Data backup and recovery systems

• US 6,785,786 B1
• Filed: 02/28/2000
• Issued: 08/31/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: King, Peter, Bathie, Jon, Gold, Stephen, Crighton, Ian Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Matthew
• Assistant Examiner(s): Anderson, Matthew D.
• Application Number:
  US09/486,439
• Time in Patent Office: 1,646 Days
• Field of Search: 711/162, 711/104, 711/114, 711/161, 714/6
• US Class Current: 711/162
• 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 11/1464 for networked environments
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1469 Backup restoration techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/835 Timestamp

Abstract

Clients are connected via a LAN to backup apparatus including hard and tape drives, respectively primary and secondary backups. Each client schedules backup operations on a time basis since last backup, the amount of information generated since last backup, etc. Prior to a backup, each client sends to the backup apparatus a request including information representing the files to be backed up. The backup apparatus receives backup requests from the clients and accepts or rejects backup requests based on backup and network loading. The backup apparatus eliminates redundant files and indicates to the clients, prior to the file back up, that some files requested to be backed up are already stored and are not to be sent. The backup apparatus enables a client to restore any of its ‘lost’ data by copying it directly from the disk, without the need for backup administrator assistance.

Claims

1. Apparatus for backing up a network of client computers to a disaster recovery memory and for recovering backed up signals from the disaster recovery memory to the client computers, the apparatus comprising a random access nonvolatile backup memory, the nonvolatile memory being arranged to store signals in a format different from the recovery memory signal storage format;

an interface adapted to be coupled to the network for coupling signals to be backed up from the client computers to the nonvolatile memory and for coupling backed up signals from the nonvolatile memory to the client computers via the network;

a converter arrangement adapted to be coupled to the recovery memory and coupled with the nonvolatile memory for converting signals in the format of the nonvolatile memory to the format of the recovery memory and for converting signals in the format of the recovery memory to the format of the nonvolatile memory; and

a controller arrangement for supplying control signals to (a) the interface, (b) the nonvolatile memory, (c) the recovery memory and (d) the converter arrangement for causing (a) backup of the client computers to the nonvolatile memory from the network via the interface, (b) backup of the client computers to the recovery memory by, from time to time, supplying an image of the backup in the nonvolatile memory from the nonvolatile memory to the recovery memory via the converter, (c) backup recovery from the recovery memory to one of the client computers by supplying an image of the backup for said one client computer in the recovery memory to said one client computer via the converter, nonvolatile memory, interface and network, and (d) backup recovery from the nonvolatile memory to a selected client computer by supplying an image of the backup for said selected client computer to the selected client computer from the nonvolatile memory to the selected client computer via the interface and network.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the controller arrangement is arranged to cause the backup of the client computers to the nonvolatile and recovery memories such that the nonvolatile and recovery memories (a) do not store redundant files of the client computers, (b) store files of the client computers only in compressed data form, and (c) store only incremental backup data from the client computers after the nonvolatile memory has stored in a baseline a full backup of the client computers.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the recovery memory is removable from the apparatus and the controller is arranged to cause (a) backup of the client computers from the nonvolatile memory to the recovery memory to be completed at a predetermined time during a day, and (b) start the backup of the client computers to the recovery memory at a variable time determined by (i) the predetermined time, (ii) the amount of incremental data to be backed up from the nonvolatile memory to the recovery memory, and (iii) the data transfer rate from the nonvolatile memory to the recovery memory.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the recovery memory is removable from the apparatus and the controller is arranged to cause (a) backup of the client computers from the nonvolatile memory to the recovery memory to be completed at a predetermined time during a day, and (b) start the backup of the client computers to the recovery memory at a variable time determined by (i) the predetermined time, (ii) the amount of data to be backed up from the nonvolatile memory to the recovery memory, and (iii) the data transfer rate from the nonvolatile memory to the recovery memory.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the controller is arranged for receiving from a client via the network and the interface a backup request message and for responding that the request can not be sent in response to loading by the apparatus and the network exceeding respective pre-determined limits.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the controller is arranged to respond to a request message received from a client via the network and the interface, the request message requesting a restoration to that client of particular data, the controller being arranged for combining respective incremental and baseline data stored in the nonvolatile memory to form the particular data and cause it to be sent back to that client via the interface and the network.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the request message from the client requests restoration of particular data that are not the most recent version thereof backed up by the client, the controller being arranged for causing data stored in the nonvolatile memory and recovery memory to be combined so the respective incremental data and baseline data form the particular data.

8. Apparatus for backing up a network of client computers to a disaster recovery memory, comprising a random access nonvolatile backup memory;

an interface adapted to be coupled to the network for coupling signals to be backed up from the client computers to the nonvolatile memory;

circuitry adapted to be coupled to the recovery memory and coupled with the nonvolatile memory for coupling signals from the nonvolatile memory to the recovery memory; and

a controller arrangement for supplying control signals to (a) the interface, (b) the nonvolatile memory, and (c) the recovery memory for causing (a) backup of the client computers to the nonvolatile memory from the network via the interface, and (b) backup of the client computers to the recovery memory by, from time to time, supplying an image of the backup in the nonvolatile memory from the nonvolatile memory to the recovery memory, the controller arrangement being arranged to cause the backup of the client computers to the nonvolatile and recovery memories such that the nonvolatile and recovery memories (a) do not store redundant files of the client computers, (b) store files of the client computers only in compressed data form, and (c) store only incremental backup data from the client computers after the nonvolatile memory has stored in a baseline a full backup of the client computers.

9. The apparatus as claimed in claim 8 wherein the controller includes a merge control for, from time to time, merging the incremental backup data supplied by the client computers to the nonvolatile memory.

10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 8 wherein the controller is arranged to delete from the nonvolatile memory backed up files from the baseline full backup in response to a file being deleted from a client computer and in response to the backed up data file being stored in the nonvolatile memory for more than a predetermined interval.

11. Apparatus for backing up a network of client computers, comprising a random access nonvolatile backup memory;

a disaster recovery memory; and

an arrangement for coupling signals to be backed up from the client computers to the nonvolatile memory and the recovery memory and for causing the coupled signals to be such that the nonvolatile and recovery memories (a) do not store redundant files of the client computers, (b) store files of the client computers only in compressed data form, and (c) store only incremental backup data from the client computers after the nonvolatile and recovery memories have stored in a baseline a full backup of the client computers.

12. A method of backing up a network of client computers to a disaster recovery memory and a nonvolatile memory and of recovering backed up signals from the recovery memory and the nonvolatile memory to the client computers;

the method comprising coupling signals to be backed up from the client computers to the nonvolatile memory;

coupling recovered backed up signals from the nonvolatile memory to the client computers;

the coupling steps between the client computers and the nonvolatile memory being via the network;

backing up the client computers to the recovery memory by supplying an image of the backup in the nonvolatile memory from the nonvolatile memory to the recovery memory;

recovering backup from the recovery memory to one of the client computers by supplying an image of the backup for said one client computer in the recovery memory to said one client computer via the nonvolatile memory and network; and

recovering backup from the nonvolatile memory to a selected client computer by supplying an image of the backup for said selected client computer to the selected client computer from the nonvolatile memory to the selected client computer via the network.

13. The method of claim 12 further including causing backup of the client computers to the nonvolatile and recovery memories such that the nonvolatile and recovery memories (a) do not store redundant files of the client computers, (b) store files of the client computers only in compressed data form, and (c) store only incremental backup data from the client computers after the nonvolatile memory has stored in a baseline a full backup of the client computers.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising (a) removing the recovery memory from a site where the nonvolatile memory is located at a predetermined time of a day, and (b) starting the backup of the client computers to the recovery memory at a variable time determined by (i) the predetermined time, (ii) the amount of incremental data to be backed up from the nonvolatile memory to the recovery memory, and (iii) the data transfer rate from the nonvolatile memory to the recovery memory.

15. The method of claim 12 further including backup of the client computers to the nonvolatile memory such that the nonvolatile memory (a) does not store redundant files of the client computers, (b) stores files of the client computers only in compressed data form, and (c) stores only incremental backup data from the client computers after the nonvolatile memory has stored in a baseline a full backup of the client computers.

21. A memory storing a program for causing a computer to execute the method of claim 12.

22. A memory storing a program for causing a computer to execute the method of claim 13.

23. A memory storing a program for causing a computer to execute the method of claim 14.

24. A memory storing a program for causing a computer to execute the method of claim 15.

16. A method of backing up a network of client computers to a disaster recovery memory and a nonvolatile memory;

the method comprising;

coupling signals to be backed up from the client computers to the nonvolatile memory;

coupling backed up signals from the nonvolatile memory to the client computers;

backing up the client computers to the nonvolatile memory via the network; and

backing up the client computers to the recovery memory by supplying an image of the backup in the nonvolatile memory from the nonvolatile memory to the recovery memory, and causing the backup of the client computers to the nonvolatile and recovery memories such that the nonvolatile and recovery memories (a) do not store redundant files of the client computers, (b) store files of the client computers only in compressed data form, and (c) store only incremental backup data from the client computers after the nonvolatile memory has stored a baseline full backup of the client computers.

17. The method as claimed in claim 16 further including merging the incremental backup data supplied by the client computers to the nonvolatile memory.

18. The method as claimed in claim 16 further including deleting from the nonvolatile memory backed up files from the baseline full backup in response to a file being deleted from a client computer and in response to the backed up data file being stored in the nonvolatile memory for more than a predetermined interval.

19. The method of claim 16 further comprising (a) removing the recovery memory from a site where the nonvolatile memory is located at a predetermined daily time, and (b) starting the backup of the client computers to the recovery memory at a variable daily time determined by (i) the predetermined daily time, (ii) the amount of incremental data to be backed up from the nonvolatile memory to the recovery memory, and (iii) the data transfer rate from the nonvolatile memory to the recovery memory.

25. A memory storing a program for causing a computer to execute the method of claim 16.

26. A memory storing a program for causing a computer to execute the method of claim 17.

27. A memory storing a program for causing a computer to execute the method of claim 18.

28. A memory storing a program for causing a computer to execute the method of claim 19.

20. A method of backing up a network of client computers, comprising coupling signals to be backed up from the client computers to a nonvolatile memory and a recovery memory, and causing the signals coupled to the nonvolatile and recovery memories to be such that the nonvolatile and recovery memories (a) do not store redundant files of the client computers, (b) store files of the client computers only in compressed data form, and (c) store only incremental backup data from the client computers after the nonvolatile and recovery memories have stored in a baseline a full backup of the client computers.

29. A memory storing a program for causing a computer to execute the method of claim 20.