Network Folder Synchronization via Backup Pointers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing data management systems face challenges in efficiently managing and protecting large volumes of data across networks, particularly in making backed-up data accessible from any network while minimizing computational resource usage and avoiding time-consuming data migration.
Innovation Solution
A networked information management system that allows files to be added to a network-accessible folder by converting them into a backup format and storing them in secondary memory, with a pointer to the backup copy being transmitted to the network-accessible folder, enabling access without actual file transfer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If files are migrated to network-accessible storage for accessibility, then data availability is improved, but computational resource usage and time consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates a pointer or reference copy instead of copying the actual file data to network-accessible storage. When a file is added to a network-accessible folder, only a pointer to the original file is stored, allowing multiple clients to access the same file without duplicating the actual data, thereby reducing computational resource usage while maintaining data accessibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces a pointer as an intermediary between the client and the actual file data. Instead of directly transferring or storing file contents in network-accessible storage, the pointer acts as a mediator that references the original file location, enabling efficient access without the overhead of actual data migration.
2Ease of operation
If files are migrated to network-accessible storage, then data availability is improved, but time consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system stores only a pointer copy rather than the full file copy, reducing the time required to create the network-accessible reference from minutes or hours to seconds, while still enabling fast file access through the pointer reference.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary indexing and pointer creation when files are first added to the network-accessible folder, so that subsequent access operations can immediately retrieve files through the pre-created pointers without requiring real-time data migration or processing.
3Reliability
If synchronization is performed for all files, then data consistency is improved, but computational overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts and tracks only the file pointer metadata rather than the entire file content during synchronization operations. This reduces the synchronization complexity and computational overhead while maintaining data consistency, as only the pointer references need to be synchronized rather than the actual file data.
Data Source
AI summary
An information management system is provided herein that combines data backup and data migration operations such that data appears available in a network-accessible folder when in fact the data is stored as a secondary copy in a secondary storage device. For example, a user can indicate that a first file should be added to the network-accessible folder. A client computing device can transmit the first file to a secondary storage computing device that performs a backup operation to store a backup copy of the first file in the secondary storage device. The secondary storage computing device can also generate an index of the first file, which includes a location of the backup copy of the first file, and transmit the index to a server that manages the network-accessible folder. Thus, the backup copy of the first file can be retrieved if the first file is selected via the network-accessible folder.