Automated Critical Component Discovery for Server Backup
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current backup and restore operations for computing devices are error-prone and time-consuming due to the manual determination of critical and non-critical components, which can lead to incomplete backups and failed restore operations as critical components may be unintentionally left out.
Innovation Solution
A software application automates the backup and restore process by discovering and interrogating server components to identify critical components, comparing them to administrator selections, and automatically including any missed critical components, with metadata linking backup sets and providing feedback on new additions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual determination of critical components is performed by administrator, then backup selection process is simple and direct, but errors occur in identifying critical components leading to incomplete backups
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-diagnosis to automatically identify critical components and services. The backup application executes discovery and interrogation processes that query system volumes, service control managers, and application programming interfaces to determine what constitutes critical system components, eliminating reliance on administrator knowledge and manual selection.
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides feedback to administrators about discovered critical components through user interface notifications. When new critical components are detected or when critical components are excluded from backup selections, the system generates notifications to inform administrators, allowing them to review and adjust selections based on system-provided information.
2Adaptability or versatility
If administrator manually updates critical device selections, then backup can adapt to system changes, but time and effort are required for monitoring and updating
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary discovery and interrogation actions automatically to identify critical components before backup operations. By proactively querying system state, service control managers, and APIs, the system prepares accurate critical component lists in advance, eliminating the need for administrators to manually monitor and update selections as systems change.
Solution Approach 2:
The backup system automatically detects when new critical components are added to the server and updates backup selections without administrator intervention. The discovery process continuously monitors system changes and self-updates the critical component inventory, freeing administrators from manual maintenance tasks.
3Reliability
If comprehensive backup of all components is performed, then restore capability is maximized, but backup size and processing time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts and identifies only the critical subset of components necessary for system restoration. Through discovery processes that query service control managers and system APIs, the system separates critical components (those required for OS boot and basic functionality) from non-critical components, backing up only the essential subset to maintain efficiency while ensuring restore capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs partial backup actions by selectively backing up only critical components rather than all components. This partial action approach ensures sufficient restore capability for operating system recovery while avoiding the excessive processing and storage requirements of comprehensive full-system backups.
Data Source
AI summary
A system, method, and medium for automatically identifying, protecting, and recovering the critical services and components of a server. A backup application detects a request to perform a backup operation. In response, the backup application performs a discovery process to identify the critical services and components of a server. The backup application includes a user interface to display the critical services and components to an administrator. The critical services and components are then backed up to a backup storage device. The collection of critical services and components can then be recovered to a target server when a recovery operation is needed.