Cloud Backup Service Callbacks for Consistent State
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional backup systems for cloud services fail to integrate effectively with cloud services consuming resources, making it difficult to ensure consistency during backup and restore operations, and to pause service activity or perform necessary post-processing.
Innovation Solution
The integration of a cloud backup solution through callbacks before and after backup and restore processes, which identifies and communicates with consuming cloud services to place resources in a consistent state, generate backups, and perform post-processing, ensuring consistency and proper restoration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional backup systems use snapshots to create backups of cloud-based resources, then backup functionality is provided, but integration with cloud services consuming those resources is ineffective, making it difficult to ensure consistency before backup, pause service activity during restore, and perform post-processing after restore
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a backup service as an intermediary component that mediates between the cloud service and the backup/restore operations. This backup service receives notifications from the cloud service, coordinates snapshot operations, and manages the backup process, thereby ensuring consistency without requiring direct complex integration between the cloud service and backup system. The intermediary handles the complexity of coordination while maintaining simple interfaces for both the cloud service and backup operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the cloud service notifies the backup service about resource creation, deletion, and other events. The backup service uses this feedback information to determine when to create snapshots and how to maintain consistent backup states. This feedback loop ensures that backups are created at appropriate times while maintaining system reliability without requiring constant polling or complex monitoring.
2Productivity
If cloud services continue to operate during backup and restore operations, then service availability is maintained, but consistency of the backed-up resources cannot be ensured
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by having the backup service receive notifications from the cloud service before backup operations begin. This allows the backup service to prepare snapshot operations in advance, coordinate with the cloud service to establish consistent backup states, and have ready-to-use snapshots before actual backup needs arise. This preliminary coordination ensures consistency is achieved without requiring service interruptions during the backup creation process.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic operation modes where the cloud service can operate in different states: normal operation mode where services continue to run, and backup/restore mode where services are temporarily suspended. The system dynamically transitions between these modes based on backup requirements, allowing service availability to be maintained during most operations while enabling consistency-critical operations when needed. This dynamic approach balances productivity and reliability requirements.
3Reliability
If cloud services are paused during restore operations to ensure consistency, then consistent restoration is achieved, but service downtime increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses preliminary action by preparing restore snapshots in advance and having the backup service coordinate with the cloud service before restore operations begin. The cloud service is notified of upcoming restore operations and can prepare accordingly, minimizing the actual downtime required. The backup service has already validated the consistency of restore snapshots, so when restore is executed, consistency is ensured with minimal service interruption.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies the skipping principle by rapidly executing the actual restore operation once preparation is complete. The cloud service is suspended only for the brief duration needed to apply the restored snapshot, rather than being suspended for the entire backup and restore cycle. This allows the system to rush through the critical restore phase quickly while maintaining consistency, thereby minimizing service downtime while achieving reliable restoration.
Data Source
AI summary
A system includes determination of a resource stored in a cloud storage service, identification of a first cloud service associated with the resource, determination of a first pre-backup callback and a first post-backup callback associated with the first cloud service, transmission of the first pre-backup callback to the first cloud service, reception of a return of the first pre-backup callback from the first cloud service, transmission, in response to receipt of the return, of an instruction to the cloud storage service to backup the resource, and transmission of the first post-backup callback to the first cloud service.