Selective Volume Image Backup via Metadata Mapping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current volume image backup methods are limited to backing up entire volumes, resulting in unnecessary bandwidth and storage consumption, as they cannot selectively backup individual files or folders, which is inefficient especially in remote office scenarios where only critical data needs to be protected.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus that processes metadata and mapping information to identify and backup only selected data blocks within a source volume, configuring a file system hierarchy and storing these blocks in image files, allowing for selective volume image backups of objects.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If entire volume backup is performed, then data protection completeness is improved, but bandwidth and storage consumption increase unnecessarily
Solution Approach 1:
The backup system segments the volume into individual objects (files and folders) and allows selective backup of specific objects rather than backing up the entire volume. This is achieved through object-level selection interfaces and selective data block copying based on object criteria, thereby protecting only critical data while reducing unnecessary bandwidth and storage consumption.
2Loss of energy
If selective object backup is implemented, then bandwidth and storage usage are optimized, but backup system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces an intermediary layer consisting of object selection interfaces, metadata processing components, and mapping information structures that mediate between the user's selection criteria and the actual backup operation. This intermediary layer manages the complexity of selective backup by providing structured mechanisms for object identification, selection, and tracking, thereby optimizing bandwidth and storage usage while containing system complexity through organized intermediate processing.
3Productivity
If volume image backup of selected objects is implemented, then backup efficiency is improved, but compatibility with existing backup formats may be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The backup system implements multi-functionality by supporting both traditional full volume backup operations and new selective object backup operations within the same volume image backup framework. The system can create volume image backups that contain either entire volumes or selected objects based on user criteria, maintaining compatibility with existing backup formats while enabling efficient selective backup operations, thereby improving backup efficiency without sacrificing adaptability.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and apparatus for providing a volume image backup of selected objects is provided. In one embodiment, a method for creating volume image backups using selected objects of a source volume, comprises processing metadata and mapping information regarding at least one object of a source volume, wherein the mapping information is used to identify at least one data block within the source volume for the at least one object, wherein the at least one object is selected from a plurality of objects configuring a file system hierarchy of at least one image file using the metadata and storing the at least one data block in the at least one image file using the mapping information.