SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PERFORMING BACKUP OR RESTORE OPERATIONS UTILIZING DIFFERENCE INFORMATION AND TIMELINE STATE INFORMATION

• US 20120124306A1
• Filed: 11/16/2010
• Published: 05/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Actifio, Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: PROVENZANO, Christopher A., ROMAN, Mark A., ABERCROMBIE, Philip J., MUTALIK, Madhav
• Granted Patent: US 8,788,769 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/162
• 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 11/1456 Hardware arrangements for backup
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1461 Backup scheduling policy
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1469 Backup restoration techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/84 Using snapshots, i.e. a logical point-in-time copy of the data

Abstract

Systems and methods for backing-up data from a first storage pool to a second storage pool using difference information between time states are disclosed. The system has a data management engine for performing data management functions, including at least a back-up function to create a back-up copy of data. By executing a sequence of snapshot operations to create point-in-time images of application data on a first storage pool, each successive point-in-time image corresponding to a specific, successive time-state of the application data, a series of snapshots is created. The snapshots are then used to create difference information indicating which application data has changed and the content of the changed application data for the corresponding time state. This difference information is then sent to a second storage pool to create a back-up copy of data for the current time-state.

Claims

1. A system for backing-up data from a first storage pool to a second storage pool using difference information between time states, said system comprising:

a data management engine for performing data management functions, including at least a back-up function to create a back-up copy of data,

said data management engine operable to execute a sequence of snapshot operations to create point-in-time images of application data on a first storage pool, each successive point-in-time image corresponding to a specific, successive time-state of the application data, and each snapshot operation creating difference information indicating which application data has changed and the content of the changed application data for the corresponding time state;

said data management engine operable to execute at least one back-up function for the application data wherein the backup operation is scheduled for execution at non-consecutive time-states

wherein said data management engine is operable to maintain history information having time-state information indicating the time-state of the last back-up function performed on the application data for a corresponding back-up copy of data; and

wherein the data management engine is operable to create composite difference information from the difference information for each time-state between the time-state of the last back-up function performed on the application data and the time-state of the currently-scheduled back-up function to be performed on the application data, and wherein the data management engine is operable to send the composite difference information to a second storage pool to be compiled with the back-up copy of data at the last time-state to create a back-up copy of data for the current time-state.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein difference information includes bitmap information with each bit of the bitmap corresponding to a portion of primary storage data, and including new data for those portions of the bitmap which are set to indicate that data has changed.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein difference information includes extent information.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein multiple back-up functions are scheduled to occur simultaneously, each with different gaps of non-consecutive time-states, and each with different composite difference information generated corresponding to the different gaps

5. A system for restoring data in a storage pool from a back-up copy of the data using difference information between time states, said system comprising:

a data management engine wherein said data management engine is operable to maintain history information indicating the time-states for which storage pools have point-in-time images of application data; and

wherein said data management engine includes logic for restoring application data in a storage pool to a point-in-time image of the data for a specified time-state;

said data management engine operable to identify the existence of a point-in-time image of the data at the storage pool for a time-state prior to the specified time-state and sending difference information from the back-up copy of data to the storage pool, said difference information indicating which application data has changed and the content of the changed application data for the time between the specified time state and the time state prior to the specified time-state.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein difference information includes bitmap information with each bit of the bitmap corresponding to a portion of primary storage data, and includes back-up data for those portions of the bitmap which are set to indicate that data has changed.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein difference information includes extent information.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein the prior time-state and the specified time-state are non-consecutive time-states.