Apparatus and method for backup of a disk storage system

• US 6,081,875 A
• Filed: 05/19/1997
• Issued: 06/27/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Data General Corp. (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: EMC Corporation (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Larson, John P., Richart, Joseph R., Sagan, Cyril E., Clifton, Richard J., Chatterjee, Sanjoy
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan, Eddie P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Encarnacion, Yamir
• Application Number:
  US08/858,231
• Time in Patent Office: 1,135 Days
• Field of Search: 707/204, 711/161, 711/162, 711/112, 711/113, 711/133, 711/139, 711/150, 711/156, 711/159, 711/165
• US Class Current: 711/162
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1466 to make the backup process non-disruptive

Abstract

A backup system and method provides for creation of a reconciled snapshot backup image of a database while the database, residing on a disk array system, is in use by users. A backup computer running a commercial backup utility is connected between the array system and a tape storage system. While the backup is underway, write requests to the database are suspended until the data currently in those data blocks is copied and stored in an original data cache. The disk system address of the copied block and a pointer to the location of the block in the cache are stored in a map. The backup utility incrementally reads portions of the database from the disk system and forwards those portions to the tape system. Prior to each portion being forwarded to the tape system, all data blocks in the portion which have an address that corresponds to the address of a block in the cache are discarded and replaced with the data from the cache for that address.

Claims

1. In a data processing system having a host computer connected to a disk peripheral, a backup computer connected to a host computer and the disk peripheral, and a tape peripheral connected to the backup computer, a method for creating a snapshot image of a desired portion of the data residing on the disk peripheral comprising the steps of:

(a) reading a block of the desired portion of the data from the disk peripheral

(b) determining if a block previously read from the same disk peripheral address as the block read in step (a) is available in an original data cache;

(c) if step (b) is affirmative, transferring the previously read block of data to the tape peripheral;

(d) if step (b) is not affirmative, transferring the block of data read in step (a) to the tape peripheral; and

(e) repeating steps (a)-(d) until the entire desired portion has been transferred to the tape peripheral.

2. In a data processing system having a host computer connected to a disk peripheral, a backup computer connected to the host computer and the disk peripheral and a tape peripheral connected to the backup computer, a method for creating a snapshot image of a desired portion of the data residing on the disk peripheral comprising the steps of:

(a) reading a plurality of blocks of the desired data from the disk peripheral;

(b) placing the plurality of blocks in a buffer;

(c) for each block placed in the buffer in step (b), performing the steps of;

determining if a block of data previously read from the same disk peripheral address is available in an original data cache; and

if so, replacing the block of data currently in the buffer with the previously read block of data;

(d) transferring the contents of the buffer to the tape peripheral;

(e) repeating steps (a)-(d) until the desired portion has been transferred from the disk peripheral to the tape peripheral.

3. In a data processing system having a host computer connected to an disk peripheral, a backup computer connected to the host computer and the disk peripheral and a tape peripheral connected to the backup computer, a method for creating a snapshot image of a desired portion of the data residing on the disk peripheral comprising the steps of:

(a) monitoring for a write command from the host computer to the disk peripheral;

(b) if a write command is detected, performing the steps of;

(i) suspending the write command,

(ii) copying the data from the disk peripheral addresses to which the write command is directed,

(iii) storing the data copied at step (ii) in an original data cache, and

(iv) executing the write;

(c) reading at least one block of the desired data from the disk peripheral;

(d) for each block read in step (c), performing the steps of;

determining if a block of data previously read from the same disk peripheral address is available in the original data cache; and

if so, transferring the previously read block of data to the tape peripheral;

if not, transferring the block of data read in step (c) to the tape peripheral

(e) repeating steps (a)-(d) until the desired portion of data has been transferred from the disk peripheral to the tape peripheral.

4. In a data processing system having a host computer, a disk peripheral having copy-on-write capability and connected to the host computer, and a backup computer connected to the host computer and the disk peripheral, a copy-on-write method comprising the steps of:

(a) monitoring for a write command from the host computer to the disk peripheral

(b) if a write command is detected, performing the steps of;

(i) suspending the write command,

(ii) copying the data from the addresses to which the write command is directed,

(iii) for each data block copied in step (ii), performing the steps of;

(1) comparing the address of the block with a list of addresses of blocks previously stored in an original data cache;

(2) if the address of the block is on the list, discarding the block;

(3) if the address of the block is not on the list, storing the block in the original data cache and adding the address of the block to the list; and

(iv) executing the write.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein step b(iii) (3) includes the additional step of storing a pointer to the location of the block in the backup computer.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein step b(iii) (3) includes the additional step of storing a state indicator for the block, said state indicator indicating whether the block has been read from the backup computer.

7. A backup system for use with a data processing system having a disk peripheral with copy-on-write capability and a host computer connected to the disk peripheral, said backup system comprising:

a tape peripheral for storing a backup copy of at least a portion of the information on the disk peripheral; and

a backup computer, connected to the disk peripheral and the tape peripheral, the backup computer having

means for receiving copy-on-write data from the disk peripheral,

means for storing the copy-on-write data in the backup computer,

means for requesting backup data from the disk peripheral,

means for receiving backup data from the disk peripheral in response to a request,

means for transferring data to the tape peripheral; and

means for selecting either the received backup data or the stored copy-on-write data to be transferred to the tape peripheral.

8. A backup computer system for use with a tape peripheral, a disk peripheral having copy-on-write capability and a host computer connected to the disk peripheral, the backup computer system comprising:

a backup computer, connected to the disk peripheral and the tape peripheral, the backup computer having

means for receiving copy-on-write data from the disk peripheral,

means for storing the copy-on-write data in the backup computer,

means for requesting backup data from the disk peripheral,

means for receiving backup data from the disk peripheral in response to a request,

means for transferring data to the tape peripheral; and

means for selecting either the received backup data or the stored copy-on-write data to be transferred to the tape peripheral.

9. A data storage and backup system for use with a host computer, said system comprising:

a disk peripheral connected to the host computer and having copy-on-write capability;

a tape peripheral for storing a backup copy of at least a portion of the information on the disk peripheral;

a backup computer, connected to the disk peripheral and the tape peripheral, the backup computer having

means for receiving copy-on-write data from the disk peripheral,

means for storing the copy-on-write data in the backup computer,

means for requesting backup data from the disk peripheral,

means for receiving backup data from the disk peripheral in response to a request,

means for transferring data to the tape peripheral, and

means for selecting either the received backup data or the stored copy-on-write data to be transferred to the tape peripheral.

10. A backup system for use with a tape peripheral, a disk peripheral with copy-on-write capability and a host computer connected to the disk peripheral, the backup system comprising:

a processor for executing utility programs;

data storage means;

an original data cache in the data storage means;

a data cache utility having means for receiving copy-on-write (COW) data from the disk peripheral and means for storing the COW data in the original data cache;

a backup utility having means for issuing read commands to the disk peripheral, means for receiving data from the disk peripheral and means sending data to the tape peripheral; and

a read utility having means for receiving data from the disk peripheral in response to a read command from the backup utility, means for comparing the disk peripheral address of received data with disk peripheral addresses of COW data, means for providing data to the backup utility, and means for selecting the data to be provided to the backup utility from either the data received from the disk peripheral or the COW data stored in the original data cache.

12. The system of claim 10 or 11 wherein the backup computer further comprises:

a map of the original data cache;

means for storing in the map the disk peripheral address of the COW data in the map; and

means for assigning and storing in the map a pointer to the COW data in the original data cache

means for checking the map for stored addresses matching the addresses of data received from the disk peripheral.

13. The data processing system of claim 12, wherein, for each address requested by the backup utility, the means for selecting selects the received data if no corresponding address if found in the map and selects the original data cache data if a corresponding address is found in the map.

14. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the data cache utility further includes means for checking the map prior to storing COW data in the original data cache and storing the data in the original data cache only if the map indicates that data from the same disk peripheral address is not already stored in the original data cache.

15. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the data cache utility further includes means for storing a state field in the map for each COW entry, said state field indicating that the corresponding COW data in the original data cache either has been or has not been selected by the read utility selecting means.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the read utility further includes means for modifying the contents of the state field when the read utility selects the COW data associated with that state field from the original data cache.

17. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the means for assigning the pointer includes means for reassigning a previously assigned pointer if the state field associated with the previously assigned pointer indicates that the COW data associated with that pointer has been selected by the read utility selecting means.

11. A data processing system comprising:

a host computer;

a disk peripheral connected to the host computer and having an internal processor;

a tape peripheral;

a backup computer, connected to the disk peripheral and the tape peripheral, for making a snapshot copy on the tape peripheral of at least a portion of the data on the disk peripheral while the host computer continues to have access to the data on the disk peripheral, the backup computer including

an original data cache;

a data cache utility having means for receiving copy-on-write (COW) data from the disk peripheral and means for storing the COW data in the original data cache;

a backup utility having means for receiving data commands to the disk peripheral, means for receiving data from the disk peripheral and means for sending data to the tape peripheral; and

a read utility having means for receiving data from the disk peripheral in response to a read command from the backup utility;

means for comparing the disk peripheral address of the received data with disk peripheral addresses of COW data;

means for providing data to the backup utility; and

means for selecting the data to be provided to the backup utility form either the data received from the disk peripheral and the COW data stored in the original data cache.