Change Tracking for Overlapping Backup Jobs
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional block-based backup systems fail to consistently manage overlapping backup jobs with different schedules, leading to incomplete data capture and interference between backup jobs.
Innovation Solution
The system saves change lists between consecutive snapshots for overlapping backup jobs and supplies these lists to the relevant backup jobs, allowing for accurate tracking of changes without interference, using modules for identification, saving, supplying, and deletion of change lists.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional block-based backup systems run multiple overlapping backup jobs on the same volume, then backup job diversity and frequency increase, but change tracking accuracy deteriorates and data capture becomes incomplete
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the change tracking process by creating separate change lists for each backup job, isolating the change tracking state for daily backups, weekly backups, and ad-hoc backups. Each job maintains its own change list independently, preventing interference between overlapping backup operations and ensuring accurate change capture for each job's specific time window.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates and maintains multiple copies of change lists in memory, one for each backup job. When a backup job completes, its change list is cleared independently while other jobs retain their change lists. This copying mechanism allows multiple backup jobs to simultaneously track changes without mutual interference, resolving the contradiction between job diversity and tracking accuracy.
2Ease of operation
If a backup job clears the change list after completing an incremental backup, then the change list is ready for the next backup cycle, but changes made during overlapping backup jobs are lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the change list resource into multiple independent change lists, one for each backup job. Each change list is independently managed and cleared only when its associated backup job completes. This segmentation prevents the information loss that occurs when a single shared change list is cleared prematurely due to overlapping job execution.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism (multiple maintained change lists) between the backup jobs and the change tracking system. This intermediary allows each job to have its own change list that is preserved until that specific job completes, preventing the loss of tracked changes while still enabling efficient change list management for each individual job.
3Device complexity
If multiple backup jobs share a single change list, then system complexity is reduced, but backup job interference increases and data capture becomes inconsistent
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the change tracking system into multiple independent change lists, one for each backup job. This segmentation eliminates job interference and ensures consistent data capture for each job, while the overall system complexity remains manageable through automated allocation and cleanup of change lists based on job lifecycle events.
Data Source
AI summary
A computer-implemented method for change tracking with multiple backup jobs may include identifying a plurality of overlapping backup jobs to be performed on a volume. The computer-implemented method may also include identifying snapshots taken for any of the plurality of overlapping backup jobs. The computer-implemented method may further include, for each consecutive pair of identified snapshots, identifying changes made to the volume between the consecutive pair of identified snapshots and saving a list of the changes. The computer-implemented method may additionally include supplying the list of changes for each backup job in the plurality of overlapping backup jobs that requires the list of changes. The computer-implemented method may also include determining that no remaining backup job in the plurality of overlapping jobs requires the list of changes and deleting the list of changes. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.