SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR IMPLEMENTING A BLOCK-BASED BACKUP RESTART

• US 20160124814A1
• Filed: 10/30/2014
• Published: 05/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
• Original Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
• Inventors: Joseph, James Namboorikandathil, Sundararajan, Manoj Kumar Venkatachary, Budhia, Ravi K.
• Granted Patent: US 9,507,668 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1438 Restarting or rejuvenating
• 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 11/1466 to make the backup process non-disruptive
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/805 Real-time
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/84 Using snapshots, i.e. a logical point-in-time copy of the data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/061 Improving I/O performance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0616 in relation to life time, e.g. increasing Mean Time Between Failures [MTBF]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/064 Management of blocks
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/065 Replication mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0682 Tape device

Abstract

A system and method for block-based restarts are described. A data storage system interfaces with one or more nodes of a network file system on which a volume is provided in order to read data stored on the volume on a block-by-block basis. Backup data sets capable of recreating the data on the volume are generated from the data blocks read from the volume. The system can interface with a backup memory resource and write the backup data sets to the backup memory resource in a sequential order. As the backup data sets are generated and written to the backup memory resource, restart checkpoints for the data set are also regularly generated and stored for use in restarting the backup process in the event of a recoverable failure in the transfer.

Claims

1. A data backup system comprising:

a memory resource to store instructions;

one or more processors using the instructions stored in the memory resource to

(i) initiate and perform a backup session for implementing a block-based backup by;

interfacing with one or more nodes over a network on which a volume is provided in order to read data stored on the volume, wherein the data is read at a physical block level;

generating backup data sets from the read data, each backup data set coinciding with data that can, either individually or in combination with other backup data sets, recreate at least a corresponding block portion of a physical memory resource;

interfacing with a backup memory resource and writing the backup data sets to the backup memory resource in an ordered sequence;

generating a plurality of checkpoints for the backup data sets, each checkpoint of the plurality of checkpoints generated after a programmed interval during the backup session, each checkpoint including an identifier to a recently read block portion of the read data;

storing the plurality of checkpoints at a checkpoint location;

(ii) detect a failure in the backup session requiring a backup restart; and

(iii) perform the backup restart by;

interfacing with the one or more nodes;

retrieving the checkpoints for each backup data set from the checkpoint location;

generating further backup data sets from the read data beginning at a block identified in the checkpoints; and

interfacing with the backup memory resource and sequentially writing the further backup data sets to the backup memory resource.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the backup memory resource is a tape resource.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the checkpoint location is provided with one of the nodes.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the backup memory resource includes a transfer interface to a cloud storage medium.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the volume is distributed on multiple nodes of the one or more nodes over the network, and wherein the one or more processors initiate the backup session by generating backup data sets for each of the multiple nodes.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the programmed interval is a fixed period of time.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the programmed interval is a number of blocks of data.

8. A method of performing a block-based backup in a backup session, the method being implemented by one or more processors and comprising:

interfacing with one or more nodes over a network on which a volume is provided in order to read data stored on the volume, wherein the data is read at a physical block level;

generating backup data sets from the read data, each backup data set coinciding with data that can, either individually or in combination with other backup data sets, recreate at least a corresponding block portion of a physical memory resource;

interfacing with a backup memory resource and writing the backup data sets to the backup memory resource in an ordered sequence;

generating a plurality of checkpoints for the backup data sets, each checkpoint of the plurality of checkpoints generated after a programmed interval during the backup session, each checkpoint including an identifier to a recently read block portion of the read data;

storing the checkpoints at a checkpoint location;

upon detecting a failure in the backup session requiring a backup restart, (i) signaling the backup memory resource to return to a most recent consistent position in the ordered sequence prior to the failure (ii) identifying a restart offset corresponding to the position in the ordered sequence (iii) selecting a restart checkpoint, from the plurality of checkpoints, based at least partly on the restart offset (iv) generating further backup data sets from the read data beginning at a block identified by the restart checkpoint, and (v) interfacing with the backup memory resource and sequentially writing the further backup data sets to the backup memory resource.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the selected restart checkpoint, from among the plurality of checkpoints, contains the restart offset closest to but less than the data offset corresponding to the position.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the backup memory resource is a tape resource.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the checkpoint location is provided with one of the nodes.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the backup memory resource includes a transfer interface to a cloud storage medium.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the volume is distributed on multiple nodes of the one or more nodes over the network, and wherein the one or more processors initiate the backup session by generating one of the backup data sets for each of the multiple nodes.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the programmed interval is a fixed period of time.

15. The method of claim 8, wherein the programmed interval is a number of blocks of data.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium for performing a block-based backup in a data backup session, the non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations that include:

interfacing with one or more nodes over a network on which a volume is provided in order to read data stored on the volume, wherein the data is read at a physical block level;

generating backup data sets from the read data, each backup data set coinciding with data that can, either individually or in combination with other backup data sets, recreate at least a corresponding block portion of a physical memory resource;

interfacing with a backup memory resource and writing the backup data sets to the backup memory resource in an ordered sequence;

generating a plurality of checkpoints for the backup data sets, each checkpoint of the plurality of checkpoints generated after a programmed interval during the backup session, each checkpoint including an identifier to a recently read block portion of the read data;

storing the plurality of checkpoints at a checkpoint location;

upon detecting a failure in the backup session requiring a backup restart, (i) signaling the backup memory resource to return to a most recent consistent position in the ordered sequence prior to the failure (ii) identifying a restart offset corresponding to the position in the ordered sequence (iii) selecting a restart checkpoint, from the plurality of checkpoints, based at least partly on the restart offset (iv) generating further backup data sets from the read data beginning at a block identified by the restart checkpoint, and (v) interfacing with the backup memory resource and sequentially writing the further backup data sets to the backup memory resource.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the selected restart checkpoint, from among the plurality of checkpoints, contains the restart offset closest to but less than the data offset corresponding to the position.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the backup memory resource is a tape resource.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the checkpoint location is provided with one of the nodes.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the backup memory resource includes a transfer interface to a cloud storage medium.