Emergency backup system, method and program product therefor

• US 6,496,949 B1
• Filed: 08/06/1999
• Issued: 12/17/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kanevsky, Dimitri, Zlatsin, Alexander, Zadrozny, Wlodek
• Primary Examiner(s): Beausoleil, Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wilson, Yolanda L.
• Application Number:
  US09/369,783
• Time in Patent Office: 1,229 Days
• Field of Search: 714/4, 714/13, 714/47, 340/3.1, 340/3.3, 340/3.31, 340/3.32, 700/82, 707/10, 707/204, 711/162
• US Class Current: 714/47.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1456 Hardware arrangements for backup
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1461 Backup scheduling policy
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1464 for networked environments
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1469 Backup restoration techniques

Abstract

An emergency backup system, method and computer program product for backing up data on one or more computers located in an identified danger zone. When an emergency occurs, computers in the danger zone are connected to a network. The computers may be distributed at various remote locations. The protected locations each include a sensor for sensing an emergency situation and signaling the local computer of an impending emergency. The sensor also signals remote computers of the occurrence of the emergency. The computers may have been connected together over a network or, upon receiving an emergency signal, may connect together into a backup network. Local computers in the danger zone are connected across the network to remote computers with sufficient available storage to backup data from a connected local computer. The backup may be a full backup, a partial backup or a selective backup. The computers may include PCs, PDAs and servers. The network may be a LAN, a wireless network, a phone network or a WAN.

Claims

1. An emergency backup system for backing up data on one or more computers located in an identified danger zone, said backup system comprising:

a network of computers at distributed locations;

at least one sensor at one or more of said locations coupled to at least one local computer connected to said network, said sensor sensing the occurrence of an emergency and transmitting an emergency signal in response to said sensed emergency; and

at least one receiver at a remote location coupled to a remote computer connected to said network, said receiver receiving said emergency signal, said remote computer having sufficient available storage to store selected data from said local computer, said local computer transferring data to said remote computer further in response to said emergency signal.

2. An emergency backup system as in claim 1, wherein each said at least one sensor is selected from the group consisting of fire detectors,earthquake detectors, water sensors, air pressure sensors, pressure sensors, smell sensors and heat sensors.

3. An emergency backup system as in claim 1, wherein the transmitted emergency signal is selected from the group consisting of a fire alarm, an earthquake alarm, a flood alarm and a volcano alarm.

4. An emergency backup system as in claim 1, wherein all data stored on said local computer is transferred to said remote computer.

5. An emergency backup system as in claim 1, wherein all data determined to have changed since a last backup is transferred to said remote computer.

6. An emergency backup system as in claim 1, wherein said network is a backup network, said computers being connected together upon receiving said emergency signal to form said backup network.

7. An emergency backup system as in claim 6, wherein said network of computers includes a mainframe computer.

8. An emergency backup system as in claim 6, wherein said network of computers includes a handheld computer.

9. An emergency backup system as in claim 6, wherein said network of computers includes a network server.

10. An emergency backup system as in claim 6 wherein said network of computers includes one or more personal computers.

11. An emergency backup system as in claim 10, wherein at least one of said personal computers includes local storage for backing up data locally on said at least one personal computer in response to said emergency signal.

12. A emergency backup system for backing up data on one or more computers located in an identified danger zone, said backup system comprising:

means for coupling a plurality of computers together, each of said plurality of computers being located at one of two or more locations;

sensing means at one or more of said locations coupled to at least one local computer, said sensing means for sensing an emergency and transmitting an emergency signal in response to said sensed emergency;

receiving means for receiving said emergency signal at a remote location, said receiving means coupled to a remote computer;

data storage means for storing backup data at said remote computer;

data selection means for selecting data being stored at said local computer by said data storage means; and

means for transferring selected data to said remote computer from said local computer in response to said emergency signal.

13. An emergency backup system as in claim 12, wherein the means for coupling the plurality of computers together comprises means for forming a wireless network.

14. An emergency backup system as in claim 12, wherein the means for coupling the plurality of computers together connects the computers together to form a local area network.

15. An emergency backup system as in claim 12, wherein the data selection means comprises prioritization means for prioritizing data for backup.

16. An emergency backup system as in claim 15, wherein the prioritization means prioritizes data according to data sensitivity.

17. An emergency backup system as in claim 15, further comprising:

means for establishing an emergency data backup protocol.

18. An emergency backup system as in claim 17, wherein the emergency data backup protocol comprises:

a schedule for device to channel connection;

a capacity schedule of each connected channel; and

a destination computer for data being backed up.

19. An emergency backup system as in claim 17, further comprising:

encryption means for encrypting sensitive data.

20. An emergency backup system as in claim 19, wherein the encryption means includes means for estimating a time to encrypt data.

21. A disaster recovery method comprising the steps of:

a) transmitting an emergency signal in response to an identified danger;

b) for each device within an identified danger zone, establishing a connection with at least one other device not within said danger zone;

c) transferring data from said each device in said identified danger zone to said at least one other device, said data being stored temporarily at said other device for subsequent recovery;

d) encrypting identified secured data; and

e) copying said encrypted data.

22. A disaster recovery method as in claim 21, wherein prior to encrypting data, an estimation is made of the time for said encryption.

23. A disaster recovery method as in claim 21, further comprising the step of:

f) determining if said identified danger extends to locations not previously identified as being in said danger zone and repeating steps a-e for any devices in determined extended danger zone locations.

24. A disaster recovery method as in claim 23, wherein in the step (b) of establishing the connection to a device not in said danger zone, establishes said connection to corresponding devices not in said danger zone responsive to a maximum amount of data to be transferred, a rate of data transfer and the determined likelihood of destruction of data in each of said corresponding devices.

25. A disaster recovery method as in claim 23 wherein, in the step (b) of establishing the connection to a device not in said danger zone, the connected device overrides an initial selection.

26. A computer program product for disaster recovery of data stored locally in one or more computers, having a computer readable medium with computer readable program code stored thereon, said computer readable program code comprising:

computer readable program code means for transmitting an emergency signal in response to an identified danger;

computer readable program code means for establishing a connection between each device located in an identified danger zone with at least one other device not within said danger zone;

computer readable program code means for transferring data from said each device in said identified danger zone to said at least one other device, said data being stored temporarily at said other device for subsequent recovery;

computer readable program code means for encrypting data identified as being secured data; and

computer readable program code means for transferring said encrypted data.

27. A computer program product for disaster recovery of claim 26, having a computer readable medium with computer readable program code stored thereon, said computer readable program code further comprising:

computer readable program code means for determining if said identified danger extends to locations not previously identified as being in said danger zone and backing up data for any devices in determined extended danger zone locations.

28. A computer program product for disaster recovery of claim 26, having a computer readable medium with computer readable program code stored thereon, said computer readable program code further comprising:

computer readable program code means for means for establishing the connection between devices establishes said connection from said each device to a corresponding device in said danger zone responsive to a maximum amount of data to be transferred, a rate of data transfer and the determined likelihood of destruction of data in each of said corresponding devices.