Synthetic Full Backup Branch Segmentation for Data Losslessness
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional synthetic full backups only archive data associated with the active user-checkpoint branch, leading to data loss for inactive user-checkpoint branches, which are also part of the virtual disk's history.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that consider all user-checkpoint branches, generating separate branch images for active and inactive branches, ensuring that all incremental changes are preserved during the backup process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If traditional synthetic full backups only archive data associated with the active user-checkpoint branch, then backup processing time is reduced and storage space is saved, but data completeness is compromised and data loss occurs for inactive user-checkpoint branches
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the user-checkpoint tree into multiple branches (active and inactive) and processes them differently. The active branch is fully archived, while inactive branches are identified and excluded from the backup process. This segmentation allows the system to maintain data completeness for the active branch while improving processing efficiency by excluding inactive branches.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and identifies inactive user-checkpoint branches from the user-checkpoint tree and excludes them from the backup process. By taking out these inactive branches, the system reduces the amount of data that needs to be archived while maintaining completeness for the active branch, thus resolving the contradiction between data completeness and processing efficiency.
2Quantity of substance
If traditional synthetic full backups only archive data associated with the active user-checkpoint branch, then storage space is saved, but data completeness is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the user-checkpoint tree into active and inactive branches, allowing selective archiving. Only the active branch data is archived in the backup, while inactive branch data is identified and excluded. This segmentation enables the system to use storage space efficiently while maintaining data completeness for the active branch.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts inactive user-checkpoint branches from the backup process, removing them from the archiving operation. This extraction of unnecessary data (inactive branches) reduces storage space requirements while preserving data completeness for the active branch, as inactive branches do not represent current or future data needs.
3Loss of information
If all user-checkpoint branches are archived to ensure data completeness, then data losslessness is achieved, but backup processing time and storage space increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the user-checkpoint tree into active and inactive branches, enabling selective archiving of only the active branch. This segmentation allows the system to achieve data completeness for the active branch without archiving redundant inactive branch data, thus optimizing storage space usage while maintaining data completeness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and excludes inactive user-checkpoint branches from the backup process, removing unnecessary data from the archiving operation. This extraction reduces storage space requirements while maintaining data completeness for the active branch, as inactive branches represent historical data that is not needed for current recovery operations.
4Loss of information
If all user-checkpoint branches are archived to ensure data completeness, then data losslessness is achieved, but storage space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the user-checkpoint tree into active and inactive branches, allowing the backup process to focus only on the active branch. This segmentation achieves data completeness for the active branch while reducing backup processing time by excluding inactive branches from the archiving operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts inactive user-checkpoint branches from the backup process, removing them from the archiving operation. This extraction reduces backup processing time while maintaining data completeness for the active branch, as the system only processes and archives the necessary active branch data.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and system for implementing data lossless synthetic full backups. Specifically, the method and system disclosed herein improves upon traditional synthetic full backup operations by considering all user-checkpoint branches, rather than just the active user-checkpoint branch, representing all chains of incremental changes to a virtual disk of a virtual machine. In considering all user-checkpoint branches, no data pertinent to users involved in the development of the non-active (or inactive) user-checkpoint branches is lost.