Registering and storing dependencies among applications and objects in a computer system and communicating the dependencies to a recovery or backup service

• US 7,363,633 B1
• Filed: 04/24/2000
• Issued: 04/22/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Zhigu Holdings Limited
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Goldick, Jonathan S., Oltean, Paul, Cabrera, Luis Felipe
• Primary Examiner(s): PATEL, HARESH N
• Application Number:
  US09/557,250
• Time in Patent Office: 2,920 Days
• Field of Search: 709/328, 709200-203, 707/202, 707/1, 707/200, 711/162, 711/38, 711/161, 711/133, 711/135, 711/138, 719/328, 719310-313, 395/676, 395/683
• US Class Current: 719/328
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1448 Management of the data involved in backup or backup restore
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1469 Backup restoration techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/82 Solving problems relating to consistency ensuring consistency in mirrored systems G06F11/2064
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/84 Using snapshots, i.e. a logical point-in-time copy of the data
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

An application programming interface protocol is provided for making requests to registered applications regarding applications'"'"' dependency information so that a table of dependency information relating to a target object can be recursively generated. When all of the applications'"'"' dependencies are captured at the same time for given volume(s) or object(s), the entire volume'"'"'s or object'"'"'s program and data dependency information may be maintained for the given time. With this dependency information, the computer system advantageously knows not only which files and in which order to freeze or flush files in connection with a backup, such as a snapshot, or restore of given volume(s) or object(s), but also knows which volume(s) or object(s) can be excluded from the freezing process. After a request by a service for application dependency information, the computer system can translate or process dependency information, thereby ordering recovery events over a given set of volumes or objects.

Claims

1. A method for utilizing applications'"'"' state dependency information to efficiently perform a backup service operation in a computer system, comprising the acts of:

registering applications loaded in said computer system with an application dependency application programming interface (API) for communication of application state dependency information among applications, a common software agent, a storage component utilized by said agent, and a backup service;

storing in said storage component said applications'"'"' state dependency information;

communicating by said agent, said applications'"'"' state dependency information from said storage component to said backup service;

maintaining by said agent, hierarchical application dependencies of said registered applications for backup operation; and

retroactively recovering by said agent, said computer system to a pre-crash state after selectively analyzing said state dependency information and determining an application freeze order.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said backup service includes a snapshot service.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said backup service includes an execution of the freezing of applications in the order reflected by the determined application freeze order.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the act of loading said application dependency application programming interface (API) into said computer system.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the act of said backup service requesting a set of application dependency information from a common software agent for use in connection with a restore operation.

6. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein said set of application dependency information is a minimum set of information from said storage component for successfully completing the restore operation.

7. The method as recited in claim 5, further comprising the act of said agent issuing a request to at least one registered application for information from said set of application dependency information requested by the service.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the act of at least one registered application communicating information to said agent in response to a request by said agent, said information relating to said at least one application'"'"'s state dependency information.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the act of unregistering an application.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said API uses a communication format comprising XML.

11. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said agent stores said applications'"'"' state dependency information in a tabular format reflective of hierarchical application dependencies in said storage component.

12. The computer readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions for instructing a client computer to perform the acts of the method recited in claim 1.

13. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising generating said state dependency information recursively.

14. An application programming interface (API) embodied in a computer readable storage media having computer executable instructions for use in a computer system, said instructions comprising:

instructions to register applications loaded in said computer system with said API for communication of application state dependency information among applications, a common software agent, a storage component utilized by said agent, and a service;

instructions to store said application state dependency information in said storage component;

instructions to communicate by said agent said application state dependency information from said storage component to said service;

instructions to maintain hierarchical application dependencies of the registered applications for service operations; and

instructions to retroactively recover said computer system to a pre-crash state after selectively analyzing said state dependency information and determining an application freeze order.

15. The API as recited in claim 14, wherein the service to which said agent delivers said information is a backup service.

16. The API as recited in claim 14, wherein said service includes a snapshot service.

17. The API as recited in claim 14, wherein said agent stores said application dependency information in a tabular format reflective of hierarchical application dependencies in a storage component.

18. The API as recited in claim 14, further comprising instructions to generate said state dependency information recursively.

19. A computer system, comprising:

a plurality of applications loaded and registered in said system, wherein at least one of said applications has at least one external state dependency with other said applications;

a storage component for storing application state dependency information, wherein said dependency information is configured to include information about said at least one external state dependency;

an agent that functions according to communication protocols of an application programming interface (API) in said system for processing said at least one application'"'"'s state dependency information, said application'"'"'s state dependency information includes information about dependencies among said applications, and said API is configured to communicate said state dependency information among said applications, said agent, said storage component utilized by said agent, and a backup service;

said service makes requests to said agent for said application'"'"'s state dependency information;

said agent collects, stores and packages said application'"'"'s state dependency information in response to a request by said service, and delivers said application'"'"'s state dependency information to said service for further processing by said service;

said agent maintains hierarchical application dependencies of said registered applications for a backup operation, and retroactively recovers said computer system to a pre-crash state after selectively analyzing said state dependency information and determining an application freeze order.

20. The computer system as recited in claim 19, wherein the service to which said agent delivers said dependency information is a backup service.

21. The computer system as recited in claim 19, wherein said service includes a snapshot service.

22. The computer system as recited in claim 19, wherein said agent stores said at least one application'"'"'s state dependency information in a tabular format reflective of hierarchical application dependencies in a storage component.

23. The method as recited in claim 19, wherein said dependency information is the minimum set of information from said storage component for successfully completing the service.

24. The computer system as recited in claim 19, wherein said agent generates said state dependency information.