Reusing Snapshots in a Network Data Management Protocol Backup Operation

• US 20120259815A1
• Filed: 04/08/2011
• Published: 10/11/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Olson, John T.
• Granted Patent: US 8,880,475 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/649
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1458 Management of the backup or restore process
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1464 for networked environments
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/84 Using snapshots, i.e. a logical point-in-time copy of the data

Abstract

Mechanisms, in a data processing system, are provided for performing a data management operation. These mechanisms identify one or more defined groups of data elements that are a target of the data management operation. One or more previously generated snapshot files associated with the one or more defined groups are identified and a determination is made as to whether at least one previously generated snapshot file of the one or more previously generated snapshot files associated with the one or more defined groups is able to be reused when performing the data management operation. The data management operation is performed based on the determination of whether at least one previously generated snapshot file of the one or more previously generated snapshot files associated with the one or more defined groups is able to be reused when performing the data management operation.

Claims

1. A method, in a data processing system, for performing a data management operation comprising:

identifying, by the data processing system, one or more defined groups of data elements that are a target of the data management operation;

identifying, by the data processing system, one or more previously generated snapshot files associated with the one or more defined groups;

determining, by the data processing system, whether at least one previously generated snapshot file of the one or more previously generated snapshot files associated with the one or more defined groups is able to be reused when performing the data management operation; and

performing, by the data processing system, the data management operation based on the determination of whether at least one previously generated snapshot file of the one or more previously generated snapshot files associated with the one or more defined groups is able to be reused when performing the data management operation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein performing the data management operation comprises reusing the at least one previously generated snapshot file to perform the data management operation, in response to a determination that the at least one previously generated snapshot file is able to be reused.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein reusing the at least one previously generated snapshot file to perform the data management operation comprises using the at least one previously generated snapshot file, and not generating a new snapshot file for data elements that are part of the at least one previously generated snapshot file, when performing the data management operation.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether at least one previously generated snapshot file is able to be reused comprises:

retrieving one or more expiration time variable values associated with the one or more defined groups of data elements;

determining, for each previously generated snapshot file in the one or more previously generated snapshot files, whether the previously generated snapshot file is unexpired based on the identified one or more expiration time variable values; and

determining that a previously generated snapshot file in the one or more previously generated snapshot files is able to be reused in response to a determination that the previously generated snapshot file is unexpired based on the one or more expiration time variable values.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the one or more defined groups of data elements are specified by one or more group environment variables identifying data elements associated with the environment variable as being part of a corresponding defined group in the one or more defined groups for data management operations, and wherein the one or more expiration time variable values are specified by one or more expiration time environment variables associated with the one or more group environment variables.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the one or more defined groups of data elements comprises a plurality of defined groups of data elements, and wherein each defined group of data elements in the plurality of defined groups of data elements has a different associated expiration time variable value.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more defined groups of data elements comprises one or more defined groups of directories in a file system of the data processing system or one or more other data processing systems.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the data management operation is a network data management protocol (NDMP) backup operation for backing up the one or more defined groups of directories.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the data management operation is a data replication operation for replicating the one or more data elements on another data processing system.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one defined group of data elements are defined according to a file system of the data processing system or one or more other data processing systems, and wherein data management operations from a plurality of data processing systems operate on the file system using the same at least one defined group of data elements.

11. A computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having a computer readable program stored therein, wherein the computer readable program, when executed on a computing device, causes the computing device to:

identify one or more defined groups of data elements that are a target of the data management operation;

identify one or more previously generated snapshot files associated with the one or more defined groups;

determine whether at least one previously generated snapshot file of the one or more previously generated snapshot files associated with the one or more defined groups is able to be reused when performing the data management operation; and

perform the data management operation based on the determination of whether at least one previously generated snapshot file of the one or more previously generated snapshot files associated with the one or more defined groups is able to be reused when performing the data management operation.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the computer readable program further causes the computing device to perform the data management operation by reusing the at least one previously generated snapshot file to perform the data management operation, in response to a determination that the at least one previously generated snapshot file is able to be reused.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the computer readable program further causes the computing device to reuse the at least one previously generated snapshot file to perform the data management operation by using the at least one previously generated snapshot file, and not generating a new snapshot file for data elements that are part of the at least one previously generated snapshot file, when performing the data management operation.

14. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the computer readable program further causes the computing device to determine whether at least one previously generated snapshot file is able to be reused by:

retrieving one or more expiration time variable values associated with the one or more defined groups of data elements;

determining, for each previously generated snapshot file in the one or more previously generated snapshot files, whether the previously generated snapshot file is unexpired based on the identified one or more expiration time variable values; and

determining that a previously generated snapshot file in the one or more previously generated snapshot files is able to be reused in response to a determination that the previously generated snapshot file is unexpired based on the one or more expiration time variable values.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the one or more defined groups of data elements are specified by one or more group environment variables identifying data elements associated with the environment variable as being part of a corresponding defined group in the one or more defined groups for data management operations, and wherein the one or more expiration time variable values are specified by one or more expiration time environment variables associated with the one or more group environment variables.

16. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the one or more defined groups of data elements comprises a plurality of defined groups of data elements, and wherein each defined group of data elements in the plurality of defined groups of data elements has a different associated expiration time variable value.

17. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the one or more defined groups of data elements comprises one or more defined groups of directories in a file system of the computing device or one or more other computing devices.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the data management operation is a network data management protocol (NDMP) backup operation for backing up the one or more defined groups of directories.

19. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the data management operation is a data replication operation for replicating the one or more data elements on another computing device.

20. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the at least one defined group of data elements are defined according to a file system of the computing device or one or more other computing devices, and wherein data management operations from a plurality of computing devices operate on the file system using the same at least one defined group of data elements.

21. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor, wherein the memory comprises instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

identify one or more defined groups of data elements that are a target of the data management operation;

identify one or more previously generated snapshot files associated with the one or more defined groups;

determine whether at least one previously generated snapshot file of the one or more previously generated snapshot files associated with the one or more defined groups is able to be reused when performing the data management operation; and

perform the data management operation based on the determination of whether at least one previously generated snapshot file of the one or more previously generated snapshot files associated with the one or more defined groups is able to be reused when performing the data management operation.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to perform the data management operation by reusing the at least one previously generated snapshot file to perform the data management operation, in response to a determination that the at least one previously generated snapshot file is able to be reused.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to reuse the at least one previously generated snapshot file to perform the data management operation by using the at least one previously generated snapshot file, and not generating a new snapshot file for data elements that are part of the at least one previously generated snapshot file, when performing the data management operation.

24. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to determine whether at least one previously generated snapshot file is able to be reused by:

retrieving one or more expiration time variable values associated with the one or more defined groups of data elements;

determining, for each previously generated snapshot file in the one or more previously generated snapshot files, whether the previously generated snapshot file is unexpired based on the identified one or more expiration time variable values; and

determining that a previously generated snapshot file in the one or more previously generated snapshot files is able to be reused in response to a determination that the previously generated snapshot file is unexpired based on the one or more expiration time variable values.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the one or more defined groups of data elements are specified by one or more group environment variables identifying data elements associated with the environment variable as being part of a corresponding defined group in the one or more defined groups for data management operations, and wherein the one or more expiration time variable values are specified by one or more expiration time environment variables associated with the one or more group environment variables.