SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING INTRA-PROCESS COMMUNICATION FOR AN APPLICATION PROGRAMMING INTERFACE

• US 20130339643A1
• 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, GROOSE, Brian, TEKADE, Uday
• Granted Patent: US 9,384,254 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 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 intra-process communication in a backup framework. A custom requester is registered with a framework configured to run and coordinate one or more requesters and one or more providers, wherein the framework provides an application programmer interface for the requesters and providers. A first requester from the one or more requesters starts a backup process for a first data set associated with a first application. The first requester determines that the data storage device associated with the first data set and the first application is exported by a data management system. The first requester selects a first provider to create a backup of the first data set for the backup process, wherein the first requester and first provider are separate threads in a same process space that can communicate directly with each other using one or more intra-process communication channels.

Claims

1. A computerized method for intra-process communication in a backup framework, the method comprising:

registering, by a computing device, a custom requester with a framework configured to run and coordinate one or more requesters and one or more providers, wherein the framework provides an application programmer interface for the one or more requesters and the one or more providers, but the framework does not provide an interface for direct communication between the one or more requesters and the one or more providers, wherein;

each of the one or more requesters are computerized processes configured to request a backup of a data set associated with an application; and

each of the one or more providers comprises computerized processes configured to create a backup of a data set associated with an application;

starting, by the computing device using a first requester from the one or more requesters, a backup process for a first data set associated with a first application;

determining, by the computing device using the first requester, that the data storage device associated with the first data set and the first application is exported by a data management system associated with the computing device; and

selecting, by the computing device using the first requester, a first provider from the one or more providers to create a backup of the first data set for the backup process, wherein the first requester and first provider are separate threads in a same process space such that the first requester and first provider can communicate directly with each other using one or more intra-process communication channels.

2. The computerized method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the computing device using the first requester, that the data storage device associated with the first data set and the first application is not exported by the data management system associated with the computing device; and

transmitting, by the computing device, a request to the framework for the backup process such that the framework selects a second provider from the one or more providers to create the backup of the first data set for the backup process, wherein the first requester and second provider are separate processes such that the first requester and second provider cannot communicate directly with each other but instead communicate through the framework.

3. The computerized method of claim 2, wherein the framework is a Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy Service and the second provider is a Microsoft Snapshot Provider.

4. The computerized method of claim 2, further comprising:

transmitting, by the first requester, a request to the framework to initiate the backup, such that the requester is blocked by the framework until the first provider is completed with its associated functions;

receiving, by the first provider, a second request from the framework to create the snapshot of the first data set; and

transmitting, by the first provider, a notification to the first requester that the framework is ready to create the snapshot.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

transmitting, by the first requester, a message to the data management system to create the snapshot of the first data set;

receiving, by the first requester, a second message from the data management system indicative of the snapshot being created; and

transmitting, by the first requester, a message to the first provider that the snapshot was created.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the framework is a Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS), the one or more providers are VSS providers, and the one or more requesters are VSS requesters.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the framework further comprises a VSS writer configured to write and update data managed by the framework.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

registering, by the first requester, a callback handler with the first provider; and

communicating, by the first provider, with the first requester using the callback handler.

9. A computing device for intra-process communication in a backup framework, the server comprising:

a database; 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;

register a custom requester with a framework configured to run and coordinate one or more requesters and one or more providers, wherein the framework provides an application programmer interface for the one or more requesters and the one or more providers, but the framework does not provide an interface for direct communication between the one or more requesters and the one or more providers, wherein;

each of the one or more requesters are computerized processes configured to request a backup of a data set associated with an application; and

each of the one or more providers are computerized processes configured to create a backup of a data set associated with an application;

start, using a first requester from the one or more requesters, a backup process for a first data set associated with a first application;

determine, using the first requester, that the data storage device associated with the first data set and the first application is exported by a data management system associated with the computing device; and

select, using the first requester, a first provider from the one or more providers to create a backup of the first data set for the backup process, wherein the first requester and first provider are separate threads in a same process space such that the first requester and first provider can communicate directly with each other using one or more intra-process communication channels.

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

register a custom requester with a framework configured to run and coordinate one or more requesters and one or more providers, wherein the framework provides an application programmer interface for the one or more requesters and the one or more providers, but the framework does not provide an interface for direct communication between the one or more requesters and the one or more providers, wherein;

each of the one or more requesters are computerized processes configured to request a backup of a data set associated with an application; and

each of the one or more providers are computerized processes configured to create a backup of a data set associated with an application;

start, a first requester from the one or more requesters, a backup process for a first data set associated with a first application;

determine, using the first requester, that the data storage device associated with the first data set and the first application is exported by a data management system associated with the computing device; and

select, using the first requester, a first provider from the one or more providers to create a backup of the first data set for the backup process, wherein the first requester and first provider are separate threads in a same process space such that the first requester and first provider can communicate directly with each other using one or more intra-process communication channels.