Systems and methods for reducing file-system fragmentation when restoring block-level backups utilizing an identification module, an optimization module, and a restore module

• US 9,122,692 B1
• Filed: 09/15/2011
• Issued: 09/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Veritas Technologies, LLC (Whitehouse Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Symantec Corporation (NortonLifeLock Inc.)
• Inventors: Dalal, Chirag, Gupta, Vivek
• Primary Examiner(s): KIM, HONG CHONG
• Application Number:
  US13/233,562
• Time in Patent Office: 1,447 Days
• Field of Search: 707/693, 714/4.11
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1458 Management of the backup or restore process
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1469 Backup restoration techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1724 Details of de-fragmentation performed by the file system saving storage space on storage systems G06F3/0608; management of blocks in storage devices G06F3/064

Abstract

A method for reducing file-system fragmentation when restoring block-level backups may include (1) identifying a block-level backup stored on a backup storage device, (2) determining, by analyzing metadata contained within the block-level backup, that data contained within the block-level backup was physically arranged in a non-optimized manner on the volume from which the block-level backup was originally created due to file-system fragmentation, (3) identifying a request to restore the block-level backup to a target storage device in a block-by-block manner, (4) determining an optimized physical layout within a file system on the target storage device for the data contained within the block-level backup, and then (5) restoring the block-level backup to the target storage device block-by-block in accordance with the determined optimized physical layout in order to reduce the file-system fragmentation identified in the block-level backup. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for reducing file-system fragmentation when restoring block-level backups, at least a portion of the method being performed by a computing system comprising at least one processor, the method comprising:

identifying a block-level backup stored on a backup storage device, the block-level backup comprising a block-by-block replica of a volume;

determining, by analyzing metadata contained within the block-level backup, that data contained within the block-level backup was physically arranged in a non-optimized manner on the volume from which the block-level backup was originally created due to file-system fragmentation;

identifying a request to restore the block-level backup from the backup storage device to a target storage device in a block-by-block manner;

determining an optimized physical layout within a file system on the target storage device for the data contained within the block-level backup;

restoring the block-level backup from the backup storage device to the target storage device block-by-block in accordance with the determined optimized physical layout in order to reduce the file-system fragmentation identified in the block-level backup.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining, by analyzing metadata contained within the block-level backup, that the data contained within the block-level backup was physically arranged in a non-optimized manner on the volume from which the block-level backup was originally created due to file-system fragmentation comprises:

for each block of data contained within the block-level backup, identifying, by analyzing the metadata contained within the block-level backup, a file that is associated with the block of data;

for each identified file, determining, by analyzing the metadata contained within the block-level backup, whether the blocks of data associated with the file were physically arranged in a non-contiguous manner on the volume from which the block-level backup was originally created.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein determining the optimized physical layout within the file system on the target storage device for the data contained within the block-level backup comprises creating a mapping table that identifies new, optimized physical locations on the target storage device for blocks of data associated with files that were arranged in a non-contiguous manner on the volume from which the block-level backup was originally created.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein restoring the block-level backup from the backup storage device to the target storage device block-by-block in accordance with the determined optimized physical layout comprises restoring the block-level backup from the backup storage device to the target storage device block-by-block in accordance with the new, optimized physical locations identified in the mapping table.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising, upon restoring the block-level backup from the backup storage device to the target storage device, updating metadata associated with the file system on the target storage device to reflect the new, optimized physical locations of the files identified in the mapping table.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining an optimized physical layout within a file system on the target storage device for the data contained within the block-level backup further comprises physically arranging the data contained within the block-level backup during the restore process according to the optimized physical layout, rendering unnecessary the need to perform a separate defragment operation on the target storage device subsequent to restoring the block-level backup.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the backup storage device comprises at least one of;

an internal storage device within the computing system;

an external storage device that is external to the computing system;

the target storage device comprises at least one of;

an internal storage device within the computing system;

an external storage device that is external to the computing system.

8. A system for reducing file-system fragmentation when restoring block-level backups, the system comprising:

an identification module programmed to identify a block-level backup stored on a backup storage device, the block-level backup comprising a block-by-block replica of a volume;

an optimization module programmed to;

determine, by analyzing metadata contained within the block-level backup, that data contained within the block-level backup was physically arranged in a non-optimized manner on the volume from which the block-level backup was originally created due to file-system fragmentation;

determine an optimized physical layout within a file system on a target storage device for the data contained within the block-level backup;

a restore module programmed to;

identify a request to restore the block-level backup from the backup storage device to the target storage device in a block-by-block manner;

restore the block-level backup from the backup storage device to the target storage device block-by-block in accordance with the determined optimized physical layout in order to reduce the file-system fragmentation identified in the block-level backup;

at least one processor configured to execute the identification module, the optimization module, and the restore module.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the optimization module determines, by analyzing metadata contained within the block-level backup, that the data contained within the block-level backup was physically arranged in a non-optimized manner on the volume from which the block-level backup was originally created due to file-system fragmentation by:

for each block of data contained within the block-level backup, identifying, by analyzing the metadata contained within the block-level backup, a file that is associated with the block of data;

for each identified file, determining, by analyzing the metadata contained within the block-level backup, whether the blocks of data associated with the file were physically arranged in a non-contiguous manner on the volume from which the block-level backup was originally created.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the optimization module determines the optimized physical layout within the file system on the target storage device for the data contained within the block-level backup by creating a mapping table that identifies new, optimized physical locations on the target storage device for blocks of data associated with files that were arranged in a non-contiguous manner on the volume from which the block-level backup was originally created.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the restore module restores the block-level backup from the backup storage device to the target storage device block-by-block in accordance with the determined optimized physical layout by restoring the block-level backup from the backup storage device to the target storage device block-by-block in accordance with the new, optimized physical locations identified in the mapping table.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the restore module is further programmed to update metadata associated with the file system on the target storage device to reflect the new, optimized physical locations of the files identified in the mapping table upon restoring the block-level backup from the backup storage device to the target storage device.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the optimization module is further programmed to physically arrange the data contained within the block-level backup during the restore process according to the optimized physical layout, rendering unnecessary the need to perform a separate defragment operation on the target storage device subsequent to restoring the block-level backup.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein:

the backup storage device comprises at least one of;

an internal storage device within the system;

an external storage device that is external to the system;

the target storage device comprises at least one of;

an internal storage device within the system;

an external storage device that is external to the system.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable-storage medium comprising one or more computer-executable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a computing device, cause the computing device to:

identify a block-level backup stored on a backup storage device, the block-level backup comprising a block-by-block replica of a volume;

determine, by analyzing metadata contained within the block-level backup, that data contained within the block-level backup was physically arranged in a non-optimized manner on the volume from which the block-level backup was originally created due to file-system fragmentation;

identify a request to restore the block-level backup from the backup storage device to a target storage device in a block-by-block manner;

determine an optimized physical layout within a file system on the target storage device for the data contained within the block-level backup;

restore the block-level backup from the backup storage device to the target storage device block-by-block in accordance with the determined optimized physical layout in order to reduce the file-system fragmentation identified in the block-level backup.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable-storage medium of claim 15, wherein the computer-executable instructions cause the computing device to determine, by analyzing metadata contained within the block-level backup, that the data contained within the block-level backup was physically arranged in a non-optimized manner on the volume from which the block-level backup was originally created due to file-system fragmentation by causing the computing device to:

for each block of data contained within the block-level backup, identify, by analyzing the metadata contained within the block-level backup, a file that is associated with the block of data;

for each identified file, determine, by analyzing the metadata contained within the block-level backup, whether the blocks of data associated with the file were physically arranged in a non-contiguous manner on the volume from which the block-level backup was originally created.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable-storage medium of claim 16, wherein the computer-executable instructions cause the computing device to determine the optimized physical layout within the file system on the target storage device for the data contained within the block-level backup by causing the computing device to create a mapping table that identifies new, optimized physical locations on the target storage device for blocks of data associated with files that were arranged in a non-contiguous manner on the volume from which the block-level backup was originally created.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable-storage medium of claim 17, wherein the computer-executable instructions cause the computing device to restore the block-level backup from the backup storage device to the target storage device block-by-block in accordance with the determined optimized physical layout by causing the computing device to restore the block-level backup from the backup storage device to the target storage device block-by-block in accordance with the new, optimized physical locations identified in the mapping table.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable-storage medium of claim 17, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the computing device to update metadata associated with the file system on the target storage device to reflect the new, optimized physical locations of the files identified in the mapping table upon restoring the block-level backup from the backup storage device to the target storage device.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable-storage medium of claim 15, wherein:

the backup storage device comprises at least one of;

an internal storage device within a computing system;

an external storage device that is external to the computing system;

the target storage device comprises at least one of;

an internal storage device within the computing system;

an external storage device that is external to the computing system.