Snapshot reconstruction from an existing snapshot and one or more modification logs

• US 6,981,114 B1
• Filed: 10/16/2002
• Issued: 12/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Veritas Technologies, LLC (Whitehouse Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Veritas Operating Corporation (Gen Digital Inc.)
• Inventors: Nguyen, Sinh D., Wu, Weibao, Clowser, Kirk W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, T
• Application Number:
  US10/271,452
• Time in Patent Office: 1,168 Days
• Field of Search: 711/161, 711/162, 711/112, 711/114, 711/6, 707201-204
• US Class Current: 711/162
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1435 using file system or storage system metadata
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1469 Backup restoration techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1471 involving logging of persistent data for recovery
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/80 Database-specific techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/84 Using snapshots, i.e. a logical point-in-time copy of the data

Abstract

A deleted snapshot of a data volume may be reconstructed from an existing snapshot and one or more modification logs. For example, modifications to the data volume that occur subsequent to creation of a first snapshot may be logged in a modification log. If the first snapshot is deleted, the first snapshot may be reconstructed by modifying a second snapshot, created after the first snapshot, according to the modification log in order to undo any modifications made to the data volume prior to creation of the second snapshot and after creation of the first snapshot.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

creating a first snapshot of a data volume;

logging modifications to the data volume in one or more modification logs, wherein the modifications occur subsequent to said creating the first snapshot, wherein the one or more modification logs identify a post-modification value of at least one modified block of the data volume;

creating a second snapshot subsequent to said creating the first snapshot; and

if the first snapshot is deleted, reconstructing the first snapshot by modifying the second snapshot according to the one or more modification logs.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said creating the first snapshot involves creating a volume-level mirror of the data volume.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing at least a portion of the one or more modification logs on a backup storage media.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the backup storage media is a tape drive, and wherein the data volume is comprised on one or more hard drives.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein said reconstructing comprises reading the second snapshot from an online storage media and reading the at least the portion of the one or more modification logs from the backup storage media.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said reading the at least the portion of the one or more modification logs from the backup storage media involves waiting for the backup storage media to enter an online state.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said reconstructing comprises accessing the one or more modification logs to determine which blocks included in the data volume were modified after said creating the first snapshot and before said creating the second snapshot, wherein the one or more modification logs identify a pre-modification value and a post-modification value of each modified block, and wherein said modifying comprises replacing each modified block in the second snapshot with the pre-modification value.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising reconstructing a third snapshot from the second snapshot by modifying the second snapshot according to the one or more modification logs, wherein the third snapshot is created after the second snapshot.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said reconstructing the third snapshot comprises accessing the one or more modification logs to determine which blocks included in the data volume were modified after said creating the second snapshot and before creating the third snapshot, wherein the one or more modification logs identify a pre-modification value and a post-modification value of each modified block, and wherein said modifying comprises replacing each modified block in the second snapshot with the post-modification value.

10. A computer system, comprising:

one or more microprocessors;

a memory coupled to the one or more microprocessors, the memory storing program instructions executable by the one or more microprocessors to;

create a first snapshot of a data volume;

log modifications to the data volume detected subsequent to creation of the first snapshot, including a post-modification value of at least one modified block of the data volume, in one or more modification logs;

create a second snapshot; and

if the first snapshot is deleted, reconstruct the first snapshot by modifying the second snapshot according to the one or more modification logs.

11. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the program instructions are executable by the one or more microprocessors to create the first snapshot by creating a volume-level mirror of the data volume.

12. The computer system of claim 10, further comprising a backup storage media, wherein the program instructions are executable by the one or more microprocessors to store at least a portion of the one or more modification logs on the backup storage media.

13. The computer system of claim 12, wherein the backup storage media is a tape drive, and wherein the data volume is comprised on one or more hard drives included in the computer system.

14. The computer system of claim 12, wherein the program instructions are executable by the one or more microprocessors to reconstruct the first snapshot by reading the second snapshot from an online storage media included in the computer system and reading the at least the portion of the one or more modification logs from the backup storage media.

15. The computer system of claim 14, wherein the program instructions are executable by the one or more microprocessors to read the at least the portion of the one or more modification logs from the backup storage media after waiting for the backup storage media to enter an online state.

16. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the program instructions are executable by the one or more microprocessors to reconstruct the first snapshot by accessing the one or more modification logs to determine which blocks included in the data volume were modified after creation of the first snapshot and before creation of the second snapshot, wherein the one or more modification logs identify a pre-modification value and a post-modification value of each modified block, and wherein said modifying comprises replacing each modified block in the second snapshot with the pre-modification value.

17. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the program instructions are executable by the one or more microprocessors to reconstruct a third snapshot from the second snapshot by modifying the second snapshot according to the one or more modification logs, wherein the third snapshot is created after the second snapshot.

18. The computer system of claim 17, wherein the program instructions are executable by the one or more microprocessors to reconstruct the third snapshot by accessing the one or more modification logs to determine which blocks included in the data volume were modified after said creating the second snapshot and before creating the third snapshot, wherein the one or more modification logs identify a pre-modification value and a post-modification value of each modified block, and wherein said modifying comprises replacing each modified block in the second snapshot with the post-modification value.

19. A computer readable medium including program instructions executable to:

create a first snapshot of a data volume;

log modifications to the data volume detected subsequent to creation of the first snapshot, including a post-modification value of at least one modified block of the data volume, in one or more modification logs;

create a second snapshot; and

if the first snapshot is deleted, reconstruct the first snapshot by modifying the second snapshot according to the one or more modification logs.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the program instructions are executable to create the first snapshot by creating a volume-level mirror of the data volume.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the program instructions are executable to reconstruct the first snapshot by accessing the one or more modification logs to determine which blocks included in the data volume were modified after creation of the first snapshot and before creation of the second snapshot, wherein the one or more modification logs identify a pre-modification value and a post-modification value of each modified block, and wherein said modifying comprises replacing each modified block in the second snapshot with the pre-modification value.

22. The computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the program instructions are executable to reconstruct a third snapshot from the second snapshot by modifying the second snapshot according to the one or more modification logs, wherein the third snapshot is created after the second snapshot.

23. The computer readable medium of claim 22, wherein the program instructions are executable to reconstruct the third snapshot by accessing the one or more modification logs to determine which blocks included in the data volume were modified after said creating the second snapshot and before creating the third snapshot, wherein the one or more modification logs identify a pre-modification value and a post-modification value of each modified block, and wherein said modifying comprises replacing each modified block in the second snapshot with the post-modification value.

24. A computer system, comprising:

one or more storage devices, wherein a data volume is stored on one or more of the storage devices, and wherein a plurality of snapshots of the data volume are stored on one or more of the storage devices;

a snapshot manager coupled to the one or more storage devices, wherein the snapshot manager is configured to reconstruct a deleted snapshot of the data volume from one of the plurality of snapshots;

a modification manager coupled to the one or more storage devices and configured to log modifications to the data volume, including a post-modification value of at least one modified block of the data volume, relative to a creation time of each of the plurality of snapshots and a creation time of the deleted snapshot;

wherein the snapshot manager is configured to reconstruct the deleted snapshot by modifying the one of the plurality of snapshots according to the modifications logged by the modification manager.

25. A system, comprising:

means for storing a portion of a plurality of snapshots of a data volume;

means for logging modifications to the data volume, including a post-modification value of at least one modified block of the data volume, relative to a creation time of each of the plurality of snapshots;

means for reconstructing a deleted snapshot of the plurality of snapshots from an existing snapshot of the portion of the plurality of snapshots by modifying the existing snapshot according to the modifications logged subsequent to a creation time of the deleted snapshot and prior to a creation time of the existing snapshot, wherein the creation time of the deleted snapshot is earlier than the creation time of the existing snapshot.