Method and system for data backup

• US 9,465,699 B2
• Filed: 06/04/2013
• Issued: 10/11/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Li, Ya J., Li, Yu M., Sisco, Michael G., Xiong, Yin X.
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Hosain
• Assistant Examiner(s): ALLEN, NICHOLAS E
• Application Number:
  US13/909,370
• Publication Number:
  US 20140032499A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,225 Days
• Field of Search: 707/646
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1451 by selection of backup contents
• 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 16/215 Improving data quality; Data cleansing, e.g. de-duplication, removing invalid entries or correcting typographical errors

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method, system, and computer program product for data backup, the method comprising: performing first chunking on current data by using the same chunking method as that used by original backup data to obtain a current chunk; calculating hash value of the current chunk; and acquiring, from a hash value table of the original backup data, an identifier of a matched chunk whose hash value is the same as the calculated hash value of the current chunk, and incrementing number of continuous matched chunks by one. Since the pertinence between original backup data and current data is maximally utilized, performance of de-duplication method can be efficiently improved.

Claims

1. A method for data backup, wherein, there is original backup data and current data to be backed up, the method comprising:

performing first chunking on the current data by using the same chunking method as that used by the original backup data to obtain a current chunk, wherein the original backup data is a content defined chunking data;

calculating hash value of the current chunk, wherein a determination of whether a number of continuous matched chunks exceeds a threshold is determined, based on the calculated hash value, and wherein the threshold is a preset value, if number of continuous matched chunks exceeds the preset threshold, time for chunking the data is saved, and, wherein, then data blocks of current chunk of data is equal to matched block of the original backup data;

in response to a number of continuous matched chunks exceeding the threshold, the length of a data block that corresponds to an identifier of a next chunk of the matched chunk is acquired;

acquiring, from a hash value table of the original backup data, an identifier of a matched chunk whose hash value is the same as the calculated hash value of the current chunk, and incrementing number of continuous matched chunks, based on the exceeded threshold; and

clearing the number of continuous matched chunks, whereby, the hash value table of the original backup data, and the identifier of a matched chunk whose hash value is the same as the calculated hash value of the current chunk are returned are returned in response to the number of continuous matched chunks exceeding the threshold.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

in response to not exceeding the threshold, continuing to perform second chunking on the current data by using the same chunking method as that used by the original backup data to obtain a new current chunk; and

calculating hash value of the new current chunk.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

acquiring hash value of a next chunk of the matched chunk from the hash value table of the original backup data;

comparing the hash value of the new current chunk with the hash value of the next chunk of the matched chunk;

in response to the hash value of the new current chunk being the same as the hash value of the next chunk of the matched chunk;

incrementing number of continuous matched chunks by one;

taking the next chunk of the matched chunk as a new matched chunk;

returning to the step of determining whether the number of continuous matched chunks exceeds a threshold;

in response to the hash value of the new current chunk being different from the hash value of the next chunk of the matched chunk;

clearing the number of continuous matched chunks; and

returning to the step of acquiring, from a hash value table of the original backup data, an identifier of a matched chunk whose hash value is the same as the calculated hash value of the current chunk.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the number of continuous matched chunks exceeds a threshold, and in response to exceeding the threshold; and

acquiring length of a data block corresponding to an identifier of a next chunk of the matched chunk.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising:

continuing to perform third chunking on the current data by using the acquired length of a data block corresponding to an identifier of a next chunk of the matched chunk to obtain a new current chunk;

calculating hash value of the new current chunk;

acquiring hash value of the next chunk of the matched chunk from a hash value table of the original backup data;

comparing the hash value of the new current chunk with the hash value of the next chunk of the matched chunk;

in response to the hash value of the new current chunk being the same as the hash value of the next chunk of the matched chunk;

taking the next chunk of the matched chunk as a new matched chunk;

returning to the step of acquiring an identifier of the next chunk of the matched chunk from a hash value table of the original backup data;

in response to the hash value of the new current chunk being different from the hash value of the next chunk of the matched chunk;

clearing the number of continuous matched chunks; and

returning to the step of acquiring, from a hash value table of the original backup data, an identifier of a matched chunk whose hash value is the same as the calculated hash value of the current chunk.