SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR INCREMENTALLY BACKING UP OUT-OF-BAND DATA

• US 20130339303A1
• Filed: 06/18/2013
• Published: 12/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Actifio, Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: MUTALIK, Madhav, POTTER, Alan, GROOSE, Brian
• Granted Patent: US 9,754,005 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/649
• 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 16/128 Details of file system snapshots on the file-level, e.g. snapshot creation, administration, deletion use of snapshots for error detection or correction G06F11/14, G06F11/16
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/215 Improving data quality; Data cleansing, e.g. de-duplication, removing invalid entries or correcting typographical errors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/273 Asynchronous replication or reconciliation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/275 Synchronous replication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/80 Database-specific techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/84 Using snapshots, i.e. a logical point-in-time copy of the data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0617 in relation to availability
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/065 Replication mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0683 Plurality of storage devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for backing up out-of-band storage. A protection policy is activated for out-of-band storage at a remote host, wherein the out-of-band storage is not physically accessible by the computing device, such that the out-of-band storage is not in communication with the remote host through the computing device. A backup request is transmitted to the remote host comprising data indicative of a volume on the out-of-band storage to back up according to the protection policy. A response to the backup request is received comprising staging disk requirements for the volume, the staging disk requirements comprising a required size for a staging disk to back up the volume. A staging disk is determined based on the response. The staging disk is presented to the remote host. A backup result is received comprising data indicative of whether a backup of the volume to the staging disk succeeded.

Claims

1. A computerized method for backing up out-of-band storage, comprising:

activating, by a computing device, a protection policy for out-of-band storage at a remote host, wherein the out-of-band storage is not physically accessible by the computing device, such that the out-of-band storage is not in communication with the remote host through the computing device;

transmitting, by the computing device, a backup request to the remote host comprising data indicative of a volume on the out-of-band storage to back up according to the protection policy;

receiving, by the computing device, a response to the backup request comprising data indicative of staging disk requirements for the volume, the staging disk requirements comprising a required size for a staging disk to back up the volume;

determining, by the computing device, a staging disk based on the response;

presenting, by the computing device, the staging disk to the remote host; and

receiving, by the computing device, a backup result from the remote host comprising data indicative of whether a backup of the volume to the staging disk succeeded or whether the backup of the volume to the staging disk failed.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining, based on the backup result, that the backup failed; and

identifying an error code in the backup result and storing the error code.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining, based on the backup result, that the backup succeeded;

creating a point-in-time snapshot of the staging disk; and

cataloging the point-in-time snapshot of the staging disk as a most recent backup of the volume.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the staging disk based on the response comprises:

identifying a previously cataloged point-in-time snapshot for the volume; and

using the previously catalogued point-in-time image as the staging disk, such that file system information is used to compare the previously catalogued point-in-time image with the out-of-band storage to only copy information in the out-of-band storage that changed from the point-in-time image.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the staging disk based on the response comprises:

determining there is no previously cataloged point-in-time snapshot for the volume; and

allocating the staging disk from data storage of the computing device with a size based on the required size from the staging disk requirements.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that a previously cataloged point-in-time snapshot for the volume expired; and

deleting the previously cataloged point-in-time snapshot.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that a previously cataloged point-in-time snapshot for the volume is associated with a previous staging disk comprising a size below the required size from the staging disk requirements; and

allocating the staging disk from data storage of the computing device with a size based on the required size from the staging disk requirements, wherein the staging disk does not comprise the previously cataloged point-in-time snapshot.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the out-of-band storage stored on the remote host comprises an internal disk to the remote device, a networked drive, or any combination thereof.

9. A computing device for backing up out-of-band storage, the server comprising:

a storage pool; and

a processor in communication with the database, and configured to run a module stored in memory that is configured to cause the processor to;

activate a protection policy for out-of-band storage at a remote host, wherein the out-of-band storage is not physically accessible by the computing device, such that the out-of-band storage is not in communication with the remote host through the computing device;

transmit a backup request to the remote host comprising data indicative of a volume on the out-of-band storage to back up according to the protection policy;

receive a response to the backup request comprising data indicative of staging disk requirements for the volume, the staging disk requirements comprising a required size for a staging disk to back up the volume;

determine a staging disk from the storage pool based on the response;

present the staging disk to the remote host; and

receive a backup result from the remote host comprising data indicative of whether a backup of the volume to the staging disk succeeded or whether the backup of the volume to the staging disk failed.

10. A non-transitory computer readable medium having executable instructions operable to cause an apparatus to:

activate a protection policy for out-of-band storage at a remote host, wherein the out-of-band storage is not physically accessible by the computing device, such that the out-of-band storage is not in communication with the remote host through the computing device;

transmit a backup request to the remote host comprising data indicative of a volume on the out-of-band storage to back up according to the protection policy;

receive a response to the backup request comprising data indicative of staging disk requirements for the volume, the staging disk requirements comprising a required size for a staging disk to back up the volume;

determine a staging disk based on the response;

present the staging disk to the remote host; and

receive a backup result from the remote host comprising data indicative of whether a backup of the volume to the staging disk succeeded or whether the backup of the volume to the staging disk failed.