Methods and apparatus for multi-source restore

• US 9,483,365 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2014
• Issued: 11/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Schmidt, Edward T., Freedman, Gordon J., Farkas, Jacob C., McNeil, Kenneth B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Farrokh, Hashem
• Application Number:
  US14/487,025
• Publication Number:
  US 20150006837A1
• Time in Patent Office: 778 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1435 using file system or storage system metadata
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1464 for networked environments
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1469 Backup restoration techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/84 Using snapshots, i.e. a logical point-in-time copy of the data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1014 based on the content of a request

Abstract

Methods and apparatus that restore a resource from a first source and a second source to a device are described. Availability of the resource from a second source may be dynamically determined after a portion of the resource has been restored to the device from the first source. If the second source is determined to be more efficiently connected with the device than the first source, a remaining portion of the resource may be restored from the second source to the device after the portion of the resource has been restored to the device.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

initiating, by a computing device, restoration of a resource from a first source to the computing device, wherein;

the restoration of the resource from the first source involves downloading a first portion of the resource from the first source to the computing device;

while restoring the resource from the first source;

dynamically detecting, by the computing device, an availability of the resource from a second source after the first portion of the resource has been restored to the computing device from the first source, wherein the availability of the resource from the second source is tracked based on metadata associated with the resource, and the metadata comprises an ownership of the resource for an account associated with the computing device, and

determining that the second source is more efficiently connected with the computing device than the first source; and

when

     1) the resource is available from the second source, and

     2) the second source is more efficiently connected with the computing device than the first source;

automatically switching, by the computing device, from the first source to the second source to restore the resource, wherein the restoration of the resource from the second source involves downloading a second portion of the resource from the second source to the computing device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein dynamically detecting the availability of the resource from the second source includes dynamically detecting establishment of a network connection between the computing device and the second source.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein determining that the second source is more efficiently connected to the computing device includes determining that the network connection with the second source has a higher bandwidth than an initial network connection with the first source.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein initiating the restoration of the resource includes:

requesting, from a backup service, identification of one or more resources to restore to the computing device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the computing device is associated with an account identifier corresponding to an owner of the computing device, and initiating the restoration of the resource further comprises sending the account identifier to the backup service.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the one or more resources are associated with the metadata describing content of the one or more resources, the metadata is tracked by the backup service, and the one or more resources to restore to the computing device are determined based on the metadata associated with each resource of the one or more resources.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the one or more resources include the resource from the first source, the method further comprising:

receiving, from the backup service, information indicating that the computing device initiate the restoration of the resource from the first source.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the first source is a network accessible storage identified by the backup service.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the second source is a local computer wirelessly coupled to the computing device.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein one or more references to a plurality of sources including the first source are tracked by the backup service, and selection of the first source is transparent to a user of the computing device.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

tracking the first portion of the resource that has been restored from the first source; and

based on the tracking of the first portion, determining the second portion of the resource to restore from the second source.

12. The method of claim 1, furthering comprising:

halting the restoration of the resource from the first source; and

resuming the restoration of the resource from the first source.

13. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a computing device from a backup service, information identifying an asset to restore to the computing device from a first source;

initiating, by the computing device, restoration of the asset from the first source via a first connection between the computing device and the first source, wherein the restoration of the asset from the first source involves downloading a first portion of the asset from the first source to the computing device;

while restoring the asset from the first source;

detecting, by the computing device, (i) establishment of a new connection between the computing device and a second source from which the asset can be restored when the computing device moves within a communication range of the second source, and (ii) an availability of the asset from the second source, wherein the availability of the asset from the second source is tracked based on metadata associated with the asset, and the metadata comprises an ownership of the asset for an account associated with the computing device; and

in response to detecting (i) the establishment of the new connection between the computing device and the second source, and (ii) the availability of the asset from the second source;

automatically switching, by the computing device, from the first source to the second source to restore a second portion of the asset to the computing device, wherein the restoration of the asset from the second source involves downloading the second portion of the asset from the second source to the computing device, and the first portion is different than the second portion.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein initiating the restoration of the asset from the first source includes:

requesting, from the backup service, identification of one or more assets to restore to the computing device; and

receiving, from the backup service, identification of the first source as a source from which to restore the asset to the computing device.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the backup service maintains the metadata for each asset of the one or more assets that describes content of each asset.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises:

downloading a portion of the content of the asset from the first source to the computing device.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the backup service identifies the first source based on the metadata.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the second source is a computer device locally coupled to the computing device, the computer device maintains the metadata, and the method further comprises:

determining the second portion of the asset not yet restored to the computing device; and

downloading the second portion of the asset from the second source.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the second source is associated with the metadata describing content of the second source, and the metadata is maintained in the second source for identification of the second source.

20. A system, comprising:

one or more processors; and

a computer-readable medium including one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform steps that include;

initiating, by a computing device, restoration of a resource from a first source to a computing device, wherein;

the restoration of the resource from the first source involves downloading a first portion of the resource from the first source to the computing device;

while restoring the resource from the first source;

dynamically detecting, by the computing device, an availability of the resource from a second source after the first portion of the resource has been restored to the computing device from the first source, wherein the availability of the resource from the second source is tracked based on metadata associated with the resource, and the metadata comprises an ownership of the resource for an account associated with the computing device, and

determining that the second source is more efficiently connected with the computing device than the first source; and

when

     1) the resource is available from the second source, and

     2) the second source is more efficiently connected with the computing device than the first source;

automatically switching, by the computing device, from the first source to the second source to restore the resource, wherein the restoration of the resource from the second source involves downloading a second portion of the resource from the second source to the computing device.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein dynamically detecting the availability of the resource from the second source further includes the steps of:

dynamically detecting establishment of a network connection between the computing device and the second source.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein determining that the second source is more efficiently connected to the computing device further includes the steps of:

determining that the network connection with the second source has a higher bandwidth than an initial network connection with the first source.

23. The system of claim 20, wherein initiating the restoration of the resource further includes the steps of:

requesting, from a backup service, identification of one or more resources to restore to the computing device.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the computing device is associated with an account identifier corresponding to an owner of the computing device, and initiating the restoration of the resource further includes the steps of sending the account identifier to the backup service.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein the one or more resources are associated with the metadata describing content of the one or more resources, the metadata is tracked by the backup service, and the one or more resources to restore to the computing device are determined based on the metadata associated with each resource of the one or more resources.

26. The system of claim 23, wherein the one or more resources include the resource from the first source, and wherein the steps further include:

receiving, from the backup service, information indicating that the computing device initiate the restoration of the resource from the first source.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the first source is a network accessible storage identified by the backup service.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the second source is a local computer wirelessly coupled to the computing device.

29. The system of claim 26, wherein one or more references to a plurality of sources including the first source are tracked by the backup service, and selection of the first source is transparent to a user of the computing device.

30. The system of claim 20, wherein the steps further include:

tracking the first portion of the resource that has been restored from the first source; and

based on the tracking of the first portion, determining the second portion of the resource to restore from the second source.

31. The system of claim 20, wherein the steps further include:

halting the restoration of the resource from the first source; and

resuming the restoration of the resource from the first source.

32. A system, comprising:

one or more processors; and

a computer-readable medium including one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform steps that include;

receiving, by a computing device from a backup service, information identifying an asset to restore to the computing device from a first source;

initiating, by the computing device, restoration of the asset from the first source via a first connection between the computing device and the first source, wherein the restoration of the asset from the first source involves downloading a first portion of the asset from the first source to the computing device;

while restoring the asset from the first source;

detecting, by the computing device, (i) establishment of a new connection between the computing device and a second source from which the asset can be restored when the computing device moves within a communication range of the second source, and (ii) an availability of the asset from the second source, wherein the availability of the asset from the second source is tracked based on metadata associated with the asset, and the metadata comprises an ownership of the asset for an account associated with the computing device; and

in response to detecting (i) the establishment of the new connection between the computing device and the second source, and (ii) the availability of the asset from the second source;

automatically switching, by the computing device, from the first source to the second source to restore a second portion of the asset to the computing device, wherein the restoration of the asset from the second source involves downloading the second portion of the asset from the second source to the computing device, and the first portion is different than the second portion.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein initiating the restoration of the asset from the first source further includes the steps of:

requesting, from the backup service, identification of one or more assets to restore to the computing device; and

receiving, from the backup service, identification of the first source as a source from which to restore the asset to the computing device.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein the backup service maintains the metadata for each asset of the one or more of assets that describes content of each asset.

35. The system of claim 34, wherein the steps further include:

downloading a portion of the content of the asset from the first source to the computing device.

36. The system of claim 35, wherein the backup service identifies the first source based on the metadata.

37. The system of claim 35, wherein the second source is a computer device locally coupled to the computing device, the computer device maintains the metadata, and the steps further include:

determining the second portion of the asset not yet restored to the computing device; and

downloading the second portion of the asset from the second source.

38. The system of claim 33, wherein the second source is associated with the metadata describing content of the second source, and the metadata is maintained in the second source for identification of the second source.