Capturing Post-Snapshot Quiescence Writes in Linear Image Backup Chains
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing image backup chains lack the improved state afforded by post-snapshot quiescence technology, leading to incomplete data during restoration, as post-snapshot quiescence writes are not typically captured, resulting in a snapshot that no longer represents the exact state of the source storage at the snapshot time.
Innovation Solution
The method involves taking snapshots of a source storage at specific points in time, identifying block positions that are allocated or written to during post-snapshot quiescence, and calculating and copying relevant block positions to create incremental image backups that represent the source storage in a post-snapshot quiescence state, ensuring that the image backup chain accurately reflects the source storage's state.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If post-snapshot quiescence writes are captured in the image backup chain, then data completeness and restoration accuracy are improved, but the complexity of the backup process increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary identification of block positions that will be written during post-snapshot quiescence before the actual backup occurs. By pre-identifying these blocks and incorporating them into the backup chain, the system ensures data completeness without requiring complex real-time monitoring during the backup process itself.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback mechanisms to track which blocks are allocated or written to during post-snapshot quiescence. This feedback information is then used to dynamically adjust the backup chain, ensuring that all necessary blocks are included while maintaining an organized and manageable backup process.
2Reliability
If all allocated blocks are backed up using image backup technique, then data completeness is improved, but bandwidth overhead and processing time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts only the specific blocks that are allocated or written to during post-snapshot quiescence from the entire storage system. By isolating and backing up only these relevant blocks rather than all allocated blocks, the system maintains data completeness while significantly reducing the bandwidth overhead and processing time associated with traditional image backup of entire storage systems.
Data Source
AI summary
Capturing post-snapshot quiescence writes in a linear image backup chain. In one example embodiment, a method for capturing post-snapshot quiescence writes in a linear image backup chain may include taking a first snapshot of a source storage at a first point in time, identifying a first set of block positions of blocks that are allocated in the source storage at the first point in time, identifying a second set of block positions of blocks that are written to the first snapshot during post-snapshot quiescence of the first snapshot, resulting in a first quiesced snapshot, copying the blocks in the first set of block positions from the first snapshot to a full image backup, and copying the blocks in the second set of block positions from the first quiesced snapshot to a first incremental image backup.