Archive File-System Metadata Conversion for Faster Live Mounting
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Solution Overview
Problem
The process of restoring data from archive storage to a production environment format is time-consuming and resource-intensive, hindering efficient service delivery due to the need to convert and mount large volumes of data.
Innovation Solution
A data processing method where metadata is stored centrally, allowing direct conversion and retrieval from an archive storage, reducing the need to restore all data to a production format, thereby shortening mounting time and resource usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If all data in archive storage is restored to production environment format for mounting, then complete data availability is achieved, but mounting time and resource consumption increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the necessary metadata from the archive storage system, separating it from the full data restoration process. The metadata layer is retrieved and converted to production format independently, enabling mounting operations to proceed with minimal data access while maintaining complete data availability through the metadata structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary conversion of metadata to the production environment format in advance, before actual data mounting is required. This preliminary action prepares the metadata structure ahead of time, so that when mounting is needed, the system only needs to access and utilize the pre-converted metadata rather than converting entire data sets during the mounting process.
2Ease of operation
If all data in archive storage is restored to production environment format, then data accessibility is improved, but computing resources and storage resources are heavily occupied
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and processes only the metadata portion of the archived data, leaving the bulk data in its original archive format. This extraction approach maintains data accessibility by providing the necessary metadata structure for mounting operations while avoiding the heavy computational burden of converting and processing the entire data set.
3Ease of operation
If all data in archive storage is restored to production environment format, then complete file system is obtained, but storage resources are heavily occupied
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential metadata required for file system mounting, separating this small portion from the large volume of archived data. The metadata is converted to production format and used to establish the file system structure, while the actual data remains in the compact archive format, dramatically reducing storage resource requirements while maintaining file system completeness.
Data Source
AI summary
This disclosure provides a data processing method. The method includes: A backup server receives a metadata obtaining command, where the metadata obtaining command is used to obtain file system metadata in a first format, and the command includes an identifier of a to-be-read target directory. The backup server obtains, from a metadata storage area of an archive storage based on the identifier of the target directory, file system metadata that is in a second format and that corresponds to the target directory, converts the file system metadata that is in the second format and that corresponds to the target directory into file system metadata that is in the first format and that corresponds to the target directory, and returns the file system metadata.