Intelligent backup escalation system

• US 8,260,750 B1
• Filed: 03/16/2010
• Issued: 09/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Quest Software, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Quest Software, Inc.
• Inventors: Gugick, David Mark, Chrystall, Douglas, Swanson, David Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): BOCCIO, VINCENT F
• Application Number:
  US12/725,191
• Time in Patent Office: 903 Days
• Field of Search: 707/640, 707/645, 707/647, 707/653, 707/646, 707/649
• US Class Current: 707/645
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1451 by selection of backup contents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1461 Backup scheduling policy

Abstract

This disclosure describes systems and methods for programmatically determining whether to perform full or partial backups. In some implementations, functionality is provided for intelligently escalating to a full backup based on one or more user-supplied escalation parameters. The escalation parameters can include a threshold of data change between backup files, which if exceeded, can result in escalation to a full backup. The escalation parameters can also include time parameters, computing resource consumption parameters, and other features that can govern full backup escalation. Additional features of the systems and methods described herein can include automatic adjustment of escalation parameters, multi-leveled backup set validation, and intelligent backup file cleanup.

Claims

1. A method of managing a backup of a data store, the method comprising:

by a computer system comprising computer hardware;

receiving user-supplied parameters for determining whether to initiate a full backup of a data store instead of a partial backup of the data store, the user-supplied parameters comprising a data change threshold and a time threshold;

performing a first full backup of the data store;

performing a first partial backup of the data store subsequent to performing the first full backup of the data store;

monitoring the data store according to the user-supplied parameters, said monitoring comprising;

determining whether an amount of data change in the data store satisfies the data change threshold, wherein said determining comprises counting modifications of data in the data store toward the data change threshold while not counting additions of data to the data store toward the data change threshold, the modifications of data comprising changes to existing data in the data store and the additions of data comprising new data added to the data store, and

determining whether a period of time since the first full backup occurred satisfies the time threshold;

performing a second full backup instead of a second partial backup in response to the data change threshold being satisfied; and

if neither the data change threshold nor the time threshold are satisfied, performing the second partial backup of the data store.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising automatically adjusting one or both of the data change threshold and the time threshold based at least in part on an analysis of a backup history corresponding to the data store.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising validating a backup set comprising the first full backup and the first partial backup, said validating comprising performing one or more of the following:

determining whether a file corresponding to the first full backup can be located;

determining whether the file corresponding to the first full backup and a file corresponding to the first partial backup properly reference each other; and

determining whether the files corresponding to the first full backup and the first partial backup are corrupted.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising automatically deleting one or more backup files only if the one or more backup files do not depend on another backup file that is not being deleted.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the partial backup is selected from the group consisting of a differential backup and an incremental backup.

6. An intelligent backup system for managing a backup of a data store, the system comprising:

a computer system comprising computer hardware, the computer system programmed to implement;

a backup module configured to perform a full backup of a data store and a partial backup of the data store, the full and partial backups at least partially constituting a backup set for the data store;

a control console configured to provide a user interface comprising functionality for a user to supply one or more escalation parameters, the one or more escalation parameters comprising a data change threshold; and

a backup agent in communication with the data store, the backup agent comprising an escalation module configured to;

monitor the data store according to the one or more escalation parameters by at least determining whether an amount of data change in the data store satisfies the data change threshold, wherein said determining comprises counting modifications of data in the data store toward the data change threshold while not counting additions of data to the data store toward the data change threshold, the modifications of data comprising changes to existing data in the data store and the additions of data comprising new data added to the data store, and

automatically trigger the backup module to start a second backup set in response to determining that the one or more escalation parameters have been satisfied.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the user interface provides further functionality for the user to specify one or more blackout days in which a second full backup cannot be performed.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the escalation module is further configured to trigger the backup module to start the second backup set in response to determining that a number of files threshold has been satisfied.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the one or more escalation parameters further comprise one or more of a time threshold, and a number of files threshold.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising computer-executable program instructions configured to implement, in one or more processors, a method of managing a data store, the method comprising:

performing a first full backup of a data store;

performing a first partial backup of the data store;

programmatically monitoring an amount of change with respect to the first partial backup;

determining whether the amount of change satisfies a threshold, wherein said determining comprises counting modifications of data in the data store toward the threshold while not counting additions of data to the data store toward the threshold, the modifications of data comprising changes to existing data in the data store and the additions of data comprising new data added to the data store;

automatically performing a second full backup in response to determining that the amount of change satisfies the threshold; and

performing a second partial backup in response to determining that the amount of change does not satisfy the threshold.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein said determining whether the amount of change satisfies the threshold comprises determining whether an amount of time to perform the first partial backup satisfies the threshold.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein said determining whether the amount of change satisfies the threshold comprises determining whether computing resource consumption associated with the first partial backup satisfies the threshold.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises programmatically determining a value of the threshold based at least in part on one or more characteristics of the data store.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises automatically adjusting the threshold based at least in part on an analysis of a backup history of the data store.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein said programmatically monitoring the amount of change comprises determining a difference in size between the first full backup and the first partial backup.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein said determining the difference in size is performed in response to failing to determine a quantity of storage units changed since a previous full backup.