Incremental Backup Indexing for Fixed Length Records
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional backup systems face inefficiencies in incremental backup of fixed length records, as they typically back up data on a block-by-block basis, requiring the generation and comparison of hash functions, which consumes computing resources and is complex.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that create and maintain a data structure, such as an index file, to track unique file identifiers and record changes, allowing for incremental backup by comparing the base data structure with an updated one to identify and copy only new or modified records.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If block-level hash function generation and comparison is used to determine changed blocks, then backup completeness is ensured, but computing resource consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the change tracking function from the backup process by introducing a separate data structure (index file) that records only the necessary metadata (file identifier and timestamp) rather than processing entire blocks. This extraction allows the system to maintain backup completeness while dramatically reducing computing resource consumption during incremental backups.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a simplified copy of the data structure (index file) that contains only the essential information needed for change detection. Instead of copying and comparing entire data blocks, the system copies and compares the lightweight index structure, which stores file identifiers and timestamps, thereby reducing computational overhead while ensuring backup reliability.
2Measurement precision
If block-level hash function generation and comparison is used to determine changed blocks, then backup accuracy is ensured, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the change detection mechanism from the backup system by introducing a dedicated data structure (index file) that stores only file identifiers and timestamps. This separation allows the backup system to achieve accurate change detection without implementing complex block-level hash functions, thereby reducing overall system complexity while maintaining measurement precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a simplified data structure copy (index file) that contains only the essential metadata for change detection. This lightweight copy replaces the complex block-level hash comparison mechanism, enabling accurate identification of changed records while significantly reducing system complexity and computational requirements.
3Reliability
If all records are copied during each backup operation, then backup reliability is ensured, but storage space consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary action by creating and maintaining an index file that records file identifiers and timestamps before each backup operation. This pre-computed metadata structure enables the system to identify only the changes that occurred since the last backup, allowing incremental backup that reduces storage space consumption while maintaining backup reliability through selective copying of only changed records.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements selective copying by using the index file to identify only the records that have changed since the last backup. Instead of copying all records, the system copies only the changed records identified through index file comparison, thereby reducing storage space consumption for backup archives while ensuring backup reliability through accurate change detection.
Data Source
AI summary
Method and system for incremental backup of data containers with fixed length records is provided. Initially, a backup application copies all stored data containers to create an initial backup container. A data structure corresponding to the first backup operation is also created. The data structure maintains unique file identifiers for each data container and information regarding when a record was added. The data structure is created and maintained by an application that also creates, updates, and modifies the fixed length records. The application updates the base data structure when records are added to a data container, after the initial backup. For a next backup operation, the initial data structure is compared to an updated data structure that is current at the next backup time. The comparison identifies the new records that were added (or updated) since the initial backup operation. The backup application then incrementally copies the new records.