Near Continuous Data Protection via One-Pass Delta Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current backup technologies face challenges with high recovery point objective (RPO) due to performance interruptions caused by snapshot operations, limiting the frequency and availability of snapshots, especially on the production side, and resulting in an insufficient number of point-in-time backups at the target site.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a one-pass delta mechanism using two maps to reduce RPO to seconds, which enables near continuous data protection by generating deltas without the need for a splitter, thereby reducing complexity and overhead, and allowing continuous or near-continuous data protection with reduced reliance on snapshots.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If snapshot operations are performed to protect data, then data protection capability is improved, but system performance is degraded due to IO interruptions and stuning requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the backup process into two independent phases: a data copy phase that runs continuously without impacting production, and a validation phase that ensures data integrity. This segmentation allows the production system to continue normal operations while backup operations proceed separately, eliminating the performance degradation caused by traditional snapshot stuning.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary validation mechanism that checks data integrity without requiring the production system to be stunned or quiesced. This intermediary validation process allows continuous data protection while maintaining production performance, as it operates independently on the copied data rather than requiring system-wide pauses.
2Loss of time
If snapshot frequency is increased to reduce RPO, then data protection granularity is improved, but the number of available snapshots at target site is limited due to performance constraints
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements continuous data copying without interruption to production operations. The background copy process runs continuously in the background, capturing data changes as they occur without requiring periodic system stuning. This continuous action enables frequent snapshots with reduced RPO while maintaining unlimited availability at the target site, as each snapshot is independently created without performance impact.
3Reliability
If traditional snapshot methods are used, then data protection is achieved, but complexity increases due to the need for splitters and multiple passes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the validation function from the traditional snapshot process, separating it from the data copying mechanism. This extraction eliminates the need for complex splitter components and multiple-pass operations, as validation is performed independently on the copied data. The result is simplified backup process complexity while maintaining robust data protection through the independent validation mechanism.
Data Source
AI summary
One example method includes performing delta operations to protect data. Each delta generated by a data protection operation includes data. The deltas are stored in a delta queue, when moving a current replica to another point in time represented by the selected delta in the delta queue, the deltas are processed so that all relevant data can be applied in a batch. This ensures that when the same extents are represented in multiple deltas, only the oldest version is applied to the replica volume to move the current replica to the selected point in time.