluster indexes and a set of cluster hashes, each index of the set of cluster indexes corresponding to a single cluster hash of the set of cluster hashes,

the request comprising a requested cluster index, and

the reading the cluster data is based at least in part on comparing the requested cluster index with the set of cluster indexes and determining the corresponding cluster hash of the set of cluster hashes.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising

creating a cluster map comprising a count of contiguous available cluster data,

wherein the providing further comprises providing a plurality of contiguous cluster data in a single response.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing an indication of missing cluster data if at least a portion of the requested cluster data is not included in the backup database.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing an indication of bad cluster data if at least a portion of the requested cluster data is unavailable.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein clusters associated with the plurality of cluster data are of a plurality of sizes.

9. A computer-readable medium encoded with computer-executable instructions embodying a method for restoring a backup of a storage media that when executed are configured to:

receive a request for a cluster data,

the request associated with a backup,

a backup database comprising the backup,

the backup database further comprising a plurality of cluster data,

each of the plurality of cluster data being unique wherein single-instance storage within the backup database is provided;

read the cluster data from the backup database; and

provide the cluster data read from the backup database.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the backup database contains a plurality of backups, the plurality of backups associated with a plurality of machines.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the backup database further comprises a set of cluster hashes,

each cluster hash of the set of cluster hashes uniquely corresponding to one of the cluster data in the backup database,

each cluster data in the backup database uniquely corresponding to one of the cluster hashes in the set of cluster hashes.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 9 further comprising:

the backup comprising a set of cluster indexes and a set of cluster hashes, each index of the set of cluster indexes corresponding to a single cluster hash of the set of cluster hashes;

the request comprising a requested cluster index;

wherein the read of the cluster data is configured at least in part to compare the requested cluster index with the set of cluster indexes and determine the corresponding cluster hash of the set of cluster hashes to read from the backup database.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, further comprising:

creating a cluster map comprising a count of contiguous available cluster data; and

wherein the providing further comprises providing a plurality of contiguous cluster data in a single response.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 9 further comprising providing an indication of missing cluster data if at least a portion of the requested cluster data is not included in the backup.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 9 further comprising providing an indication of bad cluster data if at least a portion of the requested cluster data is unavailable.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein clusters associated with the plurality of cluster data are of a plurality of sizes.

17. A method for restoring a backup of a storage media comprising:

receiving a request for a cluster data,

the request associated with a backup,

the backup comprising a set of cluster indexes and a first set of cluster hashes,

each index of the set of cluster indexes corresponding to a single cluster hash of the first set of cluster hashes,

the backup associated with a backup database,

the backup database comprising a first plurality of cluster data,

the backup database further comprising a second set of cluster hashes,

each of the second set of cluster hashes uniquely corresponding to one of the first plurality of cluster data,

each of the first plurality of cluster data uniquely corresponding to one of the cluster hashes in the second set of cluster hashes,

each of the first plurality of cluster data being unique wherein single-instance storage within the backup database is provided;

reading the cluster data from the backup database; and

providing the cluster data read from the backup database.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising correlating a cluster index to a cluster hash of the first set of cluster hashes, based at least in part on the set of cluster indexes, the request comprising the cluster index, wherein the reading the cluster data from the backup database is based at least in part on the cluster hash.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the requesting further comprises a cluster count, the cluster count indicating a count of contiguous cluster data requested;

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

creating a cluster map comprising a set of contiguous cluster data, based at least in part on the cluster index and the cluster count,

wherein the provided cluster data comprises one of the set of contiguous cluster data.