System and method for facilitating a consistent point-in time copy
US7739352B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 23, 2004 |
| Grant date | Jun 15, 2010 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 16, 2027 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F16/128
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A system and method for facilitating a consistent point-in-time copy (PITC). A data provider offers access to data by one or more clients. A client issues a PITC request for a set of data to the data provider, or the provider initiates its own request. The data provider instructs one or more clients, particularly clients accessing the set of data, to flush any pending updates involving the files. The clients acknowledge the flush request, flush their data, and notify the data provider when their flushes are complete. Post-consistency updates are deferred (e.g., using a write-aside buffer). If a client fails to acknowledge the flush request or notify of flush completion, the data provider may abort the PITC or continue because the data may not be consistent or consistency may not be assured. If not aborted, the PITC may be marked to indicate that it is incomplete.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.