Storing block-level tracking information in the file system on the same block device
First Claim
1. In a computer system having a processing unit, system memory, and a storage device, the computer system being configured with a file system and a bitmap driver for tracking writes to the storage device by updating tracking data stored in the system memory, a method of tracking writes to the storage device during a shutdown process of the computer system which includes dismounting of the file system, said method comprising:
- as a response to initiation of the shutdown process and prior to dismounting the file system in connection with the shutdown process, allocating a tracking file to be stored in the storage device; and
after dismounting the file system, tracking the writes to the storage device by storing the writes as tracking data into storage locations in the storage device that have been allocated to the tracking file,wherein, upon reboot of the computer system, the tracking file stored in the storage device is loaded into the system memory for use by the bitmap driver in tracking further writes to the storage device, thereby tracking the writes which occurred during the shutdown process.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Writes to a storage device of a protected computer system are tracked in a manner that accounts for those writes that may occur during a system reboot process when the file system is not available. During the shutdown process, write tracking data is maintained in system memory and is written into storage locations allocated to the tracking file after the file system has been dismounted so that any writes that may occur during the file system dismount can be captured. During the boot process, temporary write tracking data is maintained in system memory even before the file system is mounted so that any writes that may occur immediately after the file system mount can be captured. The temporary write tracking data is later merged with the tracking data contained in the tracking file and the merged tracking data is used to track further writes to the storage device.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. In a computer system having a processing unit, system memory, and a storage device, the computer system being configured with a file system and a bitmap driver for tracking writes to the storage device by updating tracking data stored in the system memory, a method of tracking writes to the storage device during a shutdown process of the computer system which includes dismounting of the file system, said method comprising:
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as a response to initiation of the shutdown process and prior to dismounting the file system in connection with the shutdown process, allocating a tracking file to be stored in the storage device; and after dismounting the file system, tracking the writes to the storage device by storing the writes as tracking data into storage locations in the storage device that have been allocated to the tracking file, wherein, upon reboot of the computer system, the tracking file stored in the storage device is loaded into the system memory for use by the bitmap driver in tracking further writes to the storage device, thereby tracking the writes which occurred during the shutdown process. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. In a computer system having a processing unit, system memory, and a storage device, the computer system being configured with a file system and a bitmap driver for tracking writes to the storage device by updating tracking data stored in the system memory, a method of tracking writes to the storage device during a boot process of the computer system which includes mounting of the file system, said method comprising:
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prior to mounting the file system in connection with the boot process, tracking writes to the storage device which occur prior to the mounting by updating a first tracking data stored in the system memory, thereby tracking the writes to the storage device received at the storage device before the file system is mounted; and after the file system is mounted, loading the tracking file into the system memory as a second tracking data, merging the first tracking data and the second tracking data, and tracking further writes to the storage device by updating the merged tracking data. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A computer backup system, comprising:
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a first computer system having a system memory and a storage device; and a second computer system having a system memory and a virtual machine that is configured to be a backup of the first computer system, wherein the first computer system is configured with a file system and a bitmap driver for tracking writes to the storage device by updating tracking data stored in the system memory, the tracking data indicating blocks of the storage device that have been modified since a last backup cycle, and wherein the bitmap driver is configured to track writes which are directed to the storage device while the file system is dismounted during a shutdown process and a reboot process of the first computer system by;
(i) committing the tracking data to storage locations of a temporary tracking file in the storage device after the file system is dismounted in connection with the shutdown process, wherein the temporary tracking file is allocated as a response to a notification of initiating the shutdown process, and (ii) after the reboot process is initiated, tracking the writes which are directed to the storage device prior to mounting the file system. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification