Scalable Cloud Backup Coordinator for Distributed File Systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
Distributed file systems face challenges in scalable and economical disaster recovery solutions, as traditional offsite tape backups are resource-intensive and geographically separate backups may be affected by the same disaster, making them inefficient and inconvenient.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a cloud backup policy that utilizes a coordinator node to manage worker processes across a cluster of nodes, packaging data blocks and metadata into node local upload objects, and uploading them to cloud storage, with incremental snapshot-based updates and metadata coalescence for efficient data management and restoration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If tape backup is used for disaster recovery, then data can be geographically dispersed, but resource consumption and time requirements increase making it difficult to scale
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical tape backup system with a cloud-based object storage system. Instead of using physical tapes and NDMP protocols, the system uses cloud storage objects to store backup data, eliminating the need for physical media handling and mechanical backup processes while maintaining disaster recovery capabilities
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a cloud storage service as an intermediary between the distributed file system and the backup target. The cloud storage objects serve as a mediator that receives data from the file system through standardized APIs, enabling scalable backup without direct dependency on physical tape infrastructure
2Productivity
If cloud storage services are used as backup target, then efficiency and convenience improve compared to tape backups, but implementation complexity increases for distributed file systems
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the backup system into distinct components: a cloud backup coordinator process that manages the overall backup operation, worker processes that execute on individual nodes, and cloud storage objects that store the data. This segmentation allows each component to have a specific, simplified function while the system as a whole achieves complex backup capabilities
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal backup framework that can work with any distributed file system through standardized interfaces. The cloud backup coordinator and worker processes can handle multiple file systems, multiple cloud storage providers, and various backup scenarios through a single implementation, reducing overall system complexity
3Reliability
If geographically separate backup cluster is used, then disaster recovery reliability improves, but cost and feasibility decrease for many use cases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent moves the backup solution from the physical/geographic dimension to the cloud service dimension. Instead of requiring physical geographic separation of backup infrastructure, the system achieves disaster recovery by leveraging cloud storage's inherent geographic distribution and redundancy, making backup feasible without additional physical infrastructure investment
Data Source
AI summary
Implementations are provided for scalable cloud backup. A coordinator process can manage worker processes on nodes to package file system data that is targeted for cloud backup into node local upload objects. File data can be arranged into distinct block offsets of the node local upload object. A set of metadata tables can be generated that characterize each file that is backed up as well as file block location information for each data block. The node local upload objects can be uploaded to a cloud service provider. The set of metadata tables generated by the worker process can be coalesced into a global set of metadata tables that describe the data that has been backed up. In one implementation, after an initial cloud backup has occurred, a snapshot service of the file system can be used to incrementally backup blocks of the file that have been changed.