Allocation Map for Backup Data Restoration
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Solution Overview
Problem
A significant portion of disk space in backups is unallocated, leading to inefficiencies in reading and writing data during file restoration processes, as existing methods do not effectively skip over unallocated blocks, resulting in wasted time and resources.
Innovation Solution
The use of an allocation map to identify and skip unallocated blocks during the reading and writing processes, allowing for efficient restoration of files by only processing allocated blocks, thereby optimizing disk usage and reducing resource consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional backup restoration methods are used to read and write all blocks, then complete data restoration is achieved, but significant time and disk resources are wasted on unallocated blocks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes unallocated blocks from the backup restoration process by using an allocation map to identify which blocks contain actual data. The system reads only the allocated blocks from the backup and writes only those blocks to the restored volume, completely eliminating the wasteful reading and writing of unallocated zero-filled blocks.
Solution Approach 2:
The allocation map is generated and stored in advance during the backup creation process. This preliminary action allows the restoration system to know exactly which blocks contain data before the restoration begins, enabling it to skip unallocated blocks efficiently without having to check each block during the restoration process.
2Reliability
If all blocks are written during restoration, then complete volume reconstruction is achieved, but disk resources are wasted writing zero-filled unallocated blocks
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts only the necessary allocated blocks from the backup and excludes unallocated blocks from the restoration process. The allocation map enables the system to identify and write only the blocks that contain actual data, completely eliminating the waste of disk resources on writing zero-filled unallocated blocks while maintaining complete data restoration.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of writing all blocks in the volume (excessive action), the system writes only the allocated blocks that contain actual data (partial action). The allocation map provides the precise information needed to perform this selective writing, achieving complete data restoration without the unnecessary overhead of writing unallocated blocks.
3Productivity
If the allocation map is used to skip unallocated blocks, then resource efficiency is improved, but the system complexity increases due to additional data structures
Solution Approach 1:
The allocation map is stored as a separate copy in the backup metadata, allowing the restoration system to read this compact representation of block allocation status without having to analyze the entire backup data structure. This copying approach simplifies the restoration logic while maintaining high efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
A method is described herein. The method includes generating an allocation map for a backup. The method also includes storing the allocation map in a storage device. The method further includes reading the allocation map to skip reading empty blocks during storing of a file from the backup. The method also further includes and reading the allocation map to skip writing zeros to a formatted target disk during a restore session of a file from the backup.