Differential Full Backup for Storage Efficiency

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing data storage systems face challenges in efficiently managing and restoring incremental backups, particularly when there is a long time gap between full backups, leading to increased resource consumption and restore times due to the accumulation of numerous transactions in log files.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a system that generates full backups and subsequent incremental backups, with periodic differential full backups that identify and store only changed data blocks since the last full backup, reducing storage utilization and restore times by avoiding unnecessary data duplication.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Quantity of substance

If incremental backups are used to capture changes since the last full backup, then storage utilization is reduced, but restore time increases when a long time gap exists between full backups

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestorage utilizationVSAvoidrestore time

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the backup strategy into three distinct types: full backups, incremental backups, and differential full backups. This segmentation allows the system to optimize for both storage efficiency and restore speed by selecting appropriate backup types based on time gaps between full backups. When the time gap exceeds a threshold, a differential full backup is performed to create a restore-friendly checkpoint, otherwise incremental backups are used for storage efficiency.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements periodic differential full backups at intervals determined by comparing time gaps against a threshold. This periodic action resets the incremental backup chain at appropriate intervals, ensuring that restore operations never need to replay an excessive number of transactions. The system periodically evaluates whether to perform a differential full backup based on the elapsed time since the last full backup.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #19Periodic action

2Quantity of substance

If incremental backups capture a large number of transactions, then storage space is saved, but resource consumption during restore increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestorage spaceVSAvoidresource consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent performs preliminary action by creating differential full backups before the time gap becomes excessive. These preliminary checkpoints are positioned strategically in the backup chain to prevent accumulation of too many transactions in incremental backups. By proactively creating these intermediate full backup points, the system prepares the backup structure in advance to avoid future restore bottlenecks.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The differential full backup acts as an intermediary element between consecutive full backups in the backup chain. It serves as a middle ground that breaks up long sequences of incremental backups, providing a restore-friendly checkpoint without requiring a complete full backup. This intermediary backup type mediates between the storage efficiency of incremental backups and the restore efficiency of full backups.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Loss of time

If full backups are performed frequently, then restore time is reduced, but storage utilization increases due to data duplication

Engineering Contradiction:

Improverestore timeVSAvoidstorage utilization

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of timeVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by making backup frequency and type adaptive rather than uniform. Instead of performing full backups at fixed intervals regardless of data changes, the system dynamically determines whether to perform a full backup, differential full backup, or incremental backup based on the specific time gap and data change characteristics. This localized adaptation optimizes storage usage while maintaining restore efficiency where needed.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the backup strategy parameters dynamically based on the time gap between full backups. The system monitors the elapsed time and adjusts the backup type accordingly: using incremental backups when the time gap is small (optimizing for storage), and switching to differential full backups when the time gap exceeds a threshold (optimizing for restore). This parameter change allows the system to adapt to varying data change rates and restore requirements.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentUS11816001B2Managing structured data in a data storage system

Publication Date: 2023.11.14 COMMVAULT SYSTEMS INC

AI summary

According to certain aspects, a secondary computing system can be configured to perform a full backup on database data, generate incremental backups comprising log files associated with modifications to the database data, and create a differential full backup copy of the database data using the full backup copy and changed blocks identified using the log files from the incremental backups.