Object Storage Data Restore Using Reverse Delta Synthesis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing data protection systems face inefficiencies in restoring the most recent version of data due to high computational costs and storage consumption, particularly when using deduplication methods and storing fully changed data blocks or standard incremental changes, which delays restore times and increases costs.
Innovation Solution
A system that organizes data into fixed-size sequential blocks and uses reverse delta objects to efficiently manage full and incremental backups, allowing for the quick restoration of the most recent data version by storing only the most recent version and using delta records to synthesize previous versions, thereby minimizing storage and computational requirements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If standard incremental changes (forward deltas) are stored for disaster recovery, then data protection is achieved, but restore time is significantly delayed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the traditional forward delta approach by using reverse deltas. Instead of storing changes from an older version to a newer version (forward in time), the system stores changes from the newest version backward to older versions. This inversion allows the most recent data version to be stored in full, enabling immediate restoration without applying multiple incremental changes, thus resolving the contradiction between data protection and restore time.
2Reliability
If fully changed data blocks are stored for disaster recovery, then data integrity is maintained, but storage consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and stores only the changed portions of data blocks rather than storing entire data blocks. By identifying and storing only the delta portions (changed segments) in reverse chronological order, the system maintains data integrity while significantly reducing storage consumption compared to storing complete data blocks for each version.
3Quantity of substance
If deduplication methods are used to avoid storing duplicate data, then storage efficiency is improved, but computational cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary actions by pre-computing and storing reverse delta information during the backup process. Instead of performing computationally intensive deduplication operations at restore time, the system prepares reverse delta objects in advance that can be quickly applied during restoration, shifting the computational burden to the backup phase when resources are more readily available.
Data Source
AI summary
Restoring data stored by a backup process in an object store of a cloud network by initiating a restore request to a server accessing the object store, by providing a source identifier of one or more data blocks of the requested data and a timestamp for a backup image at a requested point in time (PIT). The server manages a queue of blocks in temporary storage to provide blocks for retrieval by the client, and initially fills the queue with blocks from a full backup and unchanged by any incremental backup to the requested PIT. In response to the request, the server assembles blocks that are changed from the full backup through one or more incremental backups to the requested PIT using a full block synthesis process employing forward and reverse delta objects, and sends to the client the blocks initially filled in the queue with the assembled blocks to return a full PIT backup image for the requested PIT.