Block-Level Snapshot Service Differential Storage
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Solution Overview
Problem
In cloud computing, creating and managing snapshots of large data volumes is inefficient due to the need for full block comparisons, which consumes significant network, processor, and storage resources, and existing methods require operating system involvement, which can be resource-intensive.
Innovation Solution
A client-centric approach where snapshots are created by specifying a parent snapshot and individual blocks or sub-blocks that have changed, allowing for differential snapshots and using a manifest index to quickly identify changed blocks, reducing the need for full data comparisons and optimizing resource usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If full block comparisons are performed to create snapshots, then snapshot accuracy is improved, but network, processor, and storage resource consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the changed blocks from the parent snapshot to create the child snapshot, rather than copying all blocks. This is achieved by comparing block indices and identifiers to identify modifications, then selectively transferring only those specific blocks to the new snapshot, significantly reducing resource consumption while maintaining snapshot accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The snapshot creation process is segmented into identifying changed blocks and copying unchanged blocks separately. The system divides the snapshot into individual block units, allowing selective operation on changed portions while referencing unchanged portions from the parent snapshot, thereby optimizing resource usage.
2Reliability
If operating system involvement is used for snapshot management, then snapshot reliability is improved, but resource intensity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a block storage service as an intermediary between the operating system and the snapshot management process. This service handles block-level operations, comparisons, and snapshot creation independently of the OS, reducing OS resource intensity while maintaining reliability through dedicated block management functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The block storage service performs self-service snapshot management by automatically identifying changed blocks, comparing snapshots, and creating child snapshots without requiring intensive OS involvement. The system manages its own block-level operations autonomously, reducing the resource burden on the operating system.
3Measurement precision
If full data comparisons are performed to identify changed blocks, then change detection accuracy is improved, but processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The comparison process is segmented to operate at the block level rather than comparing entire datasets. By dividing data into discrete blocks and comparing only relevant block indices and identifiers, the system achieves accurate change detection while significantly reducing processing time compared to full data comparisons.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs partial comparisons by focusing only on identifying changed blocks through index comparison rather than examining all data content. This partial action approach maintains sufficient accuracy for snapshot purposes while dramatically reducing the time required for change detection.
Data Source
AI summary
Generally described, one or more aspects of the present application relate to a public snapshot service for creating and managing block-level snapshots. For example, the public snapshot service can create a snapshot based on (i) a specification of a parent snapshot to be used as a basis for a given snapshot, and (ii) a specification of the data blocks to be backed up in the given snapshot. The data blocks in the snapshot may be stored in a specific storage path structure that facilitates computation of a block difference with respect to the parent snapshot.