Stored memory recovery system

• US 7,844,855 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2006
• Issued: 11/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Xylon LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Idocrase Investments LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Jian, Zhang, Sun, Hanxiang, Murray, Timothy John, Vohariwatt, Janet, Shen, Andrew W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Beausoliel; Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mehrmanesh; Elmira
• Application Number:
  US11/514,394
• Publication Number:
  US 20070174681A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,552 Days
• Field of Search: 714/5, 714/8, 714/15, 714/19, 714/20, 711/112, 711/145, 711/152, 711/163, 711/164, 711/202, 726/17, 726/21
• US Class Current: 714/15
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1435 using file system or storage system metadata
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2087 with a common controller

Abstract

Various embodiments of systems and methods for preserving saved memory states to which a computer system can be restored are disclosed. In certain embodiments, the systems and methods intercept write operations to protected memory locations and redirect them to alternate memory locations. Embodiments of the systems and methods include creation of a table for each memory state. Certain embodiments additionally include a recovery capability, by which the protected memory in the computer system is capable of being restored or recovered to a recovery point that represents a saved memory state. Further embodiments relate to systems and methods for preventing protected memory locations from being overwritten that utilize a plurality of memory state values.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

creating a first recovery point corresponding to a first state of a computer system, wherein the first recovery point is usable to store data associated with the first state to restore the computer system to the first state;

subsequently creating a second recovery point corresponding to a second state of the computer system, wherein the second recovery point is usable to store data associated with the second state to restore the computer system to the second state;

subsequently creating a third recovery point corresponding to a third state of the computer system, wherein the third recovery point is usable to store data associated with the third state to restore the computer system to the third state;

applying security features to control access to the first, second, and third recovery points created for the computer system; and

deleting either the first or second recovery points while maintaining the remaining ones of the first, second, and third recovery points.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first, second, and third states each include one or more of the following:

a memory state;

a configuration state;

a sector state;

or

a recovery state.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein applying security features comprises associating security information with each of the first, second and third recovery points, wherein the security information for each recovery point is operable to control access to that recovery point.

4. The method as recited in claim 3, further comprising placing the computer system in a non-secure mode, wherein, during operation in the non-secure mode, any user of the computer system is enabled to initiate deletion of any recovery point, add a new recovery point, and restore the system to a state associated with an existing recovery point.

5. A method comprising:

creating a first recovery point corresponding to a first state of a computer system, wherein the first recovery point is usable to restore the computer system to the first state;

subsequently creating a second recovery point corresponding to a second state of the computer system, wherein the second recovery point is usable to restore the computer system to the second state;

subsequently creating a third recovery point corresponding to a third state of the computer system, wherein the third recovery point is usable to restore the computer system to the third state;

deleting either the first or second recovery points while maintaining the remaining ones of the first, second, or third recovery points; and

associating security information with each of the first, second and third recovery points, wherein the security information for each recovery point is operable to control access to that recovery point, wherein the security information for each recovery point is operable to;

enable a first user to initiate restoration of the computer system to the state associated with the recovery point; and

prevent a second user from initiating restoration of the computer system to the state associated with the recovery point.

6. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein the security information for each recovery point is further operable to:

enable the first user to initiate deletion of the associated recovery point; and

prevent the second user from initiating deletion of the associated recovery point.

7. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein the first user is one of a first plurality of users enabled by the security information for each of the recovery points to initiate deletion of each of the recovery points and to restore the computer system to the state associated with each of the recovery points, and wherein the second user is one of a second plurality of users prevented by the security information for each of the recovery points from initiating deletion of any of the recovery points and from restoring the computer system to the state associated with any one of the recovery points.

8. A method comprising:

creating a first recovery point corresponding to a first state of a computer system, wherein the first recovery point is usable to restore the computer system to the first state;

subsequently creating a second recovery point corresponding to a second state of the computer system, wherein the second recovery point is usable to restore the computer system to the second state;

subsequently creating a third recovery point corresponding to a third state of the computer system, wherein the third recovery point is usable to restore the computer system to the third state; and

associating security information with each of the first, second and third recovery points, wherein the security information for each recovery point is operable to control access to that recovery point, wherein;

security information for the first recovery point enables a first user to initiate restoration of the computer system to the state associated with the first recovery point and further enables the first user to initiate deletion of the first recovery point, while preventing a second user and a third user from accessing the first recovery point;

security information for the second recovery point enables the second user to initiate restoration of the computer system to the state associated with the second recovery point and further enables the second user to initiate deletion of the second recovery point, while preventing the first user and the third user from accessing second recovery point; and

security information for the third recovery point enables the third user to initiate restoration of the computer system to the state associated with the third recovery point and further enables the third user to initiate deletion of the third recovery point, while preventing the first user and the third user from accessing the recovery point; and

deleting either the first or second recovery points while maintaining the remaining ones of the first, second, and third recovery points.

9. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein security information for the first, second, and third recovery points enables initiation by a fourth user to:

restore the computer system to the state associated with any one of the first, second, or third recovery points; and

delete any of the first, second, or third recovery points.

10. A computer readable medium storing instructions that, responsive to being executed by a computer system, cause the computer system to:

provide a plurality of recovery options to a user of the computer system, including a first recovery point that is usable to store data that is associated with a first state to restore the computer system to the first state in which a first operating system is operable to control the computer system, and further including a second recovery point that is usable to store data that is associated with a second state to restore the computer system to the second state in which a second operating system is operable to control the computer system;

applying security features to control access to the plurality of recovery options including the first and second recovery points;

receive input indicative of one of the plurality of recovery options; and

restore the computer system to the state indicated by the received input.

11. The computer readable medium as recited in claim 10, wherein applying security features to control access to the plurality of recovery options comprises associating each of the first and second recovery points with security information, wherein, for each of the first and second recovery points, the corresponding security information is usable to control access to that recovery point.

12. The computer readable medium as recited in claim 11, storing further instructions that, responsive to being executed by the computer system, cause the computer system to:

create new recovery points including a third recovery point that includes an update to the first operating system.

13. The computer readable medium as recited in claim 12, storing further instructions that, responsive to being executed by the computer system, cause the computer system to:

restore the computer system using the third recovery point.

14. The computer readable medium as recited in claim 10, storing further instructions that, responsive to being executed by the computer system, cause the computer system to:

provide one or more additional recovery points, wherein each of the one or more additional recovery points is associated with a corresponding state of the computer system while a corresponding one of one or more operating system is controlling the computer system, wherein each of the one or more additional recovery points is operable to restore the computer system to its corresponding state.

15. A computer readable medium storing instructions that, responsive to being executed by a computer system, cause the computer system to:

provide a plurality of recovery options to a user of the computer system, including a first recovery point usable to restore the computer system to a first state in which a first operating system is operable to control the computer system, and further including a second recovery point usable to restore the computer system to a second state in which a second operating system is operable to control the computer system, wherein the plurality of recovery options includes a first set of recovery data corresponds to the first operating system, and wherein the plurality of recovery options further includes a second set of recovery data that corresponds to the second operating system;

create new recovery points to the first and second sets of recovery data, including a third recovery point that includes an update to the first operating system, the new recovery points including;

a forth recovery point to the first set of recovery data responsive to an update of an application configured to operate with the first operating system; and

a fifth recovery point to the second set of recovery data responsive to an update of an application configured to operate with the second operating system;

associate each of the first and second sets of recovery data with security information, wherein, for each of the first and second sets of recovery data, the corresponding security information is usable to control access to that recovery data;

receive input indicative of one of the plurality of recovery options; and

restore the computer system to the recovery point indicated by the received input.

16. A method, comprising:

creating a first recovery point on a computer system at a first point in time, wherein said first recovery point is usable to store data that is associated with a first state to restore the computer system to the first state, wherein the first state includes a first file as stored on the computer system at the first point in time;

subsequently creating a second recovery point on the computer system at a second point in time, wherein said second recovery point is usable to store data that is associated with a second state to restore the computer system to the second state, wherein the second state includes the first file as stored on the computer system at the second point in time, wherein the first file as stored on the computer system at the second point in time is modified relative to the first point in time;

applying security features to control access to the first and second recovery points on the computer system;

after the second point in time, restoring the computer system to the first state using the first recovery point;

after said restoring, using the second recovery point to access the first file as it was stored on the computer system at the second point in time.

17. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein said using the second recovery point includes:

creating a read-only virtual drive including values in a memory that correspond to the second state of the computer system;

reading the first file from the virtual drive;

copying the first file into a current operating environment.

18. The method as recited in claim 17 further comprising, subsequent to said copying, deleting the virtual drive, wherein, subsequent to said deleting, the virtual drive is not visible to an operating system running on the computer system.