Granular Backup Offset Tracking for Storage Efficiency
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional incremental backup methods consume unnecessary network and storage resources by copying entire blocks, even if only a small portion of the data has been modified, due to a lack of granular tracking of modified file data.
Innovation Solution
The method tracks the location of modified file data at a more granular level, copying only the modified data since the last backup and updating the block allocation table to reflect these changes, allowing for a cloned incremental backup that references existing data, thereby reducing storage and network consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If traditional incremental backup methods copy entire blocks, then backup completeness is ensured, but network and storage resources are consumed unnecessarily
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the backup process by dividing file data into smaller units and tracking modifications at the offset level rather than at the block level. This allows identifying and backing up only the specific portions of files that have changed, rather than entire blocks, thereby reducing network and storage resource consumption while maintaining backup completeness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by treating different portions of file data differently based on their modification status. Modified portions are identified using volume offsets and are handled separately from unmodified portions, allowing the system to optimize resource usage by processing only the necessary local segments rather than uniform entire blocks.
2Loss of energy
If only modified data is transmitted, then storage and network usage is minimized, but compatibility with existing block-based backup recovery systems must be maintained
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary layer that translates between the fine-grained offset-based modification tracking and the coarser block-based backup format. This intermediary mechanism allows the system to work with precise offset information to identify modified data while presenting block-based structures to existing recovery systems, thereby maintaining compatibility without sacrificing efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of data granularity from block-level to offset-level for tracking modifications, while maintaining block-level structure in the actual backup storage. This parameter transformation allows optimized selective transmission of only modified portions while preserving compatibility with block-based recovery systems that expect block-level data structures.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for backing up a storage volume that includes receiving, by a volume manager, a block allocation table of a cloned storage volume backup, selecting a modification entry that comprises a volume offset for modified file data, obtaining a backup offset for the cloned storage volume backup based on the block allocation table and the volume offset, updating, based on the backup offset, the block allocation table to obtain an updated block allocation table, and sending the modified file data and the updated block allocation table to a backup server.