File-System Block Cloning for Backup Efficiency

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional backup methods in enterprise IT environments face inefficiencies due to the need to read and write every file independently, leading to increased compute load, backup time, resource consumption, and storage requirements, especially when dealing with duplicated data.

Innovation Solution

The method employs file-system block cloning to convert expensive physical IO operations into logical equivalents, leveraging clone logical cluster numbers (LCNs) and cluster-offset tracking data structures to efficiently manage backups and recoveries, reducing IO transactions and resource consumption.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If conventional backup methods read and write each file independently, then complete file backup is achieved, but compute load and backup time increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebackup completenessVSAvoidbackup speed

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses block cloning to create duplicate copies of file blocks at the storage level rather than copying entire files through software. This allows the backup system to reference identical blocks across multiple files without redundant read/write operations, achieving complete backup coverage while dramatically reducing compute load and backup time

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces the mechanical file-by-file backup process with a storage-level block cloning mechanism. Instead of software reading and writing each file sequentially, the system leverages hardware-supported cloning capabilities to duplicate data blocks directly in storage, substituting computational mechanics with more efficient storage-level operations

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Reliability

If conventional backup methods process every file independently, then all data is backed up, but resource consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata coverageVSAvoidcompute resource consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the backup operations for multiple files by identifying and cloning shared data blocks. Instead of processing each file independently, the system combines backup operations at the block level, so that identical blocks across multiple files are copied once and referenced by all relevant files, reducing compute resource consumption while maintaining complete data coverage

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The block cloning mechanism serves multiple files simultaneously with a single operation. A single block clone can satisfy the backup requirements of multiple files that contain identical data, making the backup system universal in its ability to handle redundant data across different files without proportional increases in resource consumption

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Reliability

If conventional backup methods back up duplicated data in multiple files, then all files are protected, but storage requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefile protection coverageVSAvoidstorage space

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent creates block-level copies rather than file-level copies. When multiple files contain identical data blocks, the system clones the block once and establishes references from all relevant files to that single clone, ensuring all files are protected while storing the duplicated content only once in the backup target

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

4Productivity

If block cloning is used to reduce IO operations, then backup efficiency improves, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebackup efficiencyVSAvoidsystem architecture complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a backup agent as an intermediary layer between the host file system and the backup target. This agent manages the block cloning operations, tracks cloned blocks, and handles the complexity of coordinating clones across multiple files, thereby improving backup efficiency while containing system complexity within a dedicated management component rather than分散 across the entire system

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS12105600B1Leveraging file-system block cloning for efficient file-based backup and recovery operations

Publication Date: 2024.10.01 DELL PROD LP

AI summary

A method for efficient file-based backups and recoveries. The method includes: receiving, to initiate a backup session, a file-system backup instruction identifying a host file-system; obtaining at least one clone logical cluster number (LCN) corresponding to a file managed by the host file-system, and a region LCN corresponding to a file region of the file; based on a determination that the region LCN matches a clone LCN of the at least one clone LCN: querying a cluster-offset tracking data structure using the region LCN to identify a cluster-offset tracking entry including the region LCN and a container offset; writing, as a session metadata record stored in backup session metadata for the backup session, file metadata describing the file and including the container offset; and transmitting, to a backup target, an information tuple including a backup session identifier generated for the backup session, and the backup session metadata.