Patent · US Expired

Method and apparatus for efficiently backing up files using multiple computer systems

US6003044A · kind A · utility

47Cited by
9References
17Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateOct 31, 1997
Grant dateDec 14, 1999
Priority date
Expiry dateOct 31, 2017

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY10S707/99955
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A system and method backs up computer files to backup drives connected to multiple computer systems. Each file in a backup set is allocated to one or more backup subsets for each of the multiple computer systems. The files can be allocated in an even number across each subset, allocated to evenly spread the number of bytes to each subset, or, using the capacity of each of the multiple computer systems, allocated so that each computer system can complete backing up the files allocated to it in approximately the same amount of time. The system can restrict the number of bytes continuously required from a single disk by one of the backup machines from exceeding a threshold limit. Each of the multiple computer systems is then directed to, and the computer systems do, back up files in one or more subsets, which may be allocated to that computer system.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.