System and method of using performance-maintaining commands for generating a backup of unsupported file systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10360108-B2
Application number	US-201614987868-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 5, 2016
Priority date	Jan 5, 2016
Publication date	Jul 23, 2019
Grant date	Jul 23, 2019

Abstract

A system and method is disclosed for using performance-maintaining commands for generating backup data of an unsupported file system. An example method includes intercepting a plurality of data storage commands transmitted from the file system to a storage device, where the plurality of data storage commands indicating sectors of the memory of the computer that do not contain valid data. The method further includes analyzing the plurality of data storage commands to determine sectors of the memory that contains valid data, generating a data structure that indicates the sectors of the memory that contain valid data and the sector of the memory that do not contain valid data, and subsequently generating the backup data copy of the memory of the computer based on the data structure.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for generating a backup data copy of memory of a computer, the method comprising:
intercepting, by a processor, a plurality of data storage commands transmitted from a file system of the computer to a storage device, wherein the file system is unsupported by a backup software application;
interpreting the plurality of data storage commands to determine whether the commands comprise instructions to notify a storage device that one or more sectors no longer contain valid data due to user erases or operating system erases, wherein the storage device designates the one or more sectors as free space on the storage device;
analyzing, by the processor, the plurality of data storage commands to determine at least one sector of the memory containing valid data and at least one sector of the memory no longer containing valid data;
generating, by the processor, a data structure that indicates sectors of the memory that do not contain valid data and sectors of the memory that do contain valid data; and
generating, by the backup software application, the backup data copy of the memory based on the at least one sector of the memory containing valid data as identified in the data structure, wherein the backup data copy excludes the free space.

2. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising transmitting, by the processor, to an operating system of the computer a signal confirming that the processor supports the plurality of data storage commands.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the data structure is a bitmap that indicates a plurality of sectors of the memory that contain valid data.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining, by the processor, whether the file system is supported by the backup software application stored in the memory of the computer; and
generating, by the processor, the backup data copy of the memory of the computer not using the data structure if the file system is supported by the backup software application stored in the memory of the computer.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining, by the processor, whether the file system is supported by the backup software application stored in the memory of the computer;
determining, by the processor, whether the file system supports the plurality of data storage commands; and
generating, by the processor, the backup data copy of the memory of the computer on a sector-by-sector basis if the file system is not supported by the existing backup software application stored in the memory of the computer and the file system does not supports the plurality of data storage commands.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of data storage commands are at least one of a TRIM command and an UNMAP command.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the storage device comprises a solid-state drive.

8. A computer system for generating a backup copy of data, the system comprising:
electronic memory storing the data and a backup software application;
a file system;
a processor configured to:
intercept a plurality of data storage commands transmitted from a file system of the computer system to a storage device, wherein the file system is unsupported by the backup software application;
interpret the plurality of data storage commands to determine whether the commands comprise instructions to notify a storage device that one or more sectors no longer contain valid data due to user erases or operating system erases, wherein the storage device designates the one or more sectors as free space on the storage device;
analyze the plurality of data storage commands to determine at least one sector of the electronic memory containing valid data and at least one sector of the memory no longer containing valid data;
generate a data structure that indicates sectors of the electronic memory that do not contain valid data and sectors of the electronic memory that do contain valid data; and
generate, by the backup software application, the backup data copy of the data stored in the electronic memory of the computer based on the at least one sector of the memory that contains valid data as identified in the data structure, wherein the backup data copy excludes the free space.

9. The system according to claim 8 , wherein the processor is further configured to transmit to an operating system of the computer a signal confirming that the processor supports the plurality of data storage commands.

10. The system according to claim 8 , wherein the data structure is a bitmap that indicates a plurality of sectors of the memory that contain valid data.

11. The system of claim 8 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
determine whether the file system is supported by the backup software application stored in the memory of the computer; and
generate by the processor, the backup data copy of the memory of the computer not using the data structure if the file system is supported by the backup software application stored in the memory of the computer.

12. The system of claim 8 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
determine whether the file system is supported by the backup software application stored in the memory of the computer;
determine whether the file system supports the plurality of data storage commands; and
generate the backup data copy of the memory of the computer on a sector-by-sector basis if the file system is not supported by the existing backup software application stored in the memory of the computer and the file system does not supports the plurality of data storage commands.

13. The system of claim 8 , wherein the plurality of data storage commands are at least
one of a TRIM command and an UNMAP command.

14. The system of claim 8 , wherein the storage device comprises a solid-state drive.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing computer executable instructions for generating a backup data copy of memory of a computer having a file system unsupported by a backup software application, including instructions for:
intercepting a plurality of data storage commands transmitted from a file system of the computer to a storage device, wherein the file system is unsupported by the backup software application;
interpreting the plurality of data storage commands to determine whether the commands comprise instructions to notify a storage device that one or more sectors no longer contain valid data due to user erases or operating system erases, wherein the storage device designates the one or more sectors as free space on the storage device;
analyzing the plurality of data storage commands to determine at least one sector of the memory containing valid data and at least one sector of the memory no longer containing valid data;
generating a data structure that indicates sectors of the memory that do not contain valid data and sectors of the memory that do contain valid data; and
generating, by the backup software application, the backup data copy of the memory based on the at least one sector of the memory containing valid data as identified in the data structure, wherein the backup data copy excludes the free space.

16. A non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 15 , further including instructions for transmitting to an operating system of the computer a signal confirming that the processor supports the plurality of data storage commands.

17. A non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 15 , wherein the data structure is a bitmap that indicates a plurality of sectors of the memory

Assignees

• Acronis Int Gmbh

Inventors

• Per Yuri
• Protasov Stanislav
• Shmulevich Mark
• Beloussov Serguei

Classifications

• G06F11/1451 Primary

  by selection of backup contents · CPC title

• G06F16/11

  File system administration, e.g. details of archiving or snapshots (error detection or correction of the data by redundancy in operations G06F11/14) · CPC title

• G06F11/1458

  Management of the backup or restore process · CPC title