Single Snapshot for Multiple Applications via Metadata Mapping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current systems take inefficient snapshots of entire logical volumes even when only one application requests a snapshot, leading to unused data and resource wastage, particularly in environments with multiple applications sharing the same volume.
Innovation Solution
An information management system that coordinates snapshot operations to take a single snapshot for multiple applications with similar snapshot frequencies, creating metadata to identify which data belongs to which application, and stores this snapshot in secondary storage, allowing for efficient data restoration and reduced resource usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a snapshot is taken of the entire logical volume to accommodate one application's request, then the requesting application can restore its data, but unused data from other applications is also captured, creating system inefficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the logical volume into application-specific data portions by creating metadata that maps data blocks to their originating applications. This allows the system to take snapshots of only the relevant application data portions rather than the entire volume, eliminating waste of storage resources and system overhead while maintaining complete restoration capability for the requesting application.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple snapshots are taken for multiple applications on the same volume, then each application can independently restore its data, but the number of snapshots increases, consuming more storage and licensing resources
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple application-specific snapshot requirements into a single unified snapshot operation. By creating metadata that identifies which portions of the snapshot belong to which applications, the system can capture data for multiple applications in one snapshot, thereby reducing the total number of snapshots stored while maintaining the ability for each application to independently restore its specific data portions.
3Reliability
If the entire logical volume is snapshotted, then all data is captured for potential restoration, but the snapshot size increases, requiring more storage capacity and increasing licensing costs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the necessary application-specific data portions from the logical volume for snapshotting. By using metadata to identify and extract relevant data blocks belonging to the requesting application, the system creates smaller, more efficient snapshots that contain only the required data, thereby reducing storage capacity requirements and associated licensing costs while maintaining complete protection for the targeted application data.
Data Source
AI summary
An information management system according to certain aspects may be configured to generate a snapshot of data relating to a plurality of applications. The system may include a plurality of data agents, wherein each data agent is associated with at least one of a plurality of applications, and data generated by the plurality of applications is stored in a logical volume in primary storage. The system may also include a snapshot manager configured to detect the plurality of applications; check with the plurality of data agents whether the associated applications are in consistent states; obtain a snapshot of the logical volume in response to receiving notifications from the plurality of data agents that the associated applications are in consistent states; and generate mapping information between a particular one of the plurality of applications and a portion of the snapshot relating to the particular one of the plurality of applications.