Method, electronic device and computer program product for managing backup data

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method, electronic device, and computer program product for managing backup data. For example, the method may include determining the expiration time of backup data in a dataset to be backed up on a source storage device. The method may further include determining the priority of the backup data in a migration operation to be performed based on the expiration time. Furthermore, the method may also include migrating backup data with the same priority in the dataset to be backed up to a target storage device. By utilizing this method, the write amplification factor of the storage device can be reduced, thereby extending the service life of the storage device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to the field of computers, and more particularly, to a method, an electronic device, and a computer program product for managing backup data. Background Art

[0002] In recent years, with the advancement of computer technology, people have become increasingly concerned about data storage security. Data backup has gradually become a common technology to ensure data security. With the continuous upgrading of storage devices, users' requirements for storage performance are increasing. This has led users to desire to migrate backup data stored on source storage devices to newer storage devices with better storage performance. However, existing backup data migration solutions have many problems, such as low processing efficiency and excessive resource consumption. Summary of the Invention

[0003] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution for managing backup data.

[0004] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a method for managing backup data is provided. The method may include determining an expiration time for backup data in a dataset to be backed up on a source storage device. The method may further include determining a priority for the backup data to be migrated in a migration operation to be performed based on the expiration time. Furthermore, the method may include migrating backup data with the same priority in the dataset to be backed up to a target storage device.

[0005] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, an electronic device is provided. The electronic device may include: a processor; and a memory storing computer program instructions, wherein the processor executes the computer program instructions in the memory to control the electronic device to perform an action, the action including: determining an expiration time of backup data in a set of data to be backed up in a source storage device; determining a priority of the backup data to be migrated in a migration operation to be performed based on the expiration time; and migrating the backup data with the same priority in the set of data to be backed up to a target storage device.

[0006] According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a computer program product, which is tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium and comprises machine-executable instructions, which when executed cause a machine to perform the steps of the method in the first aspect of the present disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent through a more detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals generally represent like components throughout the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0008] Figure 1A A schematic diagram illustrating an example environment for conventional data migration is shown;

[0009] Figure 1B A schematic diagram illustrating an example environment in which various embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented;

[0010] Figure 2 A schematic diagram illustrating a process of managing backup data according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0011] Figure 3 A schematic diagram showing backup data within a storage device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0012] Figure 4 A schematic diagram illustrating an alternative process for managing backup data according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0013] Figure 5 A schematic block diagram of an example device suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0014] In the various drawings, the same or corresponding reference numerals denote the same or corresponding parts. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0015] The following describes embodiments of the present disclosure in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Although certain embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in the accompanying drawings, it should be understood that the present disclosure can be implemented in various forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments described herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided to provide a more thorough and complete understanding of the present disclosure. It should be understood that the drawings and embodiments of the present disclosure are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

[0016] In the description of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the term "including" and similar terms should be understood as open inclusion, that is, "including but not limited to." The term "based on" should be understood as "based at least in part on." The term "one embodiment" or "the embodiment" should be understood as "at least one embodiment." The terms "first," "second," etc. may refer to different or the same objects. Other explicit and implicit definitions may also be included below.

[0017] The principles of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to several exemplary embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings. Although preferred embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in the accompanying drawings, it should be understood that these embodiments are described only to enable those skilled in the art to better understand and implement the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way.

[0018] As described above, in order to migrate the backup data stored in the source storage device to the target storage device, a computing device is usually set between the source storage device and the target storage device to migrate the backup data in the source storage device to multiple storage areas in the target storage device. Figure 1A A schematic diagram of an example environment 100 of conventional data migration is shown. As an example, the environment 100 may include a source storage device 110, a computing device 120, and a target storage device 130.

[0019] As shown in Figure 1, source storage device 110 may be a storage device currently used by a user to store backup data. For example, source storage device 110 may store backup data 111, backup data 112, and so on. Furthermore, target storage device 130 may include multiple storage areas 131. For example, each storage area may have a predetermined storage space size. Computing device 120 may manage the process of migrating backup data from source storage device 110 to target storage device 130.

[0020] When backup data is migrated to and stored in the target storage device 130, the backup data stored in the storage area 131 of the target storage device 130 may become invalid due to backup expiration. Since the target storage device 130 always uniformly allocates or releases storage space in units of storage areas 131, the storage space occupied by expired backup data can be released through a space reclamation process (e.g., garbage collection).

[0021] Because backup data stored in the same storage area may have different expiration times, clearing expired backup data may create "holes" in the storage area. For example, if backup data 111 and backup data 112 are stored in storage area 131, if backup data 111 expires, the storage space in storage area 131 used to store backup data 111 will become a "hole." The existence of these "holes" increases the write amplification factor (WAF) of the target storage device. In other words, when writing data to target storage device 130, in addition to the amount of data required to write the corresponding data, additional data movement may be required, even several times the amount required to clear these "holes." Currently, more and more high-performance storage devices (e.g., solid-state drives) are being used as target storage device 130. Such high-performance storage devices generally have better performance, but their write cycles are often more limited. Because "holes" cause repeated writes to the storage area, the usable life of target storage device 130 is severely affected, which is undesirable for users.

[0022] In response to the above problems and other potential related problems, the present disclosure proposes a solution for managing backup data. Figure 1B A schematic diagram of an example environment 100 ′ is shown in which various embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented. Figure 1B and Figure 1A Similar, but different Figure 1B The computing device 140 is used to replace Figure 1A The computing device 120 in FIG. Figure 1B As shown, the computing device 140 includes a grouping module 141 and a transfer module 142. When performing backup data migration, the grouping module 141 can be used to determine the expiration time of the backup data in the data set to be backed up in the source storage device 110, and determine the priority of the backup data to be migrated in the migration operation to be performed based on the expiration time of each backup data. Afterwards, the transfer module 142 can migrate the backup data with the same priority in the data set to be backed up to the target storage device 130. In other words, the present disclosure can uniformly migrate backup data with basically the same expiration time, so the backup data stored in the storage area 131 of the target storage device 130 can expire almost at the same time, thus avoiding the generation of "holes". In order to better understand the backup data management process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the following will be combined with Figure 2 A flowchart detailing the process for managing backup data.

[0023] Figure 2 FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a process 200 for managing backup data according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the process 200 may be performed in a Figure 5 For ease of understanding, the specific data mentioned in the following description are exemplary and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

[0024] At 201, the computing device 140 may determine the expiration time of the backup data in the data set to be backed up in the source storage device 110. It should be understood that the expiration time is usually set by the user when the backup data is created. The expiration time can be any length of time, for example, the expiration time can be one week, one month, three months, one hundred days, three hundred days, one year, etc. As an example, when using the source storage device 110 to back up data, the user can back up the data in his system at a first time, thereby creating backup data 111, and can back up the data in his system at a subsequent second time, thereby creating backup data 112, and so on. When backup data migration is required, the computing device 140 can traverse each backup data in the source storage device 110 and determine the corresponding expiration time.

[0025] At 203, computing device 140 may determine the priority of the backup data to be migrated in the upcoming migration operation based on the expiration time. It should be understood that while priority can be determined based on expiration time, expiration time may not be completely equivalent to priority. In some embodiments, backup data with similar expiration times may be determined to have the same priority. In other words, backup data may be grouped based on similar expiration times.

[0026] To more effectively group the backup data, computing device 140 may determine a ratio between the expiration time of each backup data item and a reference expiration time. For example, the reference expiration time may be the maximum expiration time of each backup data item. Furthermore, computing device 140 may determine the priority of the backup data items to be migrated in a forthcoming migration operation based on the ratio.

[0027] In some embodiments, computing device 140 may determine the priority of backup data based on the following formula (1):

[0028]

[0029] E max Represents the maximum expiration time, E represents the expiration time of the backup data, N represents a pre-set value for determining the granularity of grouping the backup data, and Int represents a rounding function. It should be understood that E max and N are parameters that can be adjusted according to actual needs.

[0030] For example, with E max Set to 365 (in days), N is set to 5 as an example. If the expiration time of the backup data is 100, the computing device 140 can determine the priority of the backup data to be Int((365-100) / 365×5)=3. If the expiration time of another backup data is 90, the computing device 140 can determine the priority of the backup data to be Int((365-90) / 365×5)=3. Based on this approach, a priority can be determined for each backup data, and backup data with similar expiration times can be determined to have the same priority, so that backup data with similar expiration times can be grouped together. It should be understood that the above specific numerical values are only illustrative, and any appropriate value can be used as the maximum expiration time. The present disclosure is not intended to limit this.

[0031] At 205 , the computing device 140 may migrate the backup data with the same priority in the set of data to be backed up to the target storage device 130 .

[0032] In some embodiments, computing device 140 may add the same tag to backup data with the same priority, and migrate the backup data with the same tag to target storage device 130 via the migration channel corresponding to the tag. For example, when backup data 111 and other backup data on source storage device 110 are determined to have the same priority, computing device 140 may group these backup data together and add the same tag. Furthermore, computing device 140 may assign migration channels to the backup data based on the tags, ensuring that backup data with the same priority undergoes data migration via the same migration channel.

[0033] In certain embodiments, to ensure that backup data with the same priority is stored in the storage areas of the target storage device 130, the computing device 140 may determine a storage area corresponding to a migration channel from the target storage device 130 and migrate the backup data with the same tag to that storage area, for example, storage area 131 in FIG1 . In this way, it is ensured that each storage area stores backup data with similar expiration times, thereby reducing the generation of "holes," thereby lowering the write amplification factor and extending the service life of the storage device.

[0034] It should be understood that even if the backup data with the same priority are migrated to the same storage area of the target storage device 130 as in the above embodiment, a "hole" may be generated in the target storage device 130 due to other reasons. For example, Figure 3 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing backup data in the target storage device 130 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0035] like Figure 3 As shown, target storage device 130 stores migrated backup data 111 and backup data 112, where backup data 111 is stored in storage area 131 and backup data 112 is stored in storage area 132. Furthermore, backup data 111 includes data blocks 1, 2, and M, and backup data 112 includes data blocks 3, 4, and M. Because target storage device 130 only stores duplicate backup data once, data block M of backup data 112 only contains a reference to data block M of backup data 111. If backup data 111 and other backup data in storage area 131 expire, target storage device 130 will reclaim storage area 131. However, because data block M of backup data 111 is referenced, data block M cannot be deleted, resulting in a "hole."

[0036] In order to reduce or even avoid the occurrence of such "holes", it is necessary to manage the backup data in a refined manner during the backup data migration process. Figure 4FIGURE 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating an alternative process 400 for managing backup data according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the process 400 may be performed in a Figure 5 For ease of understanding, the specific data mentioned in the following description are exemplary and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

[0037] At 401, computing device 140 may add a first tag to a first group of backup data having a first priority. For example, when backup data 111 and some backup data in source storage device 110 are determined to have the same priority, computing device 140 may group these backup data together and add the first tag, so that the backup data having the same priority are migrated via the same migration channel.

[0038] At 403, computing device 140 may add a second tag to a second set of backup data having a second priority, where the second priority is lower than the first priority. For example, when backup data 112 and some backup data in source storage device 110 are determined to have the same priority, computing device 140 may group these backup data together and add the second tag. Because the first priority is different from the second priority, the first tag and the second tag are different. Furthermore, because the second priority is lower than the first priority, the expiration time of the first set of backup data is longer than the expiration time of the second set of backup data.

[0039] Next, at 405, computing device 140 may migrate the first set of backup data to the first storage area of target storage device 130 via a first migration channel. The first migration channel corresponds to a first tag and may be configured to perform a task specifically for migrating backup data containing the first tag.

[0040] At 407, after migrating the first set of backup data, computing device 140 may migrate the second set of backup data to a second storage area of target storage device 130 via a second migration channel. This second migration channel corresponds to the second tag and may be configured to specifically perform the task of migrating backup data containing the second tag. Because the second storage area is different from the first storage area, target storage device 130 can free up storage space on a per-storage-area basis. In this way, by migrating backup data with a longer expiration time first, it is possible to avoid the situation where referenced data blocks expire first.

[0041] In certain embodiments, to more efficiently store backup data, the second set of backup data may include references to portions of the backup data in the first set. For example, after migrating the first set of backup data, if data blocks in the second set of backup data are identical to those in the first set of backup data, only the corresponding references may be stored. This improves storage efficiency and eliminates the risk of referenced data blocks expiring first, thus reducing the creation of "holes."

[0042] It should be understood that the backup data stored in the source storage device 110 can also improve storage efficiency by storing reference relationships. When migrating backup data, the data blocks to be migrated can be determined or restored based on the reference relationships in the backup data, and the backup data containing the data blocks can be migrated to the target storage device 130.

[0043] Furthermore, backup data can be grouped more finely based on expiration time. For example, computing device 140 can identify backup data with the same expiration time from backup data with the same priority, and migrate the backup data with the same expiration time to the same storage area in the target storage device. Alternatively or additionally, computing device 140 can first obtain backup data with the same or similar priority, and write the backup data with the same or similar priority to the same storage area in the target storage device 130.

[0044] Through the above embodiments, the generation of "holes" in the storage area can be mitigated or avoided without affecting the normal operation of the target storage device 130. This significantly reduces the write amplification factor and improves the performance of the storage device. Furthermore, due to the reduced write amplification factor, the number of write and erase operations required to write the same amount of data is minimized, effectively extending the service life of the storage device.

[0045] Figure 5 A schematic block diagram of an example device 500 suitable for implementing an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. As shown, the device 500 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 501, which can perform various appropriate actions and processes according to computer program instructions stored in a read-only memory (ROM) 502 or loaded from a storage unit 508 into a random access memory (RAM) 503. In the RAM 503, various programs and data required for the operation of the device 500 can also be stored. The CPU 501, ROM 502, and RAM 503 are connected to each other via a bus 504. An input / output (I / O) interface 505 is also connected to the bus 504.

[0046] Various components in device 500 are connected to I / O interface 505, including: an input unit 506, such as a keyboard, mouse, etc.; an output unit 507, such as various types of displays, speakers, etc.; a storage unit 508, such as a magnetic disk, optical disk, etc.; and a communication unit 509, such as a network card, modem, wireless communication transceiver, etc. The communication unit 509 allows device 500 to exchange information / data with other devices via a computer network such as the Internet and / or various telecommunication networks.

[0047] The various processes and processing described above, such as processes 200 and / or 400, may be performed by processing unit 501. For example, in some embodiments, processes 200 and / or 400 may be implemented as a computer software program that is tangibly embodied in a machine-readable medium, such as storage unit 508. In some embodiments, part or all of the computer program may be loaded and / or installed onto device 500 via ROM 502 and / or communication unit 509. When the computer program is loaded into RAM 503 and executed by CPU 501, one or more actions of processes 200 and / or 400 described above may be performed.

[0048] The present disclosure may be a method, an apparatus, a system and / or a computer program product. The computer program product may include a computer-readable storage medium carrying computer-readable program instructions for executing various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0049] Computer-readable storage media can be a tangible device that can hold and store the instructions used by the instruction execution device. Computer-readable storage media can be, for example, (but not limited to) an electrical storage device, a magnetic storage device, an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, a semiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination thereof. More specific examples (non-exhaustive list) of computer-readable storage media include: a portable computer disk, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD), a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanical encoding device, for example, a punch card or a convex structure in a groove on which instructions are stored, and any suitable combination thereof. Computer-readable storage media used herein is not interpreted as a transient signal itself, such as radio waves or other freely propagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagated by waveguides or other transmission media (for example, light pulses by fiber optic cables), or electrical signals transmitted by wires.

[0050] The computer-readable program instructions described herein can be downloaded from a computer-readable storage medium to each computing / processing device, or downloaded to an external computer or external storage device via a network, such as the Internet, a local area network, a wide area network, and / or a wireless network. The network can include copper transmission cables, fiber optic transmission, wireless transmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers, and / or edge servers. The network adapter card or network interface in each computing / processing device receives the computer-readable program instructions from the network and forwards the computer-readable program instructions to be stored in the computer-readable storage medium in each computing / processing device.

[0051] The computer program instructions for performing the operations of the present disclosure may be assembly instructions, instruction set architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions, machine-dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions, state setting data, or source code or object code written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including object-oriented programming languages such as Smalltalk, C++, and conventional procedural programming languages such as "C" language or similar programming languages. Computer-readable program instructions may be executed entirely on a user's computer, partially on a user's computer, as an independent software package, partially on a user's computer, partially on a remote computer, or entirely on a remote computer or server. In the case of a remote computer, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer via any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or may be connected to an external computer (e.g., utilizing an Internet service provider to connect via the Internet). In some embodiments, an electronic circuit, such as a programmable logic circuit, a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or a programmable logic array (PLA), may be personalized by utilizing the state information of the computer-readable program instructions. The electronic circuit may execute the computer-readable program instructions, thereby realizing various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0052] Various aspects of the present disclosure are described herein with reference to flowcharts and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of the present disclosure. It should be understood that each block of the flowcharts and / or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer-readable program instructions.

[0053] These computer-readable program instructions can be provided to a processing unit of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing device, thereby producing a machine such that when these instructions are executed by the processing unit of the computer or other programmable data processing device, a device is generated that implements the functions / actions specified in one or more blocks in the flowchart and / or block diagram. These computer-readable program instructions can also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, where these instructions cause the computer, programmable data processing device, and / or other device to operate in a specific manner. Thus, the computer-readable medium storing the instructions comprises an article of manufacture that includes instructions for implementing various aspects of the functions / actions specified in one or more blocks in the flowchart and / or block diagram.

[0054] Computer-readable program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other device so that a series of operational steps are performed on the computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other device to produce a computer-implemented process, thereby causing the instructions executed on the computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other device to implement the functions / actions specified in one or more blocks in the flowchart and / or block diagram.

[0055] The flow charts and block diagrams in the accompanying drawings show the possible architecture, functions and operations of the systems, methods and computer program products according to multiple embodiments of the present disclosure. In this regard, each box in the flow chart or block diagram can represent a part of a module, program segment or instruction, and the part of the module, program segment or instruction contains one or more executable instructions for realizing the prescribed logical function. In some alternative implementations, the functions marked in the box can also occur in a sequence different from that marked in the accompanying drawings. For example, two consecutive boxes can actually be executed substantially in parallel, and they can sometimes be executed in the opposite order, depending on the functions involved. It should also be noted that each box in the block diagram and / or flow chart, and the combination of the boxes in the block diagram and / or flow chart can be implemented by a dedicated hardware-based system that performs the prescribed function or action, or can be implemented by a combination of dedicated hardware and computer instructions.

[0056] While various embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, the foregoing description is intended to be illustrative, non-exhaustive, and not limited to the disclosed embodiments. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The terminology used herein is selected to best explain the principles of the embodiments, their practical applications, or technical improvements to existing technologies, or to enable others skilled in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A method for managing backup data, comprising: Determining the expiration time of the backup data in the data set to be backed up in the source storage device; Determining a migration priority of the backup data in a migration operation to be performed based on the expiration time; as well as Migrate the backup data with the same priority in the data set to be backed up to the target storage device, Migrating the backup data with the same priority to the target storage device includes: adding a first tag to a first group of backup data having a first priority; adding a second tag to a second group of backup data having a second priority, the second priority being lower than the first priority; Migrating the first set of backup data to a first storage area of the target storage device via a first migration channel, the first migration channel corresponding to the first label; and After migrating the first set of backup data, the second set of backup data is migrated to a second storage area of the target storage device via a second migration channel, the second migration channel corresponds to the second label, and the second storage area is different from the first storage area.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein determining the priority based on the expiration time comprises: determining a ratio of the expiration time to a reference expiration time; as well as The priority is determined based on the ratio. 3 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the second set of backup data includes a reference relationship to part of the backup data in the first set of backup data.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein migrating the backup data with the same priority to the target storage device comprises: Determine backup data with the same expiration time from backup data with the same priority; as well as Migrate the backup data with the same expiration time to the same storage area in the target storage device.

5. An electronic device comprising: at least one processing unit; as well as at least one memory coupled to the at least one processing unit and storing machine-executable instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processing unit, cause the device to perform actions, the actions comprising: Determining the expiration time of the backup data in the data set to be backed up in the source storage device; Determining a priority of migrating the backup data in a migration operation to be performed based on the expiration time; and Migrate the backup data with the same priority in the data set to be backed up to the target storage device, Migrating the backup data with the same priority to the target storage device includes: adding a first tag to a first group of backup data having a first priority; adding a second tag to a second group of backup data having a second priority, the second priority being lower than the first priority; Migrating the first set of backup data to a first storage area of the target storage device via a first migration channel, the first migration channel corresponding to the first label; and After migrating the first set of backup data, the second set of backup data is migrated to a second storage area of the target storage device via a second migration channel, the second migration channel corresponds to the second label, and the second storage area is different from the first storage area.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein determining the priority based on the expiration time comprises: determining a ratio of the expiration time to a reference expiration time; as well as The priority is determined based on the ratio. 7 . The apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the second set of backup data includes a reference relationship to part of the backup data in the first set of backup data.

8. The device according to claim 5, wherein migrating the backup data with the same priority to the target storage device comprises: Determine backup data with the same expiration time from backup data with the same priority; as well as Migrate the backup data with the same expiration time to the same storage area in the target storage device.

9. A computer program product tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium and comprising machine-executable instructions which, when executed, cause a machine to perform the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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