Event trigger based data backup services

• US 9,122,643 B2
• Filed: 12/08/2005
• Issued: 09/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NVIDIA Corporation
• Original Assignee: NVIDIA Corporation
• Inventors: Herz, William Samuel, Fear, Andrew C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Badawi, Sherief
• Assistant Examiner(s): Raab, Christopher J
• Application Number:
  US11/297,985
• Publication Number:
  US 20070136541A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,554 Days
• Field of Search: 711/162, 714/13
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1458 Management of the backup or restore process
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1461 Backup scheduling policy
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1464 for networked environments
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1466 to make the backup process non-disruptive

Abstract

Methods and systems of initiating a backup process of data stored on a computer are described. One method calls for the data to be backed up to be identified. A backup event trigger is defined, and the computer is monitored for the occurrence of the backup event trigger. If the trigger occurs, a balancing heuristic is applied, to determine whether to initiate the backup process.

Claims

1. A method of generating backup data, said method comprising:

identifying data located in a computer to be backed up;

identifying a backup event trigger, wherein said backup event trigger is associated with a level of importance based on an importance of an event, and wherein said level of importance is operable to be modified;

monitoring said computer for an occurrence of said backup event trigger;

via a communication network, sharing information resulted from said monitoring and current activities of said computer with a backup manager that resides in a remote server device, wherein said backup manager, in response to said occurrence of said backup event trigger, is operable to;

apply a balancing heuristic to determine whether to initiate a backup process based on said information and said current activities, wherein said balancing heuristic comprises determining if a current activity on said computer is of higher importance than said level of importance of said backup event trigger; and

if said level of importance of said backup event trigger is of higher importance than said current activity on said computer, send an instruction via said communication network to said computer to initiate said backup process;

sending said data to a storage device for backup in response to said instruction; and

if said current activity on said computer is of higher importance, delaying said backup process and increasing said level of importance of said backup event trigger.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said storage device comprises a redundant array of independent disks (RAID) communicably coupled to said computer and said remote server device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting if said computer switches between an active and an idle state;

in response to said computer switching to an idle state, initiating an incremental backup process; and

in response to said computer switching to an active state, suspending said incremental backup process.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

compressing and encrypting said data before said sending said data to said storage device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said event is selected from a group consisting of corruption of said computer, degradation of said computer, acoustic irregularity on a hard disk drive (HDD) of said computer, detection of an environmental hazard that is potentially detrimental to said computer, detection of a virus on said computer, and detection of a security breach on said computer.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said backup manager is further operable to send periodic instructions to said computer to initiate periodic backup processes.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said storage device resides in said remote server device, and wherein said backup manager is further operable to retrievably store said data sent from said computer.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

assigning a level of importance to said data.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said backup manager is further operable to restore backup data from said storage device to said computer.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said backup manager is further operable to compare said level of importance of said backup event trigger to a level of importance of said current activity prior to sending said instruction.

11. A method of backing up a computer, said method comprising:

identifying data to be preserved within said computer, wherein said identifying is accomplished before a backup process is initiated;

at said computer, detecting a trigger event, wherein said trigger event has a level of importance indicating importance of said trigger event, and wherein said level of importance is operable to be modified;

sending information related to said detecting said trigger event to a remote device communicably coupled to said computer, wherein said remote device comprises a backup manager configured to;

in response to said detecting said trigger event, apply a balancing heuristic to determine whether to initiate said backup process, wherein said balancing heuristic comprises determining if a current activity on said computer is of higher importance than said level of importance of said trigger event; and

send an instruction to said computer for initiating said backup process if said current activity on said computer is of lower importance than said level of importance of said trigger event, wherein said backup manager is further operable to send periodic instructions to said computer to initiate periodic backup processes;

performing said backup process based on said instruction; and

encrypting and compressing said data within said computer, wherein said compressing and encrypting is accomplished before said backup process is initiated.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

duplicating said data within said computer, wherein said duplicating is accomplished before said backup process is initiated.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

assigning a priority level to said data.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

backing up said data with reference to said priority level.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

assigning a plurality priority levels to said data.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein said detecting said trigger event further comprises:

monitoring a security system, said security system for detecting intrusion into the environment of said computer.

17. A method of remotely initiating a backup process over a network connection between a client computer and a server, said method comprising:

executing client software on said client computer, said client software configured to determine status information about said client computer, said client software also configured to initiate a backup process, wherein said status information comprises a backup event trigger associated with a level of importance of an event, and wherein said level of importance associated with said backup even trigger is operable to be modified;

transmitting said status information over said network connection to said server that comprises backup manage software; and

in response to said transmitting said status information, receiving an instruction at said client computer from said server over said network connection, wherein said instruction is generated by said server executing said backup management software based on said status information, and wherein further said instruction is operable to cause said client software to initiate said backup process when a current activity on said client computer is of lower importance them said level of importance of said backup trigger event, and wherein said backup manager is further operable to send periodic instructions to said computer to initiate periodic backup processes.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said status information comprises information about the activity level of said client computer.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein said status information comprises information about data shared on said client computer.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein said status information comprises information about the status of the hardware of said client computer.