Client object replication between a first backup server and a second backup server

• US 9,251,008 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2013
• Issued: 02/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Anglin, Matthew J.
• Primary Examiner(s): THAI, HANH B
• Application Number:
  US13/828,435
• Publication Number:
  US 20140279912A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,055 Days
• Field of Search: 707640-661
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1448 Management of the data involved in backup or backup restore
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1451 by selection of backup contents
• 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 11/1658 Data re-synchronization of a redundant component, or initial sync of replacement, additional or spare unit
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2023 Failover techniques

Abstract

Provided are a computer program product, system, and method for client object replication between a first backup server and a second backup server. Objects are backed-up from a client to a first backup server. The first backup server generates metadata on the objects from the client and transmits the metadata to a second backup server, wherein the objects backed-up at the first backup server are not copied to the second backup server. A determination is made that the first backup server is unavailable after transmitting the metadata. The metadata at the second backup server is used to determine modifications to the objects at the client since the metadata was last generated in response to determining that the first backup server is unavailable. The client backs-up the determined modifications to the objects to the second backup server to backup.

Claims

1. A computer program product for backing up objects from a client to a first backup server and a second backup server, wherein the computer program product comprises a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therein that executes to perform operations, the operations comprising:

backing-up objects from a client to the first backup server;

generating, by the first backup server, metadata on the objects from the client;

transmitting as part of a metadata-only replication command, by the first backup server, the metadata to the second backup server, wherein the objects represented by the transmitted metadata backed-up at the first backup server are not copied to the second backup server as part of the metadata-only replication command, and wherein while the objects are backed up to the first backup server, the second backup server maintains only client object metadata of the objects backed-up to the first backup server from the client;

determining that the first backup server is unavailable after transmitting the metadata as part of the metadata-only replication operation;

using the metadata at the second backup server to determine modifications to the objects at the client since the metadata was last generated in response to determining that the first backup server is unavailable; and

backing-up, by the client, the determined modifications to the objects to the second backup server to backup.

2. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining that the first backup server has become available after being determined to be unavailable; and

transmitting, by the second backup server, the modifications to the objects to the first backup server in response to determining that the first backup server has become available.

3. The computer program product of claim 2, wherein the modifications at the second backup server and transmitted to the first backup server indicate objects that have been deleted at the client, wherein the transmitting the modifications to the first backup server causes the first backup server to initiate a delete of the objects that are indicated to have been deleted at the client.

4. The computer program product of claim 2, wherein the determined modifications transmitted to the first backup server include a metadata record for each object indicating a timestamp the object at the client was changed and an expiration field indicating whether the object has expired, wherein the metadata record for the object that has been deleted indicates in the expiration field that the object has expired, wherein the first backup server deletes the object that is indicated to have been expired in response to receiving the transmitted metadata records indicating the modifications to the objects.

5. The computer program product of claim 2, wherein the operations further comprise:

using, by the client, the metadata at the first backup server to determine modifications to the objects at the client to backup to the first backup server after the first backup server has become available after being determined to be unavailable.

6. The computer program product of claim 2, wherein the transmitting the modifications backed-up at the second backup server to the first backup server comprises transmitting objects that changed and/or were added at the client since the first backup server became unavailable and transmitting metadata on the objects that have changed and/or were added.

7. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein the operations further comprise:

initiating, at the second backup server, a delete of the objects that were changed and/or were added at the client in response to transmitting the objects to the first backup server.

8. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the using the metadata to determine the modifications comprises:

determining, from the metadata, objects that have changed since the metadata was last updated, wherein the transmitting the determined modifications comprises transmitting the objects that have changed; and

determining, from the metadata, objects that were added to the client since the metadata was last updated, wherein the transmitting the determined modifications comprises transmitting the objects that were added to the client since the metadata was last updated.

9. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the determined modifications include updated metadata indicating changes to the objects at the client since the metadata was last updated.

10. A system for backing up objects from a client implemented in at least one computing device, comprising:

a first backup server;

a second backup server;

a client;

wherein the first backup server performs operations, the operations comprising;

backing-up objects from the client;

generating metadata on the objects from the client;

transmitting as part of a metadata-only replication command the metadata to the second backup server, wherein the objects represented by the transmitted metadata backed-up at the first backup server are not copied to the second backup server as part of the metadata-only replication command, and wherein while the objects are backed up to the first backup server, the second backup server maintains only client object metadata of the objects backed-up to the first backup server from the client;

wherein the client performs operations, the operations comprising;

determining that the first backup server is unavailable after transmitting the metadata as part of the metadata-only replication operation;

using the metadata at the second backup server to determine modifications to the objects at the client since the metadata was last generated in response to determining that the first backup server is unavailable; and

backing-up the determined modifications to the objects to the second backup server to backup.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the second backup server performs operations, the operations comprising:

determining that the first backup server has become available after being determined to be unavailable; and

transmitting the modifications to the objects to the first backup server in response to determining that the first backup server has become available.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the modifications at the second backup server and transmitted to the first backup server indicate objects that have been deleted at the client, wherein the transmitting the modifications to the first backup server causes the first backup server to initiate a delete of the objects that are indicated to have been deleted at the client.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the determined modifications transmitted to the first backup server include a metadata record for each object indicating a timestamp the object at the client was changed and an expiration field indicating whether the object has expired, wherein the metadata record for the object that has been deleted indicates in the expiration field that the object has expired, wherein the first backup server deletes the object that is indicated to have been expired in response to receiving the transmitted metadata records indicating the modifications to the objects.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the transmitting the modifications backed-up at the second backup server to the first backup server comprises transmitting objects that changed and/or were added at the client since the first backup server became unavailable and transmitting metadata on the objects that have changed and/or were added.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the second backup server further performs operations comprising:

initiating, at the second backup server, a delete of the objects that were changed and/or were added at the client in response to transmitting the objects to the first backup server.

16. A method for backing up objects, comprising:

backing-up objects from a client to a first backup server;

generating, by the first backup server, metadata on the objects from the client;

transmitting, as part of a metadata-only replication command, by the first backup server, the metadata to a second backup server, wherein the objects represented by the transmitted metadata backed-up at the first backup server are not copied to the second backup server as part of the metadata-only replication command, and wherein while the objects are backed up to the first backup server, the second backup server maintains only client object metadata of the objects backed-up to the first backup server from the client;

determining that the first backup server is unavailable after transmitting the metadata as part of the metadata-only replication operation;

using the metadata at the second backup server to determine modifications to the objects at the client since the metadata was last generated in response to determining that the first backup server is unavailable; and

backing-up, by the client, the determined modifications to the objects to the second backup server to backup.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

determining that the first backup server has become available after being determined to be unavailable; and

transmitting, by the second backup server, the modifications to the objects to the first backup server in response to determining that the first backup server has become available.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the modifications at the second backup server and transmitted to the first backup server indicate objects that have been deleted at the client, wherein the transmitting the modifications to the first backup server causes the first backup server to initiate a delete of the objects that are indicated to have been deleted at the client.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the determined modifications transmitted to the first backup server include a metadata record for each object indicating a timestamp the object at the client was changed and an expiration field indicating whether the object has expired, wherein the metadata record for the object that has been deleted indicates in the expiration field that the object has expired, wherein the first backup server deletes the object that is indicated to have been expired in response to receiving the transmitted metadata records indicating the modifications to the objects.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the transmitting the modifications backed-up at the second backup server to the first backup server comprises transmitting objects that changed and/or were added at the client since the first backup server became unavailable and transmitting metadata on the objects that have changed and/or were added.