Patent · US Expired

Apparatus, system, and method for differential backup using snapshot on-write data

US7284019B2 · kind B2 · utility

14Cited by
6References
23Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateAug 18, 2004
Grant dateOct 16, 2007
Priority date
Expiry dateDec 20, 2025

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY10S707/99953
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for differential data backup using snapshot on-write data. A snapshot module maintains an on-write data structure that captures a point-in-time or temporal instance of a data set by tracking modifications to data blocks of a data set. A backup module copies the data set to a backup data storage device as a full data set backup. In addition, the backup module copies each modified data block indicated by the on-write data structure and a differential time stamp to the backup data storage device as a differential data set backup. The full data set backup and one or more differential data set backups form a plurality of temporal instances of the data set. In one embodiment, a restore module recovers a selected instance of the data set responsive to receiving a restore command by copying the full data set backup to a target data storage device. In addition, the restore module may copy the differential data set backup to the target data storage device if the differential time stamp corresponds to a target time value.

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