Method and apparatus for backing up data before updating the data and for restoring from the backups

• US 6,269,381 B1
• Filed: 06/30/1998
• Issued: 07/31/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: EMC Corporation (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Wallace, John, St. Pierre, Edgar J., Mutalik, Madhav, Gill, Alton
• Primary Examiner(s): BLACK, THOMAS G
• Assistant Examiner(s): Do, Thuy
• Application Number:
  US09/107,742
• Time in Patent Office: 1,127 Days
• Field of Search: 707/10, 707/100, 707/200, 707/202, 707/1, 395/574, 395/600, 395/601, 395/489, 393/575
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1435 using file system or storage system metadata
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1448 Management of the data involved in backup or backup restore
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1451 by selection of backup contents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1458 Management of the backup or restore process
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1466 to make the backup process non-disruptive
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1469 Backup restoration techniques
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

Method and apparatus for backing up and restoring data in a computer storage system are disclosed. Data segments are backed up before they are updated. The segments may correspond to physical segments of storage in the computer system. Restoration may proceed by determining which segments have changed since a target time, and retrieving the data backed up from that time. The backups may be stored as differential backups—saving only segments of data that are about to be changed.

Claims

1. A method of backing up a primary copy of a plurality of data segments at a backup time, the method comprising steps of:

(a) providing a backup copy of the primary copy, the backup copy corresponding to an earlier time before the backup time;

(b) identifying which of the segments of data of the primary copy have changed since the earlier time;

(c) forming a differential backup of the corresponding copies of the segments of the backup copy for the identified segments; and

(d) after the step (c), updating the backup copy from the primary copy.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the backup copy is a level zero backup copy.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the backup copy is a mirror of the primary copy and the step (d) comprises a step of synchronizing the backup copy with the primary copy.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the segments of data correspond to physical segments in a physical storage device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the step (b) comprises a step of tracking changes made to the segments of the primary copy.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the step (b) comprises a step of reading a physical bit mask.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising a step of:

maintaining a plurality of saved differential backup copies, each of the saved differential backup copies corresponding to a respective time before the earlier time.

8. A method of backing up a copy of a plurality of data segments at a backup time, the method comprising steps of:

identifying the data segments to be changed; and

before changing the identified data segments, forming a differential backup of the data segments.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the plurality of data segments constitute a logical element and the data segments correspond to a units of physical storage.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the copy is a mirror of a primary copy of the plurality of segments.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising a step of restoring the primary copy from the differential backup.

12. A method of restoring a primary copy of a plurality of data segments to correspond to a target time, the method comprising steps of:

(a) providing a first differential backup copy of less than all of the data segments of the primary copy, the first differential backup corresponding to a first time more recent than the target time;

(b) using the first differential backup copy to identify segments of the primary copy that have been changed since the target time; and

(c) restoring the identified segments.

13. The method of claim 12,

further comprising a step of providing a second differential backup copy of at least one of the data segments, the differential backup copy corresponding to a second time no more recent than the target time; and

wherein the step (c) comprises a step of restoring at least one of the segments from the differential backup copy.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the primary copy is a mirror of a corresponding working copy of the data segments.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein:

the first differential backup copy includes catalog information identifying the segments in the first differential backup copy; and

the step (b) comprises a step of using the catalog information to identify segments of the primary copy that have been changed since the target time.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising a step of storing the catalog information on a separate physical memory device as the first differential backup copy.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the segments of data correspond to physical segments in a physical storage device.

18. A method of restoring a primary copy of a plurality of data segments to a target time, the method comprising steps of:

(a) providing a backup copy of the primary copy corresponding to a first time more recent than the target time;

(b) providing a first differential backup copy of less than all of the data segments of the primary copy, the first differential backup corresponding to a second time no more recent than the target time; and

(c) replacing at least one of the data segments of the backup copy with a corresponding segment of the first differential backup; and

(d) restoring the primary copy from the backup copy.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the backup copy is a mirror of the primary copy and the step (d) comprises a step of resynchronizing the backup copy and the primary copy.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the segments of data correspond to physical segments in a physical storage device.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the step (c) comprises steps of:

providing a second differential backup copy of less than all of the data segments of the primary copy, the second differential backup corresponding to a second time more recent than the target time; and

using the second differential backup copy to identify segments of the primary copy that have been changed since the target time.

22. A backup storage system to backup a primary copy of a plurality of data segments, comprising:

a backup manager to generate differential backups of at least one of the data segments, just before the segment is updated; and

a backup memory device to store the differential backups.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the segments of data correspond to physical segments in a physical storage device.

24. The system of claim 22,

further comprising a mirror of the primary copy; and

wherein the backup manager is to generate the differential backups just before the data segments of the mirror are updated.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the segments of data correspond to physical segments in a physical storage device.

26. The system of claim 24, wherein the backup manager comprises means for identifying the data segments to be updated.

27. The system of claim 22, further comprising:

a restore controller to regenerate a copy of the primary copy at a target time.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the segments of data correspond to physical segments in a physical storage device.

29. The system of claim 27, wherein the restore controller comprises means for identifying which of the data segments of the primary copy require restoration.

30. A backup system for storing backups for a first time and a second time, the first time being earlier than the second time, of a logical element stored in a computer storage system, the backup system comprising:

a first memory unit storing a backup copy of a plurality of physical segments of memory of the computer storage system, the physical segments constituting the logical element, the backup copy corresponding to the second time; and

a second memory unit storing an earlier differential backup copy of at least one of the physical segments, corresponding to the first time.

31. The backup system of claim 30, further comprising a third memory unit storing a catalog to identify corresponding locations of the segments in the backup copy and the earlier copy.