Continuous data backup using real time delta storage

• US 9,495,252 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2014
• Issued: 11/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Quest Software, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Dell Software, Inc. (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Zhu, Shunhui, Yanovsky, Boris, Dunn, William, Cotton, Matthew W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Wilson
• Application Number:
  US14/214,013
• Publication Number:
  US 20140201486A1
• Time in Patent Office: 977 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1451 by selection of backup contents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1456 Hardware arrangements for backup
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1464 for networked environments
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1466 to make the backup process non-disruptive
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1469 Backup restoration techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/83 the solution involving signatures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0617 in relation to availability
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0643 Management of files
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/065 Replication mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]

Abstract

A continuous data backup using real time delta storage has been presented. A backup appliance receives a backup request from a backup agent running on a computing machine to backup data on the computing machine. The computing machine is communicatively coupled to the backup appliance. Then the backup appliance performs block-based real-time backup of the data on the computing machine. The backup appliance stores backup data of the computing machine in a computer-readable storage device in the backup appliance.

Claims

1. A method for storing back-up data, the method comprising:

receiving a backup request at a backup appliance, wherein the received backup request is from a backup agent running on a first computing machine, and wherein the backup request pertains to first data on the first computing machine;

dividing the first data into a plurality of blocks, wherein each block of the plurality of blocks contains a sub-section of the first data;

generating back-up data associated with each block of the first data, wherein the generated backup data includes corresponding hash information, and wherein the corresponding hash information includes two or more hashes associated with each block of the first data;

storing the plurality of blocks and generated back-up data of the first data in the backup appliance associated with the first computing machine;

coupling the backup appliance to a second computing machine; and

storing the plurality of blocks and generated back-up data of the first data on the second computing machine, wherein a second backup agent running on the second computing machine does not have access to stored data on the first computing machine, and wherein the backup agent running on the first computing machine does not have access to stored data on the second computing machine.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the corresponding hash information also includes a map of hashes corresponding to a version of the first data, and wherein the map of hashes is used to re-assemble the blocks of the first data using the two or more hashes associated with each block of the first data to form the corresponding version of the first data.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that one or more blocks of the first data has been modified thereby corresponding to a modified version of the first data;

generating, for each modified block, modified back-up data associated with each block of the first data that has since been modified, wherein the modified back-up data includes hashes for the modified blocks and maps of hashes used to re-assemble corresponding blocks and back-up data of the first data to form the modified version of the first data; and

storing the modified blocks and modified back-up data of the first data in the back up appliance.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the backup appliance, a restore request, wherein the restore requests pertains to a previous version of the first data stored on the first computing machine;

retrieving the blocks and corresponding back-up data of the first data associated with the previous version of the stored first data;

re-assembling the previous version of the stored first data using the retrieved blocks and corresponding back-up data; and

overwriting a current version of the first data on the first computing machine with the re-assembled previous version of the stored first data on the first computing machine.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

assigning a time stamp for each version of the first data stored in the backup appliance;

comparing a current time stamp assigned to a current version of the first data to be stored with a previous time stamp assigned to a previous version of the first data stored in the backup appliance; and

restoring the previous version of the first data stored in the backup appliance when the assigned current time stamp for the current version is not later than the previous time stamp for the previous version.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that a size of the blocks of a current version of the first data is larger than a pre-defined threshold;

retrieving a previous version of the first data that was stored, wherein the previous version of the first data having blocks that are smaller than the pre-defined threshold;

overwriting the current version of the first data with the previous version of the first data.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein access between the first computing machine and the second computing machine is prevented via encryption.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising compressing data associated with the plurality of blocks and corresponding back-up data of the first data prior to storage.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first computing machine further stores a data set, wherein the data set includes a plurality of data and maps corresponding to a version of the data set that the first computing machine can use to rebuild different versions of the data set from stored data.

10. A system for storing back-up data, comprising:

a first computing device including non-transitory memory storing a backup agent executable by a processor; and

a backup appliance including a processor that executes instructions stored in a non-transitory memory, wherein execution of the instructions;

receive a backup request, wherein the received back up request is from the backup agent, and wherein the backup request pertains to first data associated with the first computing device,

divide the first data into a plurality of blocks, wherein each block contains a sub-section of the first data stored within the computing device;

generate back-up data associated with each block of the first data, wherein the generated back-up data includes corresponding hash information, and wherein the corresponding hash information includes two or more hashes associated with each block of the first data,

store the plurality of blocks and generated backup data of the first data,

couple to a second computing machine; and

store the plurality of blocks and generated back-up data of the first data on the second computing machine, wherein a second backup agent running on the second computing machine does not have access to stored data on the first computing machine, and wherein the backup agent running on the first computing machine does not have access to stored data on the second computing machine.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the corresponding hash information includes a map of hashes corresponding to a version of the first data, and wherein the map of hashes is used to re-assemble the blocks of the first data using the hashes associated with each block of the first data to form the corresponding version of the first data.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the backup appliance executes instructions to further:

determine that one or more blocks of the first data has been modified thereby corresponding to a modified version of the first data;

generate, for each modified block, modified back-up data associated with each block of the first data that has since been modified, wherein the modified back-up data includes hashes for the modified blocks and maps of hashes used to re-assemble corresponding blocks and back-up data of the first data to form the modified version of the first data; and

store the modified blocks and modified back-up data of the first data.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the backup appliance executes further instructions to:

receive a restore request, wherein the restore requests pertains to a previous version of the first data stored on the first computing machine;

retrieve the blocks and corresponding back-up data of the first data associated with the previous version of the stored first data;

reassemble the previous version of the stored first data using the retrieved blocks and corresponding back-up data; and

overwrite a current version of the first data on the first computing machine with the re-assembled previous version of the stored first data on the first computing machine.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the backup appliance executes further instructions to:

assign a time stamp for each version of the first data stored in the backup appliance;

compare a current time stamp assigned to a current version of the first data to be stored with a previous time stamp assigned to a previous version of the first data stored in the backup appliance; and

restore the previous version of the first data stored in the backup appliance when the assigned current ntime stamp for the current version is not later than the previous timestamp for the previous version.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the backup appliance executes further instructions to:

determine that a size of the blocks of a current version of the first data is larger than a pre-defined threshold;

retrieve a previous version of the first data that was stored, wherein the previous version of the first data having blocks that are smaller than the pre-defined threshold;

overwrite the current version of the first data with the previous version of the first data.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein access between the first computing machine and the second computing machine is prevented via encryption.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the backup appliance executes further instructions to compress data associated with the plurality of blocks and corresponding back-up data of the first data prior to storage.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein the first computing machine further stores a data set, wherein the data set includes a plurality of data and maps corresponding to a version of the data set that the first computing machine can use to rebuild different versions of the data set from stored data.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, having embodied thereon a program executable by a processor to perform a method for storing back-up data, the method comprising:

receiving a backup request at a backup appliance, wherein the received backup request is from a backup agent running on a first computing machine, and wherein the backup request pertains to first data on the first computing machine;

dividing the first data into a plurality of blocks, wherein each block contains a sub-section of the first data;

generating back-up data associated with each block of the first data, wherein the generated back-up data includes corresponding hash information, and wherein the corresponding hash information includes two or more hashes associated with each block of the first data;

storing the plurality of blocks and generated back-up data of the first data in the backup appliance associated with the first computing machine;

coupling the backup appliance to a second computing machine; and

storing the plurality of blocks and generated back-up data of the first data on the second computing machine, wherein a second backup agent running on the second computing machine does not have access to stored data on the first computing machine, and wherein the backup agent running on the first computing machine does not have access to stored data on the second computing machine.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the corresponding hash information includes a map of hashes corresponding to a version of the first data, and wherein the map of hashes is used to re-assemble the blocks of the first data using the hashes associated with each block of the first data to form the corresponding version of the first data.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, the program is further executable to:

identify that one or more blocks of the first data has been modified thereby corresponding to a modified version of the first data;

generate, for each modified block, modified back-up data associated with each block of the first data that has since been modified, wherein the modified back-up data includes hashes for the modified blocks and maps of hashes used to re-assemble corresponding blocks and back-up data of the first data to form the modified version of the first data; and

store the modified blocks and modified back-up data of the first data in the back up appliance.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, the program is further executable to:

receive, by the backup appliance, a restore request, wherein the restore requests pertains to a previous version of the first data stored on the first computing machine;

retrieve the blocks and corresponding back-up data of the first data associated with the previous version of the stored first data;

re-assembly the previous version of the stored first data using the retrieved blocks and corresponding back-up data; and

overwrite a current version of the first data on the first computing machine with the re-assembled previous version of the stored first data on the first computing machine.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, the program is further executable to:

assign a time stamp for each version of the first data stored in the backup appliance;

compare a current time stamp assigned to a current version of the first data to be stored with a previous time stamp assigned to a previous version of the first data stored in the backup appliance; and

restore the previous version of the first data stored in the backup appliance when the assigned current time stamp for the current version is not later than the previous timestamp for the previous version.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, the program is further executable to:

identify that a size of the blocks of a current version of the first data is larger than a pre-defined threshold;

retrieve a previous version of the first data that was stored, wherein the previous version of the first data having blocks that are smaller than the pre-defined threshold; and

overwrite the current version of the first data with the previous version of the first data.

25. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein access between the first computing machine and the second computing machine is prevented via encryption.

26. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, the program is further executable to compress data associated with the plurality of blocks and corresponding back-up data of the first data prior to storage.

27. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the first computing machine further stores a data set, wherein the data set includes a plurality of data and maps corresponding to a version of the data set that the first computing machine can use to rebuild different versions of the data set from stored data.