Distributed backup and versioning

• US 8,769,055 B2
• Filed: 04/24/2009
• Issued: 07/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Murphy, Elissa E. S., Virk, Navjot
• Primary Examiner(s): Lazaro, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHAW, ROBERT A
• Application Number:
  US12/430,012
• Publication Number:
  US 20100274765A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,894 Days
• Field of Search: 709/220
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1451 by selection of backup contents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1453 using de-duplication of the data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1464 for networked environments
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1469 Backup restoration techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2094 Redundant storage or storage space G06F11/2056 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3034 where the computing system component is a storage system, e.g. DASD based or network based digital input from or digital output to record carriers G06F3/06; digital recording or reproducing G11B20/18; for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS], H04L67/1097
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3055 Monitoring arrangements for monitoring the status of the computing system or of the computing system component, e.g. monitoring if the computing system is on, off, available, not available error or fault processing without redundancy G06F11/0703; error detection or correction by redundancy in data representation G06F11/08; error detection or correction by redundancy in operation G06F11/14; error detection or correction by redundancy in hardware G06F11/16
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/065 Replication mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]

Abstract

The claimed subject matter provides a system and/or a method that facilitates distributed backup and versioning techniques for network-based backup architectures. When data is committed to a backup system, a backup version can be created. The generated backup version can be a complete rendition of data or the generated backup version can be a differential between the data and backup information previously committed to the system. The generated backup version can be replicated across a distributed network of peers. Replication can be based upon a desire level of redundancy of versions, location of peers, network topology of peers, storage capacity of peers, health of peers, type of peer, and the like. In addition, versions can be retained based upon a configurable number of desired versions.

Claims

1. A system that facilitates allocation of versions of backup information among a set of storage locations in a hybrid backup environment, the hybrid backup environment including both a cloud storage location of a cloud backup environment, and one or more peers of a peer-to-peer backup environment and one or more peer-to-peer storage locations of the peer-to-peer backup environment, comprising:

a processor coupled to a memory that retains computer-executable instructions, the processor executes;

a versioning component that generates a version of backup information upon detection of a modification to data on a client machine corresponding to the backup information; and

a set of storage locations in the hybrid backup environment, the set of storage locations including both a cloud storage location of the cloud backup environment and one or more peer-to-peer storage locations of the peer to peer backup environment, and

a distribution component that replicates the version of backup information among the set of storage locations in the hybrid backup environment in accordance with each of (1) a level of redundancy of the version of backup information in both the cloud storage location of the cloud backup environment and the one or more peer-to-peer storage locations of the peer-to-peer backup environment, and (2) storage capacity of both the cloud storage location of the cloud backup environment and the one or more peer-to-peer storage locations of the peer-to-peer backup environment

wherein the distribution component replicates the version of backup information among both the cloud storage location of the cloud backup environment and the one or more peer-to-peer storage locations of the peer-to-peer backup environment of the hybrid backup environment, and

wherein the cloud backup environment and the peer-to-peer backup environment are configured to communicate the backup information between each other, and

wherein the cloud storage location of the cloud backup environment is remote from the one or more peers of the peer-to-peer backup environment and the one or more peer-to-peer storage locations of the peer-to-peer backup environment and the cloud storage location is accessible to the one or more peers of the peer-to-peer backup environment via a network.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the versioning component comprises an index lookup component that utilizes a catalogue to identify storage locations that retain one or more previous versions of the backup information.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the versioning component comprises a differential component that generates an incremental update that includes delta changes between data as modified on the client machine and an immediate prior version of the backup information.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the version of backup information comprises a complete rendition of the backup information.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the distribution component comprises a network analyzer component that selects storage locations from the set of storage locations in the hybrid backup environment for replication of the version of backup information based on at least one of network loading or network availability of each of the set of storage locations.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the distribution component includes a cataloguing component that maintains an index, the cataloguing component at least one of adds, deletes, or modifies entries in the index when distribution decisions are rendered by the distribution component.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the index comprises a listing of relationships between backup versions and storage locations to which the backup versions have been distributed.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising an observation component that monitors one or more storage locations to ascertain at least one of health of storage locations, storage availability of storage locations, performance of storage locations, available bandwidth of storage locations, or network availability of storage locations.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the distribution component replicates the version of backup information based upon monitoring results obtained from the observation component.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the distribution component selects the level of redundancy of the version of backup information in accordance with the monitoring results.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the distribution component dynamically adjusts distribution of the version of backup information based upon monitor results continuously communicated by the observation component.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the distribution component at least one of dynamically increases the level of redundancy of the version of backup information, dynamically decreases the level of redundancy of the version of backup information, de-allocates versions of backup information from a storage location in the hybrid backup environment, or allocates additional versions of backup information to a storage location in the hybrid backup environment.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the level of redundancy is specified by user input.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the distribution component replicates the version of backup information through application of a higher level of preference on storage locations corresponding to peers than to storage locations corresponding to cloud storage locations.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the version of backup information comprises a version of a file.

16. A method for versioning backup information in a hybrid backup environment, the hybrid backup environment including both a cloud storage location of a cloud backup environment and one or more peers of a peer-to-peer backup environment and one or more peer-to-peer storage locations of the peer-to-peer backup environment comprising:

employing a processor executing computer-executable instructions stored on a computer-readable storage medium to implement the following acts;

generating a backup version that reflects alterations to backup information managed in a backup system;

replicating the backup version in accordance with each of a level of redundancy of the backup version in both the cloud storage location of the cloud backup environment and the one or more peer-to-peer storage locations of the peer-to-peer backup environment, and a storage capacity of both the cloud storage location of the cloud backup environment and the one or more peer-to-peer storage locations of the peer-to-peer backup environment, wherein the level of redundancy is one of statistically derived or specified by a user; and

distributing replicate copies of the backup version to both the cloud storage location of the cloud backup environment and the one or more peer-to-peer storage locations of the peer-to-peer backup environment of the hybrid backup environment

wherein the cloud storage location of the cloud backup environment is remote from the one or more peers of the peer-to-peer backup environment and the one or more peer-to-peer storage locations of the peer-to-peer backup environment and the cloud storage location is accessible to the one or more peers of the peer-to-peer backup environment via a network.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein generating the backup version comprises:

detecting a modification to a file corresponding to backup information managed in the backup system;

identifying versions of the backup information stored in the backup system; and

creating a new backup version based at least in part on the modification or previous backup versions stored in the backup system.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

monitoring both the cloud storage location of the cloud backup environment and the one or more peer-to-peer storage locations of the peer-to-peer backup environment to track at least one of health, performance, storage availability, bandwidth availability, or network availability of the monitored storage locations and

dynamically adjusting distributions of copies of the backup version in accordance with the monitoring results.

19. A system that facilitates versioning backup information in a hybrid backup environment, the hybrid backup environment including both a cloud storage location of a cloud backup environment and one or more peers of a peer-to-peer backup environment and one or more peer-to-peer storage locations of the peer-to-peer backup environment comprising:

at least one processor that executes computer-executable code stored in memory to effect the following;

generating a version of backup information stored in a backup system based upon modifications to a file on a client machine corresponding to the backup information, wherein the version of backup information is one of an incremental differential that reflects the modifications to the file or a full rendition of the modified file;

a set of storage locations of the hybrid backup environment, the storage locations including both a cloud storage location of the cloud backup environment and one or more peer-to-peer storage locations of the peer-to-peer backup environment

monitoring the storage locations, including monitoring of both the cloud storage location of the cloud backup environment and the one or more peers of a peer-to-peer backup environment of the hybrid backup environment, to track at least one of health, performance, availability of storage space, availability of bandwidth, or connectivity of both the cloud storage location of the cloud backup environment and the one or more peer-to-peer storage locations of the peer-to-peer backup environment

distributing replica copies of the version of backup information among both the cloud storage location and the one or more peer-to-peer storage locations in accordance with each of a level of redundancy of the version of backup information statistically derived from monitor results, a storage capacity of each of the storage locations of the hybrid backup environment, and a type of each of the storage locations of the hybrid backup environment; and

cataloguing, in an index, relationships between the version of backup information and storage locations that respectively retain a replica copy of the version of backup information, wherein the index is catalogued by dividing the index into sections and distributing the sections among one or more peers of the peer-to-peer backup environment and a cloud storage location of the cloud backup environment, wherein both the peer to peer backup environment and the cloud backup environment are included in the hybrid backup environment, and

wherein the cloud storage location of the cloud backup environment is remote from the one or more peers of the peer-to-peer backup environment and the one or more peer-to-peer storage locations of the peer-to-peer backup environment and the cloud storage location is accessible to the one or more peers of the peer-to-peer backup environment via a network.