DATA PROCESSING APPARATUS AND METHOD OF PROCESSING DATA

• US 20100198792A1
• Filed: 10/25/2007
• Published: 08/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Trezise, Gregory Keth, Camble, Peter Thomas
• Granted Patent: US 8,838,541 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/645
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1451 by selection of backup contents

Abstract

Data processing apparatus comprising: a chunk store having a plurality of chunk sections, each operable to store specimen data chunks, the apparatus being operable to: process an input data set into one or more input data chunks; identify a specimen data chunk in one of said chunk sections which corresponds to a first input data chunk; identify a second input data chunk not corresponding to a specimen data chunk in the chunk store; and store the second input data chunk as a specimen data chunk in proximity to the identified specimen data chunk corresponding to the first input data chunk.

Claims

1. Data processing apparatus comprising:

a chunk store having a plurality of chunk sections, each operable to store specimen data chunks,

the apparatus being operable to;

process an input data set into one or more input data chunks;

identify a specimen data chunk in one of said chunk sections which corresponds to a first input data chunk;

identify a second input data chunk not corresponding to a specimen data chunk in the chunk store; and

store the second input data chunk as a specimen data chunk in deliberate proximity to the identified specimen data chunk corresponding to the first input data chunk.

2. Data processing apparatus according to claim 1, operable to store the second input data chunk as a specimen data chunk in physical proximity to the identified specimen data chunk corresponding to the first input data chunk.

3. Data processing apparatus according to claim 1, operable to store the second input data chunk as a specimen data chunk in the chunk section containing the identified specimen data chunk corresponding to the first input data chunk.

4. Data processing apparatus according to claim 1, operable to store the second input data chunk as a specimen data chunk in the chunk store such that both the specimen data chunks corresponding to the first and second input data chunks are operable to be read from the chunk store in a single read/write operation.

5. Data processing apparatus according to claim 1, operable to store the second input data chunk as a specimen data chunk in a chunk section physically adjacent the chunk section containing the identified specimen data chunk corresponding to the first input data chunk.

6. Data processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein if at least a predetermined number of input data chunks are found not to correspond to specimen data chunks in the chunk store, the apparatus is operable to store the said input data chunks as specimen data chunks in proximity to one another in at least one chunk section.

7. Data processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the said at least one chunk section is at least one chunk section other than the chunk section containing the identified specimen data chunk.

8. Data processing apparatus according to claim 1, operable to analyse the input data set;

and store the second input data chunk as a specimen data chunk in proximity to the identified specimen data chunk corresponding to the first input data chunk, only if the input data set has a predetermined characteristic.

9. Data processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the predetermined characteristic is that the input data set is deemed by the data processing apparatus to represent a full back up.

10. Data processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a manifest store for containing at least one manifest representing at least a part of an input data set and having at least one reference to at least one of said chunk sections, the data processing apparatus being operable to identify a specimen data chunk in one of said chunk sections which corresponds to a first input data chunk by using the at least one manifest.

11. Data processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein at least one chunk section is configured to contain at least one reference to at least one manifest referencing at least one specimen data chunk contained in the at least one chunk section.

12. Data processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein at least one chunk section is operable to maintain a record of the location of at least one specimen data chunk contained in the at least one chunk section.

13. Data processing apparatus according to claim 10, operable to associate at least one specimen data chunk in at least one chunk section with a back-reference to a manifest referencing that specimen data chunk.

14. Data processing apparatus according to claim 13, operable to determine when a specimen data chunk is not associated with a back-reference to a manifest and delete that specimen data chunk.

15. Data processing apparatus according to claim 13, operable to:

analyse the said back-references to manifests referencing a given specimen data chunk;

move the given specimen data chunk within the chunk store; and

amend the references of the manifests to refer to the moved specimen data chunk.

16. Data processing apparatus according to claim 1, operable to periodically commission a new chunk store for use by the data processing apparatus, the previous chunk store being retired from use.

17. A data processor, comprising a plurality of chunk sections, each storing specimen data chunks,

the data processor being operable to:

process input data into input data chunks;

identify at least one input data chunk not already stored in a chunk section as a specimen data chunk; and

store said at least one input data chunk, as a specimen data chunk, in a chunk section which does contain a specimen data chunk corresponding to at least one of said input data chunks.

18. Data storage apparatus comprising:

a data storage medium provisioned with a plurality of chunk sections, at least one of said chunk sections storing specimen data chunks; and

a read/write head to read information from, or write information to, the data storage medium, the read/write head being operable to read/write a predetermined maximum extent of data in a single operation,

the apparatus being operable to;

divide an input data set into input data chunks;

identify an input data chunk corresponding to a specimen data chunk stored in a chunk section; and

store a further input data chunk of the input data set as a specimen data chunk in the data storage medium, such that both the specimen data chunks may be accessed by the read/write head in a single operation.

19. A method of processing data using:

a plurality of chunk sections, each operable to store specimen data chunks, the method comprising;

processing an input data set into input data chunks;

identifying a specimen data chunk in a chunk section which corresponds to a first input data chunk;

identifying a second input data chunk not corresponding to a specimen data chunk in the chunk store; and

storing the second input data chunk as a specimen data chunk in deliberate proximity to the identified specimen data chunk corresponding to the first input data chunk.

20. A method according to claim 19, comprising:

identifying further input data chunks not corresponding to specimen data chunks already in the chunk store; and

storing said input data chunks as specimen data chunks in at least one chunk section containing at least one specimen data chunk that does correspond to at least one input data chunk of the input data set.

21. A method of processing data using:

a data storage medium provisioned with a plurality of chunk sections storing specimen data chunks; and

a read/write head to read information from, or write information to, the data storage medium, the read/write head being operable to read/write a predetermined maximum extent of data in a single operation, the method comprising;

arranging at least two specimen data chunks, corresponding to respective input data chunks, on the data storage medium such that the at least two specimen data chunks may be accessed by the read/write head in a single operation.