Backup Data Recovery Using Differencing VHD and iSCSI
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing backup systems often store databases as read-only copies, making it inefficient to access and recover individual items, especially when applications require read/write access and large databases need to be transferred locally, incurring high costs in time, bandwidth, and storage.
Innovation Solution
Implementing differencing technologies such as Virtual Hard Disk (VHD) and iSCSI to present recovered backup data as local resources in a read/write manner, allowing applications to interact with the data without altering the original read-only database, and using remote storage technologies to present remote data as local storage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the entire database is transferred from backup system to local system for data recovery, then the application can access the database, but the transfer costs time, bandwidth, and storage resources
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and transfers only the specific data block needed for recovery rather than the entire database. The backup system identifies and retrieves only the relevant data block from the backup database, transferring minimal data over the network to the local system for application access.
Solution Approach 2:
The database is segmented into multiple data blocks, and the backup system can access and transfer individual blocks independently. This segmentation allows selective recovery of specific data portions without moving the entire database, reducing transfer time and network bandwidth consumption.
2Ease of operation
If the entire database is transferred to local system, then the application can access the data, but storage space is consumed on the local system
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and transfers only the specific data block needed for recovery rather than the entire database. The backup system identifies and retrieves only the relevant data block from the backup database, transferring minimal data over the network to the local system for application access.
3Reliability
If read-only backup copies are stored, then data integrity is maintained, but applications requiring read/write access cannot interact with the data
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different access characteristics to different portions of the backup data structure. The parent database image remains read-only to maintain integrity, while a child database image is created with read-write capabilities. This local quality differentiation allows simultaneous preservation of data integrity and provision of application-compatible access modes.
Solution Approach 2:
The database is segmented into multiple data blocks, and the backup system can access and transfer individual blocks independently. This segmentation allows selective recovery of specific data portions without moving the entire database, reducing transfer time and network bandwidth consumption.
Data Source
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AI summary
A backup and restore system may present recovered backup data as local resources and in a read and write manner so that the recovered backup data may be accessed using an application that created the data. In some embodiments, the recovered data may be read only data, but a differencing virtual hard disk (VHD), Common Internet File System protocol, or differencing driver may be used to present a read/write version of the data. Additionally, the data may be presented using iSCSI or other technologies to present the data as local data, even though the data may be remotely located. The backup and restore system may additionally use VHD differencing technologies to create multiple backups.