Defragmentation during multiphase deduplication

• US 8,682,870 B1
• Filed: 03/01/2013
• Issued: 03/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: StorageCraft Technology Corporation
• Original Assignee: StorageCraft Technology Corporation
• Inventors: Bushman, Nathan S., Gardner, Andrew Lynn
• Primary Examiner(s): Ho, Binh V
• Application Number:
  US13/782,986
• Time in Patent Office: 389 Days
• Field of Search: 707/692
• US Class Current: 707/692
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1453 using de-duplication of the data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1469 Backup restoration techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2206/1004 Defragmentation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0608 Saving storage space on storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0641 De-duplication techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]

Abstract

Defragmentation during multiphase deduplication. In one example embodiment, a method of defragmentation during multiphase deduplication includes an analysis phase that includes analyzing each allocated block stored in a source storage at a point in time to determine if the block is duplicated in a vault storage, a defragmentation phase that includes reordering the duplicate blocks stored in the source storage to match the order of the duplicate blocks as stored in the vault storage, and a backup phase that is performed after completion of the defragmentation phase and that includes storing, in the vault storage, each unique nonduplicate block from the source storage.

Claims

1. A method of defragmentation during multiphase deduplication, the method comprising:

an analysis phase that includes analyzing each allocated block stored in a source storage at a point in time to determine if the block is duplicated in a vault storage;

a defragmentation phase that includes reordering the duplicate blocks stored in the source storage to match the order of the duplicate blocks as stored in the vault storage; and

a backup phase that is performed after completion of the defragmentation phase and that includes storing, in the vault storage, each unique nonduplicate block from the source storage.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the duplicate blocks include blocks that make up one or more files of an operating system.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the one or more files of the operating system are stored in the vault storage in the sequence of a clean install of the operating system.

4. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the operating system is installed in the source storage.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the duplicate blocks include blocks that make up one or more files of a software application.

6. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein the one or more files of the software application are stored in the vault storage in the sequence of a clean install of the software application.

7. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein the software application is installed in the source storage.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising a restore phase which includes reading, from the vault storage, and storing, in a restore storage, each allocated block that was stored in the source storage at the point in time in the same position as stored in the source storage after the completion of the defragmentation phase.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a program that causes a processor to execute the method as recited in claim 1.

10. A method of defragmentation during multiphase deduplication, the method comprising:

an analysis phase that includes analyzing each allocated block stored in a source storage at a point in time to determine if the block is duplicated in a vault storage;

a defragmentation phase that is performed after completion of the analysis phase and that includes reordering the duplicate blocks stored in the source storage to match the order of the duplicate blocks as stored in the vault storage; and

a backup phase that is performed after completion of the defragmentation phase and that includes storing, in the vault storage, each unique nonduplicate block from the source storage.

11. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the duplicate blocks include blocks that make up one or more files of an operating system that is installed in the source storage.

12. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the one or more files of the operating system are stored in the vault storage in the sequence of a clean install of the operating system.

13. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the duplicate blocks include blocks that make up one or more files of a software application that is installed in the source storage.

14. The method as recited in claim 13, wherein the one or more files of the software application are stored in the vault storage in the sequence of a clean install of the software application.

15. The method as recited in claim 10, further comprising a restore phase which includes reading, from the vault storage, and storing, in a restore storage, each allocated block that was stored in the source storage at the point in time in the same position as stored in the source storage after the completion of the defragmentation phase.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a program that causes a processor to execute the method as recited in claim 10.

17. A method of defragmentation during multiphase deduplication, the method comprising:

an analysis phase that includes analyzing each allocated block stored in a source storage that changed between a first point in time and a second point in time to determine if the block is duplicated in a vault storage;

a defragmentation phase that is performed after completion of the analysis phase and that includes reordering the duplicate changed blocks stored in the source storage to match the order of the duplicate blocks as stored in the vault storage; and

a backup phase that is performed after completion of the defragmentation phase and that includes storing, in the vault storage, each unique nonduplicate changed block from the source storage.

18. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein:

the duplicate blocks include blocks that make up one or more files of an operating system that is installed in the source storage or of a software application that is installed in the source storage; and

the one or more files of the operating system or the one or more files of the software application are stored in the vault storage in the sequence of a clean install of the operating system or of the software application, respectively.

19. The method as recited in claim 17, further comprising a restore phase which includes reading, from the vault storage, and storing, in a restore storage, each changed allocated block that was stored in the source storage at the second point in time in the same position as stored in the source storage after the completion of the defragmentation phase.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a program that causes a processor to execute the method as recited in claim 17.