Block status mapping system for reducing virtual machine backup storage
US8996468B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 16, 2010 |
| Grant date | Mar 31, 2015 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 3, 2030 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F2201/815
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
Systems and methods programmatically determine the status of blocks in a virtual machine image. In certain embodiments, the system can determine which blocks are active, deleted, zero, or a combination of the same. In certain embodiments, the system advantageously determines block status without scanning all the blocks in a virtual machine image. Instead, the system can access metadata in a file system of a virtual machine image to determine the block status. When backing up the virtual machine image, the system can back up active blocks while skipping inactive blocks, including deleted and/or zero blocks. As a result, the system can take less time to back up a virtual machine image, and the resulting backup file or files can consume less storage space.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.