Synthetic Full Backup via Metadata Tracking
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current backup technologies face performance degradation during production workloads due to the need for kernel drivers in block-based backups and file system crawling in file-based backups, which can compromise security and efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A hybrid approach combining block-based, file-based, and metadata-based backup mechanisms to perform driver-less, crawling-free file system backups, utilizing snapshots and modified metadata to identify changed assets for incremental backups, thereby generating synthetic full backups.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If block-based backup with kernel drivers is used, then backup reliability is improved, but system performance degradation occurs during production workloads
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a file system metadata structure as an intermediary layer between the backup system and the actual file system data. This metadata structure tracks file locations and change status without requiring kernel drivers to intercept or monitor file system operations, thereby maintaining backup reliability through systematic tracking while avoiding performance degradation from driver-based intervention.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical kernel driver approach with a metadata-based tracking system. Instead of using kernel drivers to monitor and capture file system changes (mechanical intervention), the system uses metadata structures that automatically record file locations and change status, substituting the driver-based mechanism with a lighter metadata management approach.
2Reliability
If file system crawling is performed to identify changed assets, then backup completeness is improved, but processing time and computational resources increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by pre-establishing a metadata structure that automatically tracks file locations and change status before backup operations are needed. This metadata is maintained continuously in the background, so when a backup is required, the system can immediately identify changed assets from the pre-computed metadata without performing time-consuming file system crawling during the backup process.
Solution Approach 2:
The metadata structure serves itself by automatically tracking and updating file change status without requiring external intervention or crawling operations. The system self-maintains the information needed for backup identification through its metadata management capabilities, eliminating the need for separate crawling processes to discover changed files.
3Quantity of substance
If incremental backups are performed frequently to reduce data volume, then storage efficiency is improved, but identification of changed assets becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a metadata structure as an intermediary that simplifies the identification of changed assets for incremental backups. This metadata layer provides a straightforward mechanism to track which files have changed, eliminating the complexity of analyzing file system changes directly and enabling efficient identification of assets requiring incremental backup.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for managing a full backup includes: generating a BBB of a file system, in which the BBB is a full backup of the file system and is generated using a snapshot of the file system; obtaining, using a MBB mechanism, modified file system metadata from the snapshot; obtaining second modified file system metadata from a second snapshot of the file system, in which the snapshot is generated at a first point in time and the second snapshot is generated at a second point in time; comparing the modified file system metadata and the second modified file system metadata to obtain a list of changed assets; initiating an incremental backup of the list of changed assets, in which the list of changed assets is backed up using a FBB mechanism; and generating a synthetic full backup by combining the full backup and the incremental backup.