Method and system for restoring information from backup storage media

• US 8,615,490 B1
• Filed: 01/31/2008
• Issued: 12/24/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kldiscovery Ontrack, LLC (KLDiscovery, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Renew Data Corporation (LDiscovery LLC)
• Inventors: Platt, Mark Jonathan, Pratt, Christopher Kent, Burns, Keith Roger, Omberg, Erik James
• Primary Examiner(s): Beausoliel, Jr., Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rayyan, Susan F
• Application Number:
  US12/023,837
• Time in Patent Office: 2,154 Days
• Field of Search: 707674-680, 707640-641
• US Class Current: 707/640
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1469 Backup restoration techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1724 Details of de-fragmentation performed by the file system saving storage space on storage systems G06F3/0608; management of blocks in storage devices G06F3/064

Abstract

First and second partial files are read from first and second storage media, respectively, irrespective of a sequence in which the first and second storage media were originally written relative to one another. The first partial file forms a first portion of a complete file. The second partial file forms a second portion of the complete file. The first and second partial files are combined to extract and form the complete file, without dependence on re-reading the first and second storage media.

Claims

1. A method for restoring data from backup storage media performed by an information handling system utilizing at least one computing device, the method comprising the steps of:

reading first and second partial files from first and second backup storage media, respectively, irrespective of a sequence in which the first and second backup storage media were originally written relative to one another and without replicating a native environment in which the first and second backup storage media were written, and wherein the first and second backup storage media have respective media types that differ from one another;

wherein a second partial file of the first and second partial files forms a second portion of a complete file; and

combining the first and second partial files to extract and form the complete file, without dependence on re-reading the first and second backup storage media;

writing the complete file to a target storage; and

performing an operation in response to the complete file that is stored in the target storage; and

wherein the complete file is a first complete file and further comprising the step of;

reading a second complete file from the first backup storage medium; and

extracting the second complete file, without dependence on re-reading the backup storage media;

reading a third complete file from the second backup storage medium;

wherein the reading comprises;

reading a third partial file from the first backup storage medium, reading the first partial file from the first backup storage medium, and reading the second partial file from the second backup storage medium, irrespective of the sequence in which the first and second backup storage media were originally written relative to one another;

wherein the third partial file forms a portion of a second complete file; and

extracting the portion of the second complete file from the third partial file, without dependence on re-reading the backup storage media and extracting the third complete file, without dependence on re-reading the backup storage media.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the target storage is a computer-readable medium.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the complete file is a first complete file, and wherein the reading comprises:

reading a third partial file from a third backup storage medium, reading the first partial file from the first backup storage medium, reading a fourth partial file from the first backup storage medium, reading the second partial file from the second backup storage medium, and reading a fifth partial file from the second backup storage medium, irrespective of a sequence in which the backup storage media were originally written relative to one another;

wherein the third partial file forms a first portion of a second complete file;

wherein the fourth partial file forms a second portion of the second complete file; and

wherein the fifth partial file forms a third portion of the second complete file.

4. The method of claim 3, and comprising:

combining the third, fourth and fifth partial files to extract and form the second complete file, without dependence on re-reading the backup storage media.

5. A system, comprising:

first and second backup storage media wherein the first and second storage media have respective media types that differ from one another; and

an information handling system for;

reading first and second partial files from the first and second backup storage media, respectively, irrespective of a sequence in which the first and second backup storage media were originally written relative to one another and without replicating a native environment in which the first and second backup storage media were written;

wherein the first partial file forms a first portion of a complete file; and

wherein the second partial file forms a second portion of the complete file; and

combining the first and second partial files to extract and form the complete file, without dependence on re-reading the first and second backup storage media and wherein the complete file is a first complete file wherein the information handling system reads a second complete file from the first backup storage medium and extracts the second complete file without dependence on re-reading the backup storage media and reads a third complete file from the second backup storage medium extracts the third complete file, without dependence on re-reading the backup storage media; and

writing the complete file to a computer-readable medium for storage; and

performing an operation in response to the complete file that is stored by the computer readable medium.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the information handling system is for:

reading the first and second partial files from the first and backup second storage media, respectively, irrespective of the sequence in which the first and backup second storage media were originally written relative to one another, and without replicating a native environment with which the first and second backup storage media were originally written.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the complete file is a first complete file, and wherein the information handling system is for:

reading a third partial file from a third backup storage medium, reading the first partial file from the first backup storage medium, reading a fourth partial file from the first backup storage medium, reading the second partial file from the second backup storage medium, and reading a fifth partial file from the second backup storage medium, irrespective of a sequence in which the backup storage media were originally written relative to one another;

wherein the third partial file forms a first portion of a second complete file;

wherein the fourth partial file forms a second portion of the second complete file; and

wherein the fifth partial file forms a third portion of the second complete file; and

combining the third, fourth and fifth partial files to extract and form the second complete file, without dependence on re-reading the backup storage media.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein the complete file is a first complete file, and wherein the information handling system is for:

reading a third partial file from the first backup storage medium, reading the first partial file from the first backup storage medium, and reading the second partial file from the second backup storage medium, irrespective of the sequence in which the first and second backup storage media were originally written relative to one another;

wherein the third partial file forms a portion of a second complete file; and

extracting the portion of the second complete file from the third partial file, without dependence on re-reading the backup storage media.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer executable instructions that when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform a method, the method comprising:

reading first and second partial files from first and second backup storage media, respectively, irrespective of a sequence in which the first and second backup storage media were originally written relative to one another;

wherein the first and second media types differ from each other and wherein the first partial file forms a first portion of a complete file; and

wherein the second partial file forms a second portion of the complete file;

combining the first and second partial files to extract and form the complete file, without dependence on re-reading the first and second backup storage media;

wherein the complete file is a first complete file and wherein the information handling system reads a second complete file from the first backup storage medium and extracts the second complete file, without dependence on re-reading the backup storage media, and reads the second complete file from the first backup storage medium and extracts the third complete file, without dependence on re-reading the backup storage media;

writing the complete file to a device for storage; and

performing an operation in response to the complete file that is stored by the device.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises:

reading the first and second partial files from the first and second backup storage media, respectively, irrespective of the sequence in which the first and second backup storage media were originally written relative to one another, and without replicating a native environment with which the first and second backup storage media were originally written.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the complete file is a first complete file, and wherein the method further comprises:

reading a third partial file from a third backup storage medium, reading the first partial file from the first backup storage medium, reading a fourth partial file from the first backup storage medium, reading the second partial file from the second backup storage medium, and reading a fifth partial file from the second backup storage medium, irrespective of a sequence in which the backup storage media were originally written relative to one another;

wherein the third partial file forms a first portion of a second complete file;

wherein the fourth partial file forms a second portion of the second complete file; and

wherein the fifth partial file forms a third portion of the second complete file; and

combining the third, fourth and fifth partial files to extract and form the second complete file, without dependence on re-reading the backup storage media.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the complete file is a first complete file, and wherein the method further comprises:

reading a third partial file from the first backup storage medium, reading the first partial file from the first backup storage medium, and reading the second partial file from the second backup storage medium, irrespective of the sequence in which the first and second backup storage media were originally written relative to one another;

wherein the third partial file forms a portion of a second complete file; and

extracting the portion of the second complete file from the third partial file, without dependence on re-reading the backup storage media.