MANIPULATING ELECTRONIC BACKUPS

• US 20130066836A1
• Filed: 11/05/2012
• Published: 03/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Weiss, Eric, Cisler, Pavel, McInerney, Peter, Giampaolo, Dominic
• Granted Patent: US 8,965,929 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/646
• 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 11/1461 Backup scheduling policy
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1466 to make the backup process non-disruptive
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for storing and restoring digital data. In some implementations, a method is provided. The method includes initiating a backup operation of data including a plurality of items, interrupting the backup operation, where interrupting occurs after a portion of the data has been completed, receiving an input to resume the backup operation, identifying a previously completed portion of the backup data, and performing a backup of a remaining uncompleted portion of the backup data. Other embodiments of this aspect include corresponding systems, apparatus, computer program products, and computer readable media.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

initiating a backup operation of data including a plurality of items;

interrupting the backup operation after a portion of the data is backed up;

associating the backed up data with a timestamp;

receiving an input to resume the backup operation;

comparing the timestamp with a timestamp of a last completed backup operation; and

based on the comparing, resuming the backup operation to back up a remaining portion of the data, where the method is performed by one or more processors.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

monitoring for modifications to one or more items of the plurality of items during the backup operation;

completing the backup operation; and

performing a second backup for modified items.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein interrupting the backup operation includes at least one of receiving a user input that causes the backup operation to be interrupted or interrupting the backup operation in response to a system crash.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving an input to resume the backup operation includes at least one of receiving a user request to resume the backup operation or receiving an automatic request to resume the backup operation.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the completed portion of the backup data includes at least one of identifying backup data written to a backup before the backup operation was interrupted or identifying a portion of a file system included in the completed portion.

6. A method comprising:

initiating a backup operation of a plurality of items;

after a first portion of the plurality of items is backed up, interrupting the backup operation;

determining a remaining portion of the plurality of items based on a timestamp of the backed-up first portion and a timestamp of a last-completed backup operation; and

performing a backup of the second portion of the plurality of items.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the backup operation comprises an initial back operation, the method further comprising:

determining a modification occurs for an item of the plurality of items during the initial backup operation; and

after completing the initial backup operation, executing a subsequent backup for the modified item.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein interrupting the backup operation includes at least one of receiving a user input that causes the backup operation to be interrupted or interrupting the backup operation in response to a system crash.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising receiving a user request to resume the backup operation or receiving an automatic request to resume the backup operation.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein identifying the remaining portion of the backup data includes at least one of identifying backup data written to a backup before the backup operation was interrupted or identifying a portion of a file system included in a completed portion of the backup operation.

11. A computer program product encoded on a tangible, non-transitory storage medium, the product comprising computer readable instructions for causing one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

initiating a backup operation of data including a plurality of items;

interrupting the backup operation after a portion of the data is backed up;

associating the backed up data with a timestamp;

receiving an input to resume the backup operation;

comparing the timestamp with a timestamp of a last completed backup operation; and

based on the comparing, resuming the backup operation to back up a remaining portion of the data, where the method is performed by one or more processors.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, the instructions further comprising:

monitoring for modifications to one or more items of the plurality of items during the backup operation;

completing the backup operation; and

performing a second backup for modified items.

13. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the instructions comprising interrupting the backup operation includes the instructions comprising at least one of receiving a user input that causes the backup operation to be interrupted or interrupting the backup operation in response to a system crash.

14. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the instructions comprising receiving an input to resume the backup operation includes the instructions comprising at least one of receiving a user request to resume the backup operation or receiving an automatic request to resume the backup operation.

15. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the instructions comprising identifying the completed portion of the backup data includes the instructions comprising at least one of identifying backup data written to a backup before the backup operation was interrupted or identifying a portion of a file system included in the completed portion.

16. A computer program product encoded on a tangible, non-transitory storage medium, the product comprising computer readable instructions for causing one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

initiating a backup operation of a plurality of items;

after a first portion of the plurality of items is backed up, interrupting the backup operation;

determining a remaining portion of the plurality of items based on a timestamp of the backed-up first portion and a timestamp of a last-completed backup operation; and

performing a backup of the second portion of the plurality of items.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the backup operation comprises an initial back operation, and the instructions further comprising:

determining a modification occurs for an item of the plurality of items during the initial backup operation; and

after completing the initial backup operation, executing a subsequent backup for the modified item.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the instructions comprising interrupting the backup operation includes the instructions comprising at least one of receiving a user input that causes the backup operation to be interrupted or interrupting the backup operation in response to a system crash.

19. The method of claim 16, the instructions further comprising at least one of receiving a user request to resume the backup operation or receiving an automatic request to resume the backup operation.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the instructions comprising identifying the remaining portion of the backup data includes the instructions comprising at least one of identifying backup data written to a backup before the backup operation was interrupted or identifying a portion of a file system included in a completed portion of the backup operation.