Mountable container backups for files

• US 9,996,429 B1
• Filed: 04/14/2015
• Issued: 06/12/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Kumar, Kiran M V, Mandic, Vladimir, Jagannatha, Manjunath, Panem, Ravi Shankar
• Primary Examiner(s): Cao, Phuong Thao
• Application Number:
  US14/686,650
• Time in Patent Office: 1,155 Days
• Field of Search: 707645, 707646
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1448 Management of the data involved in backup or backup restore
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1451 by selection of backup contents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1458 Management of the backup or restore process
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/815 Virtual

Abstract

A file stored in a volume on a client is backed up in a mountable format by creating on the client a template virtual volume that corresponds to the volume in which the file is stored. A set of file extents occupied by the file is identified. A file extent in a backup stream is identified. If the file extent is not within the set of file extents, the template virtual volume is accessed to backup a data block associated with the virtual volume. If the file extent is within the set of file extents, the file is accessed to backup a data block of the file.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

identifying a file, stored in a volume of a client, for backup in a mountable format to a backup storage server;

creating on the client a template virtual volume that corresponds to the volume of the client in which the file is stored;

identifying a set of file extents occupied by the file to be backed up;

obtaining a first file extent;

determining whether the first file extent is within the identified set of file extents occupied by the file to be backed up;

if the first file extent is not within the set of file extents,

accessing the template virtual volume, and

copying a block associated with the template virtual volume to the backup storage server; and

if the first file extent is within the set of file extents,

accessing the file in the volume, and

copying a block associated with the file in the volume to the backup storage server.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the creating on the client a template virtual volume that corresponds to the volume of the client in which the file is stored comprises:

formatting the template virtual volume with a file system of the volume;

creating within the template virtual volume a template file having a size that matches a size of the file to be backed up; and

creating within the template virtual volume a directory structure that matches a directory structure of the file to be backed up.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the file is backed up as a Virtual Hard Disk (VHD) or a Hyper-V Virtual Hard Disk (VHDx) formatted file.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein accessing the file comprises converting from a virtual cluster number (VCN) to a logical cluster number (LCN).

5. The method of claim 1 comprising after backing up a last block of the template virtual volume and a last block of the file, deleting the template virtual volume created on the client.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the file to be backed up comprises a database.

7. A system for backing up a file, the system comprising:

a processor-based system executed on a computer system and comprising a hardware processor, wherein the hardware processor is configured to;

identify the file, stored in a volume of a client, for backup in a mountable format to a backup storage server;

create on the client a template virtual volume that corresponds to the volume of the client in which the file is stored;

identify a set of file extents occupied by the file to be backed up;

obtain a first file extent;

determine whether the first file extent is within the identified set of file extents occupied by the file to be backed up;

if the first file extent is not within the set of file extents,

access the template virtual volume, and

copy a block associated with the template virtual volume to the backup storage server; and

if the first file extent is within the set of file extents,

access the file in the volume, and

copy a block associated with the file in the volume to the backup storage server.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the hardware processor is configured to:

format the template virtual volume with a file system of the volume;

create within the template virtual volume a template file having a size that matches a size of the file to be backed up; and

create within the template virtual volume a directory structure that matches a directory structure of the file to be backed up.

9. The system of claim 7 wherein the file is backed up as a Virtual Hard Disk (VHD) or a Hyper-V Virtual Hard Disk (VHDx) formatted file.

10. The system of claim 7 wherein the hardware processor is configured to:

convert from a virtual cluster number (VCN) to a logical cluster number (LCN).

11. The system of claim 7 wherein the hardware processor is configured to:

after a backup of a last block of the template virtual volume and a last block of the file, delete the template virtual volume created on the client.

12. A computer program product, comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium having a computer-readable program code embodied therein, the computer-readable program code adapted to be executed by one or more processors to implement a method comprising:

identifying a file, stored in a volume of a client, for backup in a mountable format to a backup storage server;

creating on the client a template virtual volume that corresponds to the volume of the client in which the file is stored;

identifying a set of file extents occupied by the file to be backed up;

obtaining a first file extent;

determining whether the first file extent is within the identified set of file extents occupied by the file to be backed up;

if the first file extent is not within the set of file extents,

accessing the template virtual volume, and

copying a block associated with the template virtual volume to the backup storage server; and

if the first file extent is within the set of file extents,

accessing the file in the volume, and

copying a block associated with the file in the volume to the backup storage server.

13. The computer program product of claim 12 wherein the creating on the client a template virtual volume that corresponds to the volume of the client in which the file is stored comprises:

formatting the template virtual volume with a file system of the volume;

creating within the template virtual volume a template file having a size that matches size of the file to be backed up; and

creating within the template virtual volume a directory structure that matches a directory structure of the file to be backed up.

14. The computer program product of claim 12 wherein the file is backed up as a Virtual Hard Disk (VHD) or a Hyper-V Virtual Hard Disk (VHDx) formatted file.

15. The computer program product of claim 12 wherein accessing the file comprises converting from a virtual cluster number (VCN) to a logical cluster number (LCN).

16. The computer program product of claim 12 wherein the method comprises after backing up a last block of the template virtual volume and a last block of the file, deleting the template virtual volume created on the client.