Sparse Disk File Conversion for Backup Data Recovery
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current disaster recovery processes using disk-based targets are time-consuming and fail to meet modern business requirements for recovery time objectives (RTO) and recovery point objectives (RPO), especially when restoring data from virtual hard disk (VHD) or VHDx files, which require copying blocks back to host disks, leading to prolonged recovery times.
Innovation Solution
A disk file conversion mechanism that converts sparse disk files into native disk files using a fast-copy method, allowing instant access without physically copying data, enabling simultaneous access and analysis across multiple clients via block-based access interfaces like SCSI or Fibre Channel.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If block based backup is used to meet RPO with faster incremental backups, then backup speed is improved, but disaster recovery time increases because data has to be copied from the target back to the server
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a storage system with block-based access interface as an intermediary between the backup target and the server. This intermediary enables direct block-level access to backup data stored in VHD/VHDx format, eliminating the need to copy data back to the server for disaster recovery while maintaining fast incremental backup capabilities through change block tracking
2Adaptability or versatility
If VHDx backup copy is accessed through TCP networks using CIFS or DDBoost protocols, then data accessibility is improved, but recovery time increases due to network transfer overhead
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the data access path by providing block-based access interface that directly accesses backup data blocks stored in VHD/VHDx format without requiring full file-level protocol processing. This segmentation separates the critical recovery path from the general access path, enabling fast recovery while maintaining protocol-based accessibility for other operations
3Adaptability or versatility
If data is stored across multiple machines using HDFS for data analytics, then data analysis capability is improved, but system complexity and resource overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the storage system universally accessible by providing block-based access interfaces (SCSI, Fibre Channel) that can be directly attached to multiple clients and analytics platforms. This multi-functionality allows the same backup storage infrastructure to serve both traditional backup recovery and modern data analytics workloads without requiring separate HDFS infrastructure, reducing system complexity while maintaining analytical capability
Data Source
AI summary
According to one embodiment, analytics module of a storage system receives a request for analyzing a data stream stored in the storage system. In response to the request, the analytics module identifies a sparse disk file stored in the storage system representing the requested data stream. The sparse disk file includes payload blocks sparsely located and intertwined with metadata of the sparse disk file. A converter converts the sparse disk file into multiple native disk files based on the payload blocks of the sparse disk file, using a fast-copy method without having physically copying data content of the payload blocks. A block-based accessing interface is provided to allow multiple clients to concurrently access the native disk files, respectively. Each block of content represented by the native disk is accessed based on a block identifier and an offset indicating a location of the block within the native disk file.