Cloud Image Replication for Client Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing data protection solutions for client devices are inadequate for situations where the device is unavailable, destroyed, or forgotten, as they require time-consuming and complex processes for recovery, including rebuilding the operating system and environment, and do not allow for continuous data replication while the device is in use.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for replicating client device images to a cloud storage location using a continuous image mechanism that allows the device to be used during replication, utilizing snapshots and a journal to track changes, enabling easy restoration to any point in time without the need for external booting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of repair
If conventional image-based recovery solutions are used, then the device can be restored to a previous state, but the device must boot from an external drive which complicates the recovery process
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a recovery partition as an intermediary component stored within the device itself, which mediates the restoration process by providing bootable recovery tools and facilitating image restoration without requiring external boot media. This intermediary layer simplifies the recovery process while maintaining the ability to restore device images.
2Loss of information
If file-based backup solutions are used, then user files can be recovered, but the operating system and environment must be completely rebuilt which takes substantial time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by continuously creating and maintaining a current image of the entire device (including OS, applications, and files) in the recovery partition during normal operation. This pre-prepared image allows for immediate restoration without requiring time-consuming reconstruction of the operating system environment, reducing recovery time from hours to minutes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a complete copy of the device state (boot sector, system files, applications, and user data) into a compressed image format stored in the recovery partition. This copying approach preserves the entire device environment in a compact form, enabling rapid restoration by simply restoring the image rather than rebuilding components individually.
3Reliability
If continuous data replication is implemented, then data protection is improved, but the device cannot be used during replication as the disk is changing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamic replication approach where the system continuously monitors and captures disk changes during normal device operation. The recovery image is automatically updated in the background as the device is used, maintaining current data protection without requiring the device to be taken offline. This dynamic process allows the device to remain fully operational while replication occurs.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent ensures continuity of useful action by maintaining both the operational device and the recovery image simultaneously. The system continuously replicates changes to the recovery partition while the device remains in use, and the recovery image can be restored at any point in time, ensuring uninterrupted data protection and device availability.
4Reliability
If full device images are replicated to the cloud, then complete device restoration is enabled, but significant network traffic and time are required for the initial copy
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the backup process into two phases: local continuous replication to a recovery partition and selective cloud synchronization. The local phase captures complete device images continuously during normal operation, while the cloud phase only synchronizes incremental changes or updates. This segmentation reduces the initial cloud replication time while maintaining complete backup capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary action by creating and maintaining the complete device image locally in the recovery partition before cloud replication is needed. This pre-established local image serves as an immediate restoration source and reduces the amount of data that needs to be transferred to the cloud, as only incremental changes need to be synchronized remotely.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for replicating a device image to a storage such as the cloud. The cloud is seeded with a base image that corresponds to the device. Changes between the contents of the device and the base image are identified, uploaded to the cloud, and applied to the image. The changes are tracked continuously and the image in the cloud can thus be used to restore the device to any point in time. The cloud image can also be used in a cloud based virtual machine that provides a user of the device with access to the device's contents via the cloud based image.