Incremental Deduplication Backup Blockmap Restore Points
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Solution Overview
Problem
Incremental forever backup storage systems are inefficient in terms of storage space and communication bandwidth due to the need to store complete copies of data and require reading of earlier restore points to restore a target point, while full forever systems are space and speed inefficient due to redundant storage and communication.
Innovation Solution
Implementing an incremental deduplication backup storage system that creates virtual restore points as thin clones of the closest existing restore points, using blockmaps to reference data segments, allowing for reduced storage and communication needs and enabling restore points to be restored without synthesizing earlier points.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If incremental forever backup is used, then storage space efficiency is improved, but restore complexity increases due to need to synthesize multiple restore points
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the backup data into deduplicated data segments and creates a blockmap that references these segments. Each restore point stores only the differences from its parent, and the blockmap enables direct access to required segments without synthesizing intermediate restore points, thus reducing restore complexity while maintaining space efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a blockmap as an intermediary data structure that maps logical data blocks to physical storage locations of deduplicated segments. This blockmap enables direct retrieval of required data segments for restoration without needing to sequentially synthesize earlier restore points, thereby simplifying the restore process while preserving incremental space efficiency.
2Ease of operation
If full forever backup is used, then restore simplicity is improved, but storage space efficiency deteriorates due to redundant storage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the advantages of full backup (simplicity of restoration) and incremental backup (space efficiency) by combining deduplication technology with incremental backup. The system stores only changed data segments and uses a blockmap for direct access, achieving both space efficiency and restore simplicity simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs deduplication and creates the blockmap structure in advance during the backup process. This preliminary organization of data segments and their mappings enables direct restoration without sequential synthesis, providing full-backup-like simplicity while maintaining incremental space efficiency.
3Loss of energy
If incremental forever backup is used, then communication bandwidth efficiency is improved, but restore speed deteriorates due to synthesis requirement
Solution Approach 1:
The blockmap serves as an intermediary that directly maps restore point data to physical segment locations, eliminating the need for sequential synthesis operations. This enables direct retrieval of data segments from storage, significantly improving restore speed while maintaining the communication bandwidth efficiency of incremental backup.
Solution Approach 2:
The blockmap is constructed in advance during backup, pre-organizing the location information of all data segments. This preliminary organization eliminates the need for complex synthesis operations during restoration, enabling direct and rapid retrieval of required segments while preserving the bandwidth efficiency of incremental backup.
4Speed
If full forever backup is used, then restore speed is improved, but communication bandwidth efficiency deteriorates due to complete data transfer
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the changed data segments from the full backup and stores them incrementally. The blockmap enables direct access to these extracted segments, providing fast restoration without transferring complete data sets, thus improving both restore speed and communication bandwidth efficiency simultaneously.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques and mechanisms are provided for storing data in a backup storage system. According to various embodiments, a first blockmap in a backup storage system may be identified. The first blockmap may correspond with a first restore point. The first blockmap may identify a first plurality of data segments. Each of the first plurality of data segments may have associated therewith a respective storage location in the backup storage system. The first blockmap may be compared with a designated storage system state to identify a subset of the first plurality of data segments that each correspond with a respective matching data segment in the designated storage system state. A second blockmap may be stored in the backup storage system. The second blockmap may correspond with a second restore point. The second blockmap may include the identified subset of the first plurality of data segments.