Systems and methods of information backup

• US 7,734,594 B2
• Filed: 12/15/2003
• Issued: 06/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Computer Associates Think Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Computer Associates Think Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wang, Jianxin
• Primary Examiner(s): Le; Miranda
• Application Number:
  US10/737,109
• Publication Number:
  US 20050038836A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,367 Days
• Field of Search: 707 1- 10, 707100-102, 707/104.1, 707200-205, 707/640, 707/644, 707/650, 707/653, 711/162, 711/100, 709/225, 709/238, 717/127, 714/6
• US Class Current: 707/644
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1456 Hardware arrangements for backup
• 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 11/1464 for networked environments
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1469 Backup restoration techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2056 by mirroring
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2003/0697 device management, e.g. handlers, drivers, I/O schedulers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/84 Using snapshots, i.e. a logical point-in-time copy of the data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0601 Interfaces specially adapted for storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99938 Concurrency, e.g. lock management in shared database
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99955 Archiving or backup

Abstract

A serverless backup system for backing up information on a network including one or more servers, includes a backup storage system for backing up information and a storage system for storing information to be backed up and restored, wherein information being backed up is transferred directly from the storage system to the backup storage system without going through a server and information being restored is transferred directly from the backup storage system to the storage system without going through the server.

Claims

1. A serverless backup system for backing up information on a network including one or more servers, comprising:

a storage system for storing information to be backed up and restored, the storage system operable to;

receive the information from a plurality of workstations; and

store the information received from the plurality of workstations; and

a backup storage system for backing up the information and restoring the information, the backup storage system coupled to the storage system and to one or more servers via a network, the backup storage system operable to;

obtain a static view of a relevant portion of the storage system, wherein the static view is obtained using one or more of a backup mirror system and taking a snapshot of the relevant portion of the storage system, wherein a period of write inactivity to the storage system is waited for prior to obtaining the static view;

map one or more blocks of data comprising the information being backed up to corresponding files; and

back up the information by transferring the information being backed up using one or more data movers operable to transfer the information being backed up directly from the storage system to the backup storage system, using one or more extended copy commands, without going through the one or more servers; and

restore the information by transferring the information being restored using one or more data movers operable to transfer the information being restored directly from the backup storage system to the storage system, using one or more extended copy commands, without going through the one or more servers.

2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the backup storage system comprises a tape storage system.

3. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the storage system comprises a disk storage system.

4. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the network comprises a storage area network.

5. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the static view is obtained by taking the snapshot of the relevant portion of the storage system, the snapshot being taken prior to transferring information directly from the storage system to the backup storage system.

6. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the period of inactivity is a predefined period of time.

7. The system as recited in claim 6, wherein the predefined period of time is three seconds.

8. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein if the period of write inactivity does not occur by time a timeout period has expired, the transfer fails.

9. The system as recited in claim 8, wherein the timeout period is a predefined period of time.

10. The system as recited in claim 9, wherein the predefined period of time is 80 seconds.

11. A serverless backup method for backing up information on a network including one or more servers, comprising:

providing a storage system for storing information to be backed up and restored, the storage system operable to;

receive the information from a plurality of workstations; and

store the information received from the plurality of workstations;

providing a backup storage system for backing up the information and restoring the information, the backup storage system coupled to the storage system and to one or more servers via a network;

obtaining a static view of a relevant portion of the storage system, wherein the static view is obtained using one or more of a backup mirror system and taking a snapshot of the relevant portion of the storage system, wherein a period of write inactivity to the storage system is waited for prior to obtaining the static view;

mapping one or more blocks of data comprising the information being backed up to corresponding files;

backing up the information by transferring the information being backed up using one or more data movers operable to transfer the information being backed up directly from the storage system to the backup storage system, using one or more extended copy commands, without going through the one or more servers; and

restoring information by transferring information being restored using one or more data movers operable to transfer the information being restored directly from the backup storage system to the storage system, using one or more extended copy commands, without going through the one or more servers.

12. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the backup storage system comprises a tape storage system.

13. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the storage system comprises a disk storage system.

14. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the network comprises a storage area network.

15. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the static view is obtained by taking the snapshot of the relevant portion of the storage system, the snapshot being taken transferring information directly from the storage system to the backup storage system.

16. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the period of write inactivity is a predefined period of time.

17. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein the predefined period of time is three seconds.

18. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein if the period of write inactivity does not occur by time a timeout period has expired, the transfer fails.

19. The method as recited in claim 18, wherein the timeout period is predefined period of time.

20. The method as recited in claim 19, wherein the predefined period of time is 80 seconds.

21. A computer readable medium including code for performing a serverless backup method for backing up information on a network, the network including a storage device for storing information to be backed up and restored, the storage system operable to receive the information from a plurality of workstations and store the information received from the plurality of workstations, the network further including a backup storage system for backing up the information and restoring the information, the backup storage system coupled to the storage system and to one or more servers via the network, the code comprising:

code for obtaining a static view of a relevant portion of the storage system, wherein the static view is obtained using one or more of a backup mirror system and taking a snapshot of the relevant portion of the storage system, wherein a period of write inactivity to the storage system is waited for prior to obtaining the static view;

code for mapping one or more blocks of data comprising the information being backed up to corresponding files;

code for backing up the information by transferring the information being backed up using one or more data movers operable to transfer the information being backed up directly from the storage system to the backup storage system, using one or more extended copy commands, without going through the one or more servers; and

code for restoring the information by transferring the information being restored using one or more data movers operable to transfer the information being restored directly from the backup storage system to the storage system, using one or more extended copy commands, without going through the one or more servers.

22. The medium as recited in claim 21, wherein the static view is obtained by taking the snapshot of the relevant portion of the storage system, the snapshot being taken prior to transferring information directly from the storage system to the backup storage system.

23. The medium as recited in claim 21, wherein the period of write inactivity is a predefined period of time.

24. The medium as recited in claim 23, wherein the predefined period of time is three seconds.

25. The medium as recited in claim 21, wherein if the period of write inactivity does not occur by time a timeout period has expired, the transfer fails.

26. The medium as recited in claim 25, wherein the timeout period is a predefined period of time.

27. The medium as recited in claim 26, wherein the predefined period of time is 80 seconds.