Snapshot Backup via Virtual Volume Pointers

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional backup technologies for large enterprise systems are lengthy and resource-intensive, impacting production systems and requiring significant storage capacity, while traditional replication methods do not support recoverable states and burden the primary volume.

Innovation Solution

The implementation of snapshot replication, where a virtual volume is created with pointers to snapshot data, allowing for efficient replication of static snapshot data without impacting the production system, thereby providing a backup solution that minimizes resource consumption and storage needs.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If traditional backup processes are used to create backup copies of enterprise data, then data protection is achieved, but the process is lengthy and requires large amounts of storage capacity

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata protectionVSAvoidbackup process duration

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system creates snapshots at predetermined intervals before actual backup is needed. These snapshots capture data states at specific points in time, so when backup is required, the pre-captured snapshot can be quickly replicated without performing a full backup process, thus reducing backup duration while maintaining data protection

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of copying actual data blocks for backup, the system creates virtual volume copies that reference the original snapshot data. This virtual copying mechanism allows rapid backup creation by establishing references rather than duplicating data, significantly reducing both time and storage requirements while ensuring data protection through the replicated snapshot

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

2Reliability

If traditional backup processes are used to create backup copies of enterprise data, then data protection is achieved, but large amounts of storage capacity are required

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata protectionVSAvoidstorage capacity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The system uses virtual volume copying where the backup storage contains references to the original snapshot data rather than full data copies. This allows the backup to maintain data protection capabilities while consuming minimal additional storage capacity, as the actual data resides in the primary volume and is referenced by both the snapshot and backup

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

Solution Approach 2:

The snapshot storage and primary volume are merged into a single storage structure where the snapshot shares the same physical storage as the primary data. This eliminates the need for separate dedicated backup storage, reducing total storage capacity requirements while maintaining data protection through the snapshot replication mechanism

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Productivity

If replication is used to copy snapshot data, then backup efficiency is improved, but the primary volume may be burdened

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebackup efficiencyVSAvoidburden on primary volume

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The replication process is extracted from the primary volume's control path and handled by a dedicated replication system. The virtual volume serves as an intermediary that allows replication to occur independently of the primary volume's operations, improving backup efficiency while preventing the primary volume from being burdened by replication overhead

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The virtual volume acts as an intermediary between the primary volume and the replication system. It provides a reference-based representation of the snapshot data that can be replicated without directly accessing or burdening the primary volume, thus enabling efficient backup while isolating the primary system from replication-related loads

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS10452286B2Leveraging continuous replication to copy snapshot backup image

Publication Date: 2019.10.22 DELL PROD LP

AI summary

Systems, methods and devices provide efficient data protection by creating backup images of snapshots using the replication capabilities of the data protection system. The snapshots are point-in-time representation of a data set, where the snapshots allows recoverable states of the data set without having to make a complete copy. A snapshot to be backed up is stored in a primary volume. A virtual volume is created, the virtual volume comprising references, such as pointers, to the snapshot data stored in the primary volume. The snapshot data referenced by the virtual volume is then replicated using the replication capabilities of the data protection system. In this manner, the replication of the snapshot does not burden the primary volume that is hosting the snapshot storage.