TRANSFER DATA MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR INTERNET BACKUP

• US 20100070764A1
• Filed: 08/21/2009
• Published: 03/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Solutions Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Software Engineering Co., Ltd. (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: ISHII, Yohsuke, NAKAMURA, Takaki, KUMAGAI, Atsuya, TOYAMA, Kazuyoshi
• Granted Patent: US 8,504,830 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/168
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1448 Management of the data involved in backup or backup restore
• 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

Erroneous deletion of data due to a collision of digest information during data de-duplication using digest information is prevented. When backup data is stored on a backup server 1100, digest information of the backup data is generated and stored in a digest information management table 4200. In addition, when a backup data storage request is made to the backup server 1100, a digest information verification control sub-program 1127 generates digest information of data to be backed up, and performs verification against the digest information of the backed up data already stored on the backup server 1100. If, by this verification, it is found that backed up data having the same digest information is already stored, de-duplication is realized by reusing the existing backed up data without newly storing the data to be backed up.

Claims

1. A transfer data management system for internet backup in which a backup server and a plurality of backup clients are connected via a network, and the backup server provides to the backup clients a function of backing up on the backup server data stored on the backup clients, as well as a function of restoring backed up data on the backup clients, wherein the backup client comprises:

a digest information sending portion that sends to the backup server digest information of data to be stored prior to a data storage request from the backup client to the backup server;

a verification data receiving portion that receives, as verification data, stored data, which is sent on the condition that the backup server perform verification on stored data at a verification portion based on the digest information and that relevant stored data be detected,

an examining portion for examining whether or not the verification data and the data to be stored match.

2. The transfer data management system according to claim 1, wherein, at the verification portion of the backup server, verification is performed independent of the backup clients and with respect to, as a whole, data of the plurality of the backup clients as the stored data.

3. The transfer data management system according to claim 1, wherein

the backup server comprises a first encrypting portion that encrypts the verification data, and the backup server sends to the backup client that made the request encrypted data for verification and information regarding an encryption scheme,

the backup client comprises a second encrypting portion that encrypts the data to be stored by the received encryption scheme, and

it is examined at the examining portion whether or not the received encrypted data for verification and the data to be stored match.

4. The transfer data management system according to claim 1, wherein digest information, which summarizes the full data, is used as the verification data instead of the full data.

5. The transfer data management system according claim 1, wherein, at the examining portion of the backup client making the request, it is examined whether or not digest information for verification and digest information, which is generated from the data to be stored, match using a plurality of digest information generated by differing schemes.

6. The transfer data management system according to claim 1, wherein the digest information sending portion transmits in units of data fragments for verification into which the verification data is divided.

7. The transfer data management system according to claim 1, wherein the backup client making the request comprises a selecting portion for selecting whether to perform verification using full data or to perform verification using digest information.

8. The transfer data management system according to claim 1, wherein the backup client making the request comprises a de-duplication applicability selecting portion for selecting whether or not to allow use of the stored data on the backup server as a duplication detection candidate in a data de-duplication function.

9. The transfer data management system according to claim 1, wherein the backup server comprises a verification data transmission scheme selecting portion for monitoring a use status of a communication channel between the backup server and the backup client making the request, and, based on monitoring information thereof, for selecting, as a transmission method used for the verification data for the backup client making the request, a scheme that is suited to the use status of the communication channel to be used.

10. The transfer data management system according to claim 1 comprising a plurality of the backup servers, wherein in a data storage request to a first backup server, information regarding a second backup server from which the data to be stored was acquired as well as information that is required in order to acquire the data to be stored are sent to the first backup server, and the first backup server acquires stored data from the second backup server based on such information.

15. The transfer data management system according to claim 2, wherein

the backup server comprises a first encrypting portion that encrypts the verification data, and the backup server sends to the backup client that made the request encrypted data for verification and information regarding an encryption scheme,

the backup client comprises a second encrypting portion that encrypts the data to be stored by the received encryption scheme, and

it is examined at the examining portion whether or not the received encrypted data for verification and the data to be stored match.

11. A backup client in a transfer data management system for internet backup in which a backup server and a plurality of backup clients are connected via a network, and the backup server provides to the backup clients a function of backing up on the backup server data stored on the backup clients, as well as a function of restoring backed up data on the backup clients, the backup client comprising:

a digest information sending portion that sends to the backup server digest information of data to be stored prior to a data storage request from the backup client to the backup server;

a verification data receiving portion that receives, as verification data, stored data, which is sent on the condition that the backup server perform verification on stored data at a verification portion based on the digest information and that relevant stored data be detected,

an examining portion for examining whether or not the verification data and the data to be stored match.

12. A backup server in a transfer data management system for internet backup in which the backup server and a plurality of backup clients are connected via a network, and the backup server provides to the backup clients a function of backing up on the backup server data stored on the backup clients, as well as a function of restoring backed up data on the backup clients, the backup server comprising,

a verification portion that, prior to a data storage request from the backup client, receives digest information of data to be stored, and performs verification against stored data based on the digest information, wherein

the backup server sends, as verification data, to the backup client stored data, which is sent on the condition that relevant stored data be detected, and prompts examination as to whether or not the verification data and the data to be stored match.

13. A transfer data management method using a transfer data management system for internet backup in which a backup server and a plurality of backup clients are connected via a network, and the backup server provides to the backup clients a function of backing up on the backup server data stored on the backup clients, as well as a function of restoring backed up data on the backup clients, the transfer data management method comprising:

a digest information sending step at the backup client for sending to the backup server digest information of data to be stored prior to a data storage request from the backup client to the backup server;

a verification data receiving step at the backup client for receiving, as verification data, stored data, which is sent on the condition that, at the backup server, verification be performed against stored data at a verification portion based on the digest information and relevant stored data be detected; and

an examining step at the backup client for examining whether or not the verification data and the data to be stored match.

14. A computer readable media which stores a program for causing a computer to execute the method according to claim 13.