Storage Snapshots for Continuous File Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing data protection methods, such as continuous data protection (CDP), face challenges in managing storage space and recovery time due to the overhead of storing multiple file versions, with solutions either requiring substantial storage for full file versions or complex differential data that lengthens the recovery process.
Innovation Solution
Implementing storage snapshots that are generated upon file close events or when files are reopened, with mechanisms to remove redundant snapshots, utilizing snapshot technologies like copy-on-write and redirect-on-write to reduce storage capacity impact and enhance recovery efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If full file versions are stored for each version in CDP systems, then data protection coverage is improved, but storage space consumption increases substantially
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments file versions into multiple snapshots stored at different time points. Instead of storing complete file versions continuously, the system divides protection into discrete snapshot points, where each snapshot captures only the changes since the previous snapshot. This segmentation allows comprehensive data protection while significantly reducing total storage requirements compared to storing full versions continuously.
2Quantity of substance
If differential data between versions is stored to reduce space overhead, then storage space consumption is reduced, but recovery time increases due to complex reconstruction processes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-organizing differential data into sequentially ordered snapshots with clear temporal relationships. Each snapshot is prepared in advance with metadata indicating its position in the version timeline and its relationship to previous and next snapshots. This pre-organization enables rapid recovery by allowing the system to simply retrieve and chain together the appropriate snapshots in sequence, rather than performing complex differential reconstruction calculations during recovery operations.
3Reliability
If snapshots are created on every file close event to achieve continuous protection, then data protection granularity is improved, but storage overhead increases due to redundant snapshots
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements discarding and recovering by systematically identifying and removing redundant snapshots while preserving necessary protection points. The system analyzes file access patterns and snapshot contents to determine which snapshots are duplicates or superseded by later snapshots. Redundant snapshots are discarded (removed), while essential snapshots are retained and their protection coverage is recovered through the snapshot chain mechanism, maintaining continuous protection with reduced storage overhead.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques for continuous data protection can include creating snapshots of one or more underlying storage volumes upon specific file system events. Generating snapshots upon every file close event can protect the files in a storage system by keeping a snapshot of every version or modification of each file. Removal of redundant snapshots can mitigate the impact on storage capacity associated with creating these large numbers of volume snapshots upon each file close event. Additionally, file closure lists can be employed to allow generating snapshots only when a previously closed file is reopened. Such an approach can protect the previous version of a file prior to the opening of a new version of the file. Such an approach can also mitigate storage capacity impact without the creation of redundant snapshots.