Snapshot-Assisted Volume Restoration from Cloud Object Stores
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for restoring data from cloud backups require sequential acquisition and processing of multiple generations of backup data, leading to increased data transfer and processing times, especially when numerous generations of data are accumulated.
Innovation Solution
A data control apparatus connected to a cloud system that backs up data as objects and uses snapshots to determine the point in time for restoration, allowing for efficient volume restoration by leveraging object store technology.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If incremental backup method is used to back up data to cloud, then storage cost is reduced, but restoration time increases significantly when multiple generations of backup data are accumulated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the backup data into two distinct storage locations: recent backup generations are stored locally on the storage apparatus, while older backup generations are stored in the cloud object store. This segmentation allows fast restoration for recent data while maintaining cost-effective long-term archival in the cloud, resolving the contradiction between storage cost optimization and restoration speed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary action by pre-transferring recent backup data from the cloud to local storage before restoration is needed. This ensures that the most frequently accessed backup generations are already available locally, enabling fast restoration without incurring high cloud access costs for routine operations.
2Quantity of substance
If all backup generations are stored in cloud object store, then storage capacity is unlimited and bit cost is low, but data transfer amount and processing complexity increase during restoration
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides backup data into two segments: recent generations stored locally and older generations stored in the cloud. This segmentation reduces the complexity of restoration operations by limiting the amount of data that needs to be managed and accessed from the cloud, while still benefiting from the unlimited capacity and low cost of cloud storage for archival data.
Solution Approach 2:
The local storage apparatus acts as an intermediary between the cloud object store and the restoration process. It pre-loads and caches recent backup data, simplifying the restoration process by providing direct local access to frequently needed data without requiring complex cloud data retrieval and transfer operations.
3Duration of action of stationary object
If 100 generations of backup data are accumulated in cloud, then data retention is improved, but amount of data to be transferred and processed during restoration increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the 100 generations of backup data into two groups: recent generations (e.g., last 10-20 generations) stored locally for fast access, and older generations stored in the cloud for long-term retention. This segmentation maintains data retention for all 100 generations while ensuring that restoration operations only need to access the smaller set of recent data from local storage, dramatically reducing transfer time.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by storing recent backup data with high availability characteristics (locally) and older backup data with archival characteristics (in cloud). This differentiated storage strategy ensures that data retention requirements are met for all generations while optimizing access performance for the most recently backed-up data that is likely to be restored.
Data Source
AI summary
In a storage system that is connected via networks to a cloud system, which provides an object store, and backs up backup data of a predetermined volume as an object to the object store, the storage system includes a processor, and the processor is configured to determine whether the storage system stores a snapshot associated with a volume at a first point in time to be restored, and restore the volume at the first point in time using the snapshot when it is determined that the storage system stores the snapshot.