Methods and systems for speeding up data recovery

• US 9,241,046 B2
• Filed: 12/13/2012
• Issued: 01/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CA, Inc. (d/b/a CA Technologies) (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: CA, Inc. (d/b/a CA Technologies) (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wang, Zhiye
• Primary Examiner(s): Whipple, Brian P
• Application Number:
  US13/713,355
• Publication Number:
  US 20140172950A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,132 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• 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

A method for providing recovery from a remote server to a client includes sending at least one data restore request to the remote server. A data block identifier are received at the client system via a network. A data block associated with the data block identifier is retrieved from a local backup server associated with the client system if the local back up server stores the data block. The data block associated with the data block identifier is received from the remote server if the local backup server does not store the data block. The data block is restored to the client system.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

sending, from a client system, a data restore request to a remote server,

receiving, at the client system, a data block identifier from the remote server;

retrieving a data block associated with the data block identifier from a local backup server associated with the client system if the local backup server stores the data block;

receiving the data block associated with the data block identifier from the remote server if the local backup server does not store the data block associated with the data block identifier;

restoring the data block to the client system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the data block identifier received from the remote server comprises an index key, and wherein searching the local backup server comprises searching the local backup server for the data block that is associated with the index key.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

searching the local backup server comprises searching a deduplication index for the at data block identifier; and

identifying the data block associated with the data block identifier comprises locating the data block in a deduplication data store.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing a plurality of data blocks in a data restoration queue on the client system, the plurality of data blocks comprising the data block and at least one additional data block; and

using a dynamic window scan method to determine the order in which the plurality of data blocks in the data restoration queue will be restored to the client system.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein using the dynamic window scan method comprises:

sequentially assigning a plurality of offset identifiers to the plurality of data blocks stored in the data restoration queue; and

dynamically tracking for each of the plurality of data blocks stored in the data restoration queue, whether said each of the plurality of data blocks have been successfully restored to the client system.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein using the dynamic window scan method comprises:

dynamically tracking for each of the plurality of data blocks, an availability status indicating whether said each of the plurality of data blocks is available to be restored from the data restoration queue.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the dynamic window scan method is determined at a particular time during the restoring of the data from the data restoration queue, the dynamic window including a plurality of offset identifiers including and spanning between a first offset bit associated with a first available, but unrestored data block and a second offset bit associated with a last available, but unrestored data block.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

associating a current pointer with a current offset bit that is to be restored;

advancing the current pointer sequentially forward in the dynamic window until a last offset bit in the dynamic window is reached; and

returning the current pointer to a first offset bit in the dynamic window.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing a plurality of data blocks in a data restoration queue on the client system, the plurality of data blocks comprising the data block and at least one additional data block, and

wherein at least one of the plurality of data blocks is retrieved from the local backup server associated with the client system and at least one of the plurality of data blocks is received from the remote server.

10. A method comprising:

receiving, at a server, a data restore request from a client system;

transmitting, from the server, a data block identifier to the client system in response to a receipt of the data restore request;

receiving, at the server, in response to transmitting the data block identifier to the client system, a data block request to restore a data block associated with the data block identifier to be restored from the server;

utilizing the data block identifier to retrieve the data block associated with the data block identifier from a backup data store associated with the server; and

transmitting, from the server, the data block retrieved from the backup data store to the client system.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

prior to transmitting the block identifier, retrieving the data block from a data store on the server; and

generating the data block identifier for the data block.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein generating the data block identifier comprises performing a hash function on the data block to generate an index key.

13. A client system comprising:

a local backup server associated with the client system, the local backup server storing a plurality of data blocks;

at least one processor associated with the client system, the at least one processor having access to the local backup server and being in communication with a remote server, the at least one processor operable to;

send a data restore request to the remote server;

receive, from the remote server, a data block identifier;

retrieve a data block associated with the data block identifier from the local backup server if the local backup server stores the data block;

receive the data block associated with the data block identifier from the remote server if the local backup server does not store the data block associated with the data block identifier; and

restore the data block to the client system.

14. The client system of claim 13, wherein the data block identifier comprises an index key, and wherein the at least one processor is operable to search the local backup server for the data block that is associated with the index key.

15. The client system of claim 13, wherein:

when searching the local backup server, the at least one processor is operable to search a deduplication index for the data block identifier; and

when identifying the data block associated with the data block identifier, the at least one processor is operable to locate the data block in a deduplication data store.

16. The client system of claim 13, wherein the at least one processor is further operable to:

store a plurality of data blocks in a data restoration queue on the client system, the plurality of data blocks comprising the data block and at least one additional data block; and

use a dynamic window scan method to determine the order in which the plurality of data blocks in the data restoration queue will be restored to the client system.

17. The client system of claim 16, wherein when using the dynamic window scan method, the at least one processor is further operable to:

sequentially assign a plurality of offset identifiers to a plurality of data blocks stored in the data restoration queue; and

dynamically track for each of the plurality of data blocks in the data restoration queue, whether said each of the plurality of data blocks have been successfully restored to the client system.

18. The client system of claim 17, wherein when using the dynamic window the at least one processor is further operable to:

dynamically track for each of the plurality of data blocks, an availability status indicating whether said each of the plurality of data blocks is available to be restored from the data restoration queue.

19. The client system of claim 16, wherein a dynamic window is determined at a particular time during the restoring of the data from the data restoration queue, the dynamic window including a plurality of offset identifiers including and spanning between a first offset bit associated with a first available, but unrestored data block and a second offset bit associated with a last available, but unrestored data block.

20. The client system of claim 19, wherein the at least one processor is further operable to:

associate a current pointer with a current offset bit that is to be restored;

advance the current pointer sequentially forward in the dynamic window until a last offset bit in the dynamic window is reached; and

return the current pointer to a first offset bit in the dynamic window.

21. The client system of claim 13, wherein the at least one processor is further operable to:

store a plurality of data blocks in a data restoration queue on the client system, the plurality of data blocks comprising the data block and at least one additional data block, and

wherein at least one of the plurality of data blocks is retrieved from the local backup server associated with the client system and at least one of the plurality of data blocks is received from the remote server.

22. A server system providing data recovery to one or more client systems comprising:

a backup data store associated with the server system, the backup data store storing a plurality of data blocks;

at least one processor associated with the server system, the at least one processor having access to the backup data store and being in communication with a client system, the at least one processor operable to;

receive a data restore request from a client system;

transmit a data block identifier to the client system in response to a receipt of the data restore request;

receive a data block request to restore a data block associated with the data block identifier to be restored from the server;

utilize the data block identifier to retrieve the data block associated with the data block identifier from the backup data store associated with the server system;

transmit the data block retrieved from the backup data store to the client system; and

wherein when generating the first data block identifier the at least one processor is operable to perform a hash function on the data block to generate an index key.

23. The server system of claim 22, wherein the at least one processor is further operable to:

prior to transmitting the block identifier, retrieve the data block from a data store on the server; and

generate the data block identifier for the data block.

24. A computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium associated with a client system, the computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code comprising;

computer readable program code configured to send at least one data restore request to a remote server,

computer readable program code configured to receive a data block identifier from the remote server;

computer readable program code configured to retrieve a data block associated with the data block identifier from a local backup server associated the client system;

computer readable program code configured to receive the data block associated with the data block identifier from the remote server if the local backup server does not store the data block associated with the data block identifier;

computer readable program code configured to restore the data block to the client system.

25. The computer program product of claim 24 wherein the data block identifier comprises an index key, and wherein searching the local backup server comprises searching the local backup server for the data block that is associated with the index key.

26. The computer program product of claim 24, wherein:

searching the local backup server comprises searching a deduplication index for the data block identifier; and

identifying the data block associated with the data block identifier comprises locating the data block in a deduplication data store.

27. The computer program product of claim 24, wherein the computer readable program code further comprises:

computer readable program code configured to store a plurality of data blocks in a data restoration queue on the client system, the plurality of data blocks comprising the data block and at least one additional data block; and

computer readable program code configured to use a dynamic window scan method to determine the order in which the plurality of data blocks in the data restoration queue will be restored to the client system.

28. The computer program product of claim 27, wherein the computer readable program code further comprises:

computer readable program code configured to sequentially assign a plurality of offset identifiers to the plurality of data blocks stored in the data restoration queue; and

computer readable program code configured to dynamically track for each of the plurality of data blocks stored in the data restoration queue, whether said each of the plurality of data blocks have been successfully restored to the client system.

29. The computer program product of claim 27, wherein, for using the dynamic window, the computer readable program code further comprises:

computer readable program code configured to dynamically track for each of the plurality of data blocks, an availability status indicating whether said each of the plurality of data blocks is available to be restored from the data restoration queue.

30. The computer program product of claim 27, wherein the dynamic window is determined at a particular time during the restoring of the data from the data restoration queue, the dynamic window including a plurality of offset identifiers including and spanning between a first offset bit associated with a first available, but unrestored data block and a second offset bit associated with a last available, but unrestored data block.

31. The computer program product of claim 30, wherein the computer readable program code further comprises:

computer readable program code configured to associate a current pointer with a current offset bit that is to be restored;

computer readable program code configured to advance the current pointer sequentially forward in the dynamic window until a last offset bit in the dynamic window is reached; and

computer readable program code configured to return the current pointer to a first offset bit in the dynamic window.

32. The computer program product of claim 24, wherein the computer readable program code further comprises:

computer readable program code configured to store a plurality of data blocks in a data restoration queue on the client system, the plurality of data blocks comprising the data block and at least one additional data block, and

wherein at least one of the plurality of data blocks is retrieved from the local backup server associated with the client system and at least one of the plurality of data blocks is received from the remote server.

33. A computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code comprising;

computer readable program code configured to receive a data restore request from a client system;

computer readable program code configured to transmit a data block identifier to the client system in response to a receipt of the data restore request;

computer readable program code configured to receive, in response to transmitting the data block identifier to the client system, a data block request to restore the data block associated with the data block identifier to be restored from the server;

computer readable program code configured to utilize the data block identifier to retrieve the data block associated with the data block identifier from the backup data store; and

computer readable program code configured to transmit the data block retrieved from the backup data store to the client system.

34. The computer program product of claim 33, wherein the computer readable program code further comprises:

computer readable program code configured to retrieve the data block from a data store on the server prior to transmitting the block identifier; and

computer readable program code configured to generate the data block identifier for the data block.

35. The computer program product of claim 34, wherein the computer readable program code is further configured, when generating the data block identifier, to perform a hash function on the data block to generate an index key.