Backup system, backup controlling apparatus, backup data managing method and a computer readable recording medium recorded thereon backup controlling program

• US 7,539,708 B2
• Filed: 01/21/2005
• Issued: 05/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Masuda, Minoru, Oosaki, Yoshiki
• Primary Examiner(s): LEWIS, CHERYL RENEA
• Application Number:
  US11/038,113
• Publication Number:
  US 20050125467A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,586 Days
• Field of Search: 707/204, 707/100, 707/101, 707/200
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1458 Management of the backup or restore process
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1464 for networked environments
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1469 Backup restoration techniques
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99955 Archiving or backup

Abstract

A backup system which can diminish a danger that backup data of a storage of a computer to be backed up sustains a damage due to disaster, an accident or the like, and restore the storage easily and within a short time when the storage up is damaged or lost due to disaster, an accident or the like. The system can be configured with a small facility investment.

The system comprises a plurality of backup data storages, an archiving place determining unit for selectively determining a backup data storage physically away from an area in which the storage is located as an archiving place among the plural backup data storages on the basis of the area in which the storage is located, and a backup processing unit for storing the backup data in the backup data storage determined as the archiving place by the archiving place determining unit.

Claims

1. A backup system comprising:

a plurality of backup data storages, located in areas differing from one another, backing up data, as backup data, stored in a storage provided to an information processing apparatus;

an archiving place determining unit selectively determining a backup data storage physically away from an area in which said storage is located among said plural backup data storages as an archiving place on the basis of said area in which said storage is located; and

a backup processing unit storing the data stored in said storage into said backup data storage determined as said archiving place by said archiving place determining unit.

2. The backup system according to claim 1 further comprising:

information for reference configured by beforehand relating information for specifying said information processing apparatus or information for specifying a user of said information processing apparatus to said backup data storage physically away from said area in which said storage provided to said information processing apparatus is located; and

said archiving place determining unit referring to said information for reference on the basis of said information for specifying said information processing apparatus or said information for specifying a user of said information processing apparatus, and selectively determining said backup data storage as said archiving place among said plural backup data storages.

3. The backup system according to claim 1 further comprising:

an area determining unit communicably connected to said information processing apparatus over a communication line, and determining an area in which said storage is located; and

said archiving place determining unit selectively determining, on the basis of said area in which said storage is located determined by said area determining unit, said backup data storage physically away from said area in which said storage is located as said archiving place among said plural backup data storages.

4. The backup system according to claim 1 further comprising:

a degree-of-importance designating unit designating a degree of importance of data in said storage; and

said archiving place determining unit preferentially determining a backup data storage physically farther from said area in which said storage is located as said degree of importance is higher among said plural backup data storages according to said degree of importance designated by said degree-of-importance designating unit.

5. The backup system according to claim 1 further comprising:

an archiving place designation inputting unit being able to selectively designate a specific backup data storage among said plural backup data storages; and

said archiving place determining unit selectively determining said backup data storage designated by said archiving place designation inputting unit as said archiving place.

6. A backup controlling apparatus for backing up data stored in a storage provided to an information processing apparatus, as backup data, by storing the data into at least one of a plurality of backup data storages located in areas differing from one another, comprising:

an archiving place determining unit selectively determining a backup data storage physically away from an area in which said storage is located as an archiving place among said plural backup data storages on the basis of said area in which said storage is located.

7. The backup controlling apparatus according to claim 6 further comprising:

information for reference configured by relating information for specifying said information processing apparatus or information for specifying a user of said information processing apparatus to said backup data storage physically away from said area in which said storage provided to said information processing apparatus is located; and

said archiving place determining unit referring to said information for reference on the basis of said information for specifying said information processing apparatus or said information for specifying a user of said information processing apparatus, and selectively determining said backup data storage as said archiving place among said plural backup data storages.

8. The backup controlling apparatus according to claim 6 further comprising:

an area determining unit communicably connected to said information processing apparatus over a communication line, and determining said area in which said storage is located; and

said archiving place determining unit selectively determining, on the basis of said area in which said storage is located determined by said area determining unit, said backup data storage physically away from said area in which said storage is located as said archiving place among said plural backup data storages.

9. The backup controlling apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said archiving place determining unit preferentially determining a backup data storage unit physically farther from said area in which said storage is located as a degree of importance of data in said storage is higher as said archiving place among said plural backup data storages according to the degree of importance of data in said storage.

10. The backup controlling apparatus according to claim 6, wherein information about said backup data is related as attribute information to said backup data, and recorded.

11. The backup controlling apparatus according to claim 6 further comprising:

a restoration processing unit restoring said backup data stored in said backup data storage onto an arbitrary storage.

12. A backup data managing method for backing up data stored in a storage provided to an information processing apparatus, as backup data, by storing the data into at least one of a plurality of backup data storages located in areas differing from one another, comprising:

determining a backup data storage physically away from an area in which said storage is located among said plural backup data storages as an archiving place on the basis of said area in which said storage is located; and

storing said data stored in said storage into said determined backup data storage.

13. The backup data managing method according to claim 12 further comprising:

preparing information for reference configured by relating information for specifying said information processing apparatus or information for specifying a user of said information processing apparatus to said backup data storage physically away from said area in which said storage provided to said information processing apparatus is located; and

at said determining, said information for reference being referred on the basis of said information for specifying said information processing apparatus or said information for specifying a user of said information processing apparatus to selectively determine said backup data storage as said archiving place among said plural backup data storages.

14. The backup data managing method according to claim 12 further comprising:

determining said area in which said storage is located; and

determining, on the basis of said determined area in which said storage is located, said backup data storage physically away from said area in which said storage is located being selectively determined as said archiving place among said plural backup data storages.

15. The backup data managing method according to claim 12 further comprising:

designating a degree of importance of data in said storage; and

determining a backup data storage physically farther from said area in which said storage is located being determined as said archiving place as said degree of importance is higher among said plural backup data storages according to said designated degree of importance.

16. The backup data managing method according to claim 12 further comprising:

inputting a specific backup data storage which can be selectively designated among said plural backup data storages; and

determining, during said determining a backup data storage, said inputted backup data storage as said archiving place.

17. A computer readable recording medium recorded thereon a backup controlling program for making a computer execute a backup controlling function of backing up data stored in a storage provided to an information processing apparatus, as backup data, by storing the data into at least one of a plurality of backup data storages located in areas differing from one another;

and

said backup controlling program making said computer function as an archiving place determining unit for selectively determining a backup data storage physically away from an area in which said storage is located as an archiving place among said plural backup data storages on the basis of said area in which said storage is located.

18. The computer readable recording medium recorded thereon a backup controlling program according to claim 17, wherein said archiving place determining unit refers to, on the basis of information for specifying said information processing apparatus or information for specifying a user of said information processing apparatus, information for reference configured by relating said information for specifying said information processing apparatus or said information for specifying a user of said information processing apparatus to said backup data storage physically away from said area in which said storage provided to said information processing apparatus is located, and selectively determines said backup data storage as said archiving place among said plural backup data storages.

19. The computer readable recording medium recorded thereon a backup controlling program according to claim 17, wherein said backup controlling program makes said computer function as an area determining unit for determining said area in which said storage is located;

and

said archiving place determining unit selectively determines, on the basis of said area in which said storage is located determined by said area determining unit, said backup data storage physically away from said area in which said storage is located as said archiving place among said plural backup data storages.

20. The computer readable recording medium recorded thereon a backup controlling program according to claim 17, wherein said archiving place determining unit preferentially determines a backup data storage physically farther from said area in which said storage is located as said archiving place as a degree of importance of data in said storage is higher among said plural backup data storages according to the degree of importance of data in said storage.