System and method for backup which synchronously or asynchronously stores additional information depending on the target backup data

• US 7,136,976 B2
• Filed: 03/05/2004
• Issued: 11/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Saika, Nobuyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah, Sanjiv
• Assistant Examiner(s): SAVLA, ARPAN P
• Application Number:
  US10/794,856
• Publication Number:
  US 20050055521A1
• Time in Patent Office: 984 Days
• Field of Search: 711/162
• US Class Current: 711/162
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1032 Simple parity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1446 Point-in-time backing up or restoration of persistent data
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99955 Archiving or backup

Abstract

The present invention makes it possible to suitably create additional information on the basis of backup target data and then store the additional information in a data storage medium. In one embodiment, a system comprises a backup destination storage device (7A) that constitutes a backup destination of backup target data to be a target for backup; a backup source device (1), comprising a backup execution module (11) that backs up the backup target data by transferring the backup target data to the backup destination storage device (7A); an additional information storage medium (7P), which is capable of storing additional information created on the basis of the backup target data; and an additional information creation module (21), which creates additional information on the basis of the backup target data and stores the additional information in the additional information storage medium (7P) after a backup of the backup target data has been completed.

Claims

1. A backup system, comprising:

a backup destination storage device, which is the backup destination of backup target data to be a target for backup;

a backup source device that comprises a backup execution module to back up the backup target data by transferring the backup target data to the backup destination storage device;

an additional information storage medium configured to store additional information created on the basis of the backup target data; and

an additional information creation module to create additional information on the basis of the backup target data after a backup of the backup target data has been completed and then store the additional information in the additional information storage medium;

wherein the backup source device further comprises;

a timing selection module, which selects, on the basis of predetermined conditions, either one of synchronous timing for creating the additional information when the backup is performed or asynchronous timing for creating the additional information after the backup has been performed, as the timing for creating the additional information; and

a synchronous-type additional information creation module, which, when the synchronous timing is selected, creates the additional information when the backup is performed and stores this additional information in the additional information storage medium.

2. The backup system according to claim 1, wherein the additional information creation module is provided in a device separate from the backup source device.

3. The backup system according to claim 1, wherein the backup source device further comprises a generation data transmission module to transmit additional information generation data required in order to generate additional information to the additional information creation module;

and

the additional information creation module is configured to receive the additional information generation data, generate the additional information by using the additional information generation data, and store the generated additional information in the additional information storage medium.

4. The backup system according to claim 1, wherein the timing selection module selects either the synchronous timing or the asynchronous timing on the basis of at least one of the predetermined conditions, the predetermined conditions being the data size of the backup target data, the state of communication traffic between the backup source device and the additional information creation module, attributes of the backup target data, and the condition of the data processing in the backup source device.

5. The backup system according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the backup destination storage device exists;

the backup execution module divides up the backup target data into one or more fragmented data groups containing a plurality of fragmented data items, and distributes and transmits a plurality of fragmented data items contained in the divided fragmented data groups to the plurality of backup destination storage devices respectively;

the additional information creation module acquires the plurality of respective fragmented data items from the plurality of backup destination storage devices for each of the fragmented data groups, and creates the additional information by using the acquired plurality of fragmented data items.

6. The backup system according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the backup destination storage device exists;

the backup execution module divides up the backup target data into one or more fragmented data groups containing a plurality of fragmented data items, distributes and transmits a plurality of fragmented data items contained in the divided fragmented data groups to the plurality of backup destination storage devices respectively, writes store destination of each fragmented data item included in each divided fragmented data group, and transmits a table of store destination to the additional information creation module;

the additional information creation module receives the table from the backup execution module, acquires the plurality of respective fragmented data items from the plurality of backup destination storage devices for each of the fragmented data groups by using the table, creates a parity data item by using the acquired plurality of fragmented data items, stores the created parity data item in the additional information storage medium, associates store destination of the parity data item with divided fragmented data group corresponding to the parity data item on the table, and transmits the table to the backup source storage device.

7. The backup system according to claim 6,

wherein each of the plurality of fragmented data items included in the divided fragmented data groups is data of a predetermined size,

wherein the backup execution module, when the fragmented data item included in the divided fragmented data group does not satisfy the predetermined size, and/or when the number of fragmented data items runs short in the divided fragmented data groups, prepares the plurality of fragmented data items included in the divided fragmented data group by adding dummy data.

8. A backup source device, comprising:

backup execution means, which back up backup target data to be a target for backup by transferring the backup target data to a backup destination storage device constituting a backup destination for the backup target data; and

generation data transmission means, which transmit additional information generation data required in order to generate additional information on the basis of the backup target data to additional information creation means for creating the additional information so that the additional information can be created by using the additional information generation data after a backup of the backup target data has been completed;

wherein the backup source device further comprises;

a timing selection module, which selects, on the basis of predetermined conditions, either one of synchronous timing for creating the additional information when the backup is performed or asynchronous timing for creating the additional information after the backup has been performed, as the timing for creating the additional information; and

a synchronous-type additional information creation module, which, when the synchronous timing is selected, creates the additional information when the backup is performed and stores this additional information in the additional information storage medium.

9. A backup method, comprising:

transmitting, by a backup source device which backs up backup target data to be a target for backup, the backup target data to a backup destination storage device;

creating additional information on the basis of the backup target data after a backup of the backup target data has been completed;

storing the created additional information in an additional information storage medium;

selecting, on the basis of predetermined conditions, either one of synchronous timing for creating the additional information when the backup is performed or asynchronous timing for creating the additional information after the backup has been performed, as the timing for creating the additional information; and

when the synchronous timing is selected, creating the additional information when the backup is performed and stores this additional information in the additional information storage medium.

10. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer-readable computer program, the program comprising:

code for backing up backup target data to be a target for backup by transferring the backup target data to a backup destination storage device constituting a backup destination for the backup target data;

code for transmitting additional information generation data required in order to generate additional information on the basis of the backup target data to an additional information creation module to create the additional information after the backup target data has been transferred to the backup destination storage device;

code for selecting, on the basis of predetermined conditions, either one of synchronous timing for creating the additional information when the backup is performed or asynchronous timing for creating the additional information after the backup has been performed, as the timing for creating the additional information; and

code for, when the synchronous timing is selected, creating the additional information when the backup is performed and stores this additional information in the additional information storage medium.

11. A backup system, comprising:

a backup destination storage device, which is the backup destination of backup target data to be a target for backup;

a backup source device that comprises a backup execution module to back up the backup target data by transferring the backup target data to the backup destination storage device;

an additional information storage medium configured to store additional information created on the basis of the backup target data; and

an additional information creation module to create additional information on the basis of the backup target data after a backup of the backup target data has been completed and then store the additional information in the additional information storage medium;

wherein a plurality of the backup destination storage device exists;

the backup execution module divides up the backup target data into one or more fragmented data groups containing a plurality of fragmented data items, distributes and transmits a plurality of fragmented data items contained in the divided fragmented data groups to the plurality of backup destination storage devices respectively, writes store destination of each fragmented data item included in each divided fragmented data group, and transmits a table of store destination to the additional information creation module;

the additional information creation module receives the table from the backup execution module, acquires the plurality of respective fragmented data items from the plurality of backup destination storage devices for each of the fragmented data groups by using the table, creates a parity data item by using the acquired plurality of fragmented data items, stores the created parity data item in the additional information storage medium, associates store destination of the parity data item with divided fragmented data group corresponding to the parity data item on the table, and transmits the table to the backup source storage device.

12. The backup system according to claim 11,

wherein each of the plurality of fragmented data items included in the divided fragmented data groups is data of a predetermined size,

wherein the backup execution module, when the fragmented data item included in the divided fragmented data group does not satisfy the predetermined size, and/or when the number of fragmented data items runs short in the divided fragmented data groups, prepares the plurality of fragmented data items included in the divided fragmented data group by adding dummy data.

13. An additional information creation device, comprising:

means for creating additional information on the basis of backup target data to be a target for backup after the backup target data has been transferred from a backup source device, which backs up the backup target data, to a backup destination storage device that is capable of storing data and a backup of the backup target data has been completed; and

means for storing the created additional information in additional information storage means;

wherein;

the backup target data is divided into one or more fragmented data groups including a plurality of fragmented data items, and the plurality of fragmented data items included in the divided fragmented data groups are distributed and transmitted from the backup source device to a plurality of backup destination devices;

the additional information creation device further comprises means for receiving a table of store destinations of each fragmented data item contained in each fragmented data group from the backup source device;

the means for creating additional information acquires the plurality of fragmented data items from the plurality of backup destination devices for each divided fragmented data group by using the received table and creates parity data by using the acquired plurality of fragmented data items;

the means for storing the created additional information stores the created parity data in the additional information storage medium;

the additional information creation device further comprises means for associating the store destination of the parity data with divided fragmented data groups corresponding to the parity data on the table, and means for transmitting the table to the backup source device.