Disk-to-disk backup of database archive logs

• US 8,117,165 B1
• Filed: 04/30/2008
• Issued: 02/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
• Original Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
• Inventors: Driscoll, Alan S., Winckelmann, Luke, Buchmann, Manfred A., Richards, Alvin
• Primary Examiner(s): Ali, Mohammad
• Assistant Examiner(s): Peng, Huawen
• Application Number:
  US12/113,172
• Time in Patent Office: 1,385 Days
• Field of Search: 707638-639, 707/649, 707/662, 707/672, 707/640, 707/661
• US Class Current: 707/640
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2379 Updates performed during online database operations; commit processing

Abstract

An archived log backup solution is introduced to perform backups of archived database logs from a primary storage location towards a secondary storage location on disk-to-disk basis. The backed up archived logs are organized on the secondary in such a way that allows recovering a database from these logs by directly mounting the secondary storage location to a host where the archived logs are needed in order to perform a recovery. In addition, the archived log backup solution is implemented in such a way that backup network traffic is separated from the servers and their network.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

launching a first backup operation of archived database log files from a primary storage location to a secondary storage location, wherein each database log file of the archived database log files is for keeping track of storage operations performed on data stored in a database corresponding to the primary storage location, wherein the backup operation excludes archived database log files that are currently being edited at the primary storage location from being backed up to the secondary storage location, wherein network traffic of the first backup operation is separate from traffic between a host of the database and its network;

taking a persistent point in time image (PPTI) of storage volume of the secondary storage location and creating a new file structure on the secondary storage location;

launching a second backup operation of archived database log files from the primary storage location to the secondary storage location while the first backup operation is still in operation, wherein network traffic of the second backup operation is separate from traffic between a host of the database and its network;

permitting the second backup operation to take PPTI of the primary storage location and to schedule backup to the secondary storage location;

delaying the second backup operation from proceeding with copying files while the first backup operation is copying files from the primary storage location to the secondary storage location;

protecting the most recently archived file at the primary storage location against potential backups when that file is in the process of being written by a database engine;

permitting the second backup operation to proceed with copying files from the primary storage location to the secondary storage location once the first backup operation completes its copying;

checking for potentially updated archived database files since last PPTI of the primary storage location; and

preventing risk of backing up an incomplete archived database file from a PPTI created during an archived log switch.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

removing all files from the primary storage location that have been backed up.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

removing all files that have not been backed up in the current backup operation from the secondary storage location.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

removing the PPTI of the primary storage location after the backing up.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

selecting a subset of the set of archived database files for backing up from the primary storage location to the secondary storage location.

6. A method as recited in claim 5, further comprising:

selecting the subset of the set of archived database files via a regular expression that defines the file naming pattern of the files to be backed up.

7. A storage server comprising:

a processor that enable a remote client to perform a set of storage management operations on a storage subsystem coupled to the storage server, wherein the storage subsystem includes a plurality of non-volatile mass storage devices;

a network interface through which the client communicates with the storage server over a network;

a storage interface through which the storage server accesses the storage subsystem;

a storage system manager embodied in a machine readable medium wherein, in operation;

launch a first backup operation of archived database log files from a primary storage location to a secondary storage location, wherein each database log file of the archived database log files is for keeping track of storage operations performed on data stored in a database corresponding to the primary storage location, wherein the backup operation excludes archived database log files that are currently being edited at the primary storage location from being backed up to the secondary storage location, wherein network traffic of the first backup operation is separate from traffic between a host of the database and its network;

capture a persistent point in time image (PPTI) of storage volume of the secondary storage location and creating a new file structure on the secondary storage location;

launch a second backup operation of archived database log files from the primary storage location to the secondary storage location while the first backup operation is still in operation, wherein network traffic of the second backup operation is separate from traffic between a host of the database and its network;

permit the second backup operation to take PPTI of the primary storage location and to schedule backup to the secondary storage location;

delay the second backup operation from proceeding with copying files while the first backup operation is copying files from the primary storage location to the secondary storage location;

protect the most recently archived file at the primary storage location against potential backups when that file is in the process of being written by a database engine;

permit the second backup operation to proceed with copying files from the primary storage location to the secondary storage location once the first backup operation completes its copying;

check for potentially updated archived database files since last PPTI of the primary storage location; and

prevent risk of backing up an incomplete archived database file from a PPTI created during an archived log switch.

8. The storage server of claim 7, wherein the storage system manager, further in operation:

removes all files from the primary storage location that have been backed up.

9. The storage server of claim 7, wherein the storage system manager, further in operation:

removes all files that have not been backed up in the current backup operation from the secondary storage location.

10. The storage server of claim 7, wherein the storage system manager, further in operation:

removes the PPTI of the primary storage location after the backing up.

11. The storage server of claim 7, wherein the storage system manager, further in operation:

selects a subset of the set of archived database files for backing up from the primary storage location to the secondary storage location.

12. The storage server of claim 11, wherein the storage system manager, further in operation:

selects the subset of the set of archived database files via a regular expression that defines the file naming pattern of the files to be backed up.