Continuous Data Protection Storage Reclamation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional backup solutions offer coarse time granularity, making it impossible to restore states between discrete backup points, leading to inefficient storage reclamation and reuse in continuous data protection systems.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a continuous data protection system that allows for the storage and retrieval of previous version data with finer time granularity, using a sliding protection window and reclamation pointers to efficiently manage storage by virtually and physically reclaiming storage locations based on allocation units and groups.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional backup solutions are used with discrete time points, then storage reclamation is simplified, but time granularity is coarse and storage reclamation efficiency is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments storage into allocation units and groups, allowing fine-grained control over storage reclamation. By dividing storage into smaller units that can be independently managed, the system achieves both fine time granularity for data protection and efficient storage reclamation through targeted release of allocated units.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic storage management where allocation units can be dynamically assigned and released based on actual data protection needs. The sliding protection window approach allows the system to adaptively manage storage resources, releasing units that fall outside the current protection window while maintaining fine-grained time tracking.
2Measurement precision
If storage is continuously allocated for previous version data, then time granularity is improved, but storage usage efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a mechanism to discard storage allocation units that correspond to data no longer needed within the protection window, and recover these units for reuse. The reclamation pointer tracks which allocation units can be safely released, enabling efficient storage management while maintaining fine-grained time protection for active data.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary identification of allocatable storage units before actual data protection operations. By pre-managing the allocation and tracking of storage units, the system ensures efficient storage usage while maintaining the capability to provide fine-grained time-based data protection when needed.
3Quantity of substance
If storage locations are physically reclaimed immediately, then storage efficiency is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the reclamation process into virtual reclamation (logical release of allocation units) and physical reclamation (actual storage release). This segmentation allows the system to manage complexity by handling reclamation in staged manner, first marking units as available logically, then physically releasing them when safe to do so.
Solution Approach 2:
The reclamation pointer acts as an intermediary mechanism between the data protection system and storage management. It tracks which allocation units can be safely reclaimed and coordinates the reclamation process, simplifying the overall system architecture by providing a single point of control for storage efficiency without requiring complex distributed reclamation coordination.
Data Source
AI summary
A first contiguous group of one or more storage locations to be virtually reclaimed is determined, where the first contiguous group is smaller than a minimum allocation group size and the storage locations are used to store previous version data. The first contiguous group is virtually reclaimed. A second contiguous group of one or more virtually reclaimed storage locations to be made available for reuse is determined, where the size of the second group is greater than or equal to the minimum allocation group size. The second contiguous group is made available for reuse.