Universal Connector for NAS Incremental Backup Batching

The patent combines multiple small file backup operations into a single batched incremental backup operation. The system groups files that have changed since the last backup and processes them together in one network transaction, rather than sending individual backup requests for each file. This merging approach maintains complete backup coverage while significantly reducing network bandwidth consumption and roundtrip overhead.

The system merges multiple individual file metadata requests into a single batched metadata retrieval operation. By grouping files and querying their metadata collectively, the system maintains accurate detection of changed files while reducing the number of network roundtrips from potentially thousands (one per file) to a manageable number of batched requests, thereby improving overall backup performance.

The patent implements a universal connector that provides a multi-threaded interface capable of handling multiple backup protocols and operations simultaneously. This universal component can process different protocol types (NFS, SMB, etc.) and manage multiple backup streams in parallel, providing enhanced protocol compatibility and resource optimization. The complexity is managed by consolidating these capabilities into a single versatile connector rather than implementing separate handlers for each protocol and operation type.