Data Backup Metadata for Storage Tiering Layout Maintenance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current data backup and recovery methods fail to maintain the data tiering layout, leading to degraded storage performance and increased wear of storage disks due to the mixing of high and low activity data during backup and recovery processes.
Innovation Solution
A method that determines the storage tier and data access frequency as metadata and sends this information to a backup server, enabling data recovery in the corresponding tier based on the metadata, thus maintaining the data tiering layout and reducing disk wear.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If data is backed up and recovered without maintaining storage tier information, then backup and recovery operations are simpler, but storage performance degrades and disk wear increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by capturing storage tier information and data access frequency metadata before the backup operation occurs. This metadata is stored alongside the backup data, enabling the recovery system to pre-determine the appropriate storage tier for each file before actual recovery, thus maintaining performance without complicating the backup process itself
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces metadata (including storage tier information and access frequency) as an intermediary between the backup system and the storage tiering system. This metadata acts as a mediator that carries tiering information through the backup and recovery process, allowing the recovery system to restore files to correct tiers without direct intervention in the backup operation
2Productivity
If data is backed up and recovered without maintaining storage tier information, then backup and recovery processes are faster, but storage disk wear increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by determining and recording the appropriate storage tier and access frequency metadata before the recovery operation. This allows the system to pre-plan file placement, avoiding repeated read-write operations that would increase disk wear while maintaining fast recovery speeds through efficient metadata-driven tier selection
3Reliability
If storage tier information is captured and stored as metadata, then data tiering layout is maintained during recovery, but backup data size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies copying by creating a lightweight metadata copy that references the original data's tiering information, rather than duplicating the actual data multiple times. The metadata (storage tier + access frequency) is a minimal representation that enables tiering reconstruction without significant increase in backup data volume
4Reliability
If storage tier and access frequency metadata is used during recovery, then files are restored to correct tiers, but recovery process complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies self-service by designing the metadata format to be self-descriptive, containing all necessary information (storage tier + access frequency) that the recovery system needs to automatically determine the correct target tier. The recovery process reads this self-contained metadata and performs tier selection autonomously without requiring complex external lookup tables or manual configuration
Data Source
AI summary
A method for backing up data includes: determining a storage tier for storing the data; determining a data access frequency of the data, where the data access frequency indicates a frequency at which the data is accessed; and taking information of the storage tier and the data access frequency of the data as metadata, and sending the metadata and the data to a backup server. By sending the information including the storage tier for storing the data and the data access frequency as the metadata to the backup server, the computing device is enabled to recover the data by using the information in the metadata during the data recovery process, so that the data tiering layout can be maintained in the storage region to maintain the storage service performance, and thus a seamless storage service is provided to improve the user experience.