Efficient mechanism to perform auto retention locking of files ingested via distributed segment processing in deduplication backup servers

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11550666-B1
Application number	US-202117489600-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Sep 29, 2021
Priority date	Sep 29, 2021
Publication date	Jan 10, 2023
Grant date	Jan 10, 2023

Abstract

A command requesting creation of a backup file and issued by a client-side deduplication library is received. Upon creating the file, a first flag is set on the file indicating that the file should be automatically retention locked after a cooling off period has elapsed. During the cooling off period, a command requesting that the file be opened for writes is received. The first flag is cleared to exclude the file from being automatically retention locked after the cooling off period has elapsed. A second flag is set on the file indicating that writes to the file are in progress. A command requesting that the file be closed, the writes to the backup file thereby being complete, is received. The second flag is cleared. The first flag is reset to allow the file to be automatically retention locked after the cooling off period has elapsed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
receiving a command, issued by a client-side deduplication library, requesting creation of a backup file;
upon creating the backup file, setting a first flag on the backup file indicating that the backup file should be automatically retention locked after a cooling off period has elapsed;
during the cooling off period, receiving a command, issued by the client-side deduplication library, requesting that the backup file be opened for writes;
clearing the first flag to exclude the backup file from being automatically retention locked after the cooling off period has elapsed;
setting a second flag on the backup file indicating that writes to the backup file are in progress;
receiving a command, issued by the client-side deduplication library, requesting that the backup file be closed, the writes to the backup file thereby being complete;
clearing the second flag; and
resetting the first flag to allow the backup file to be automatically retention locked after the cooling off period has elapsed.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
setting the first flag on a second backup file indicating that the second backup file should be automatically retention locked after the cooling off period has elapsed;
during the cooling off period, receiving a command requesting that the second backup file be opened for writes;
clearing the first flag set on the second backup file to exclude the second backup file from being automatically retention locked after the cooling off period has elapsed;
setting the second flag on the second backup file indicating that writes to the second backup file are in progress;
after an interruption of the writes to the second backup file and after the cooling off period has elapsed, scanning a backup storage system on which the second backup file was stored;
identifying the second backup file as being abandoned based on the second flag having been set; and
deleting the second backup file, wherein the deletion of the second backup file is allowed because the first flag set on the second backup file was cleared and not reset, the second backup file thereby not having been automatically retention locked despite the cooling off period having elapsed.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
after the setting a second flag, receiving, from the client-side deduplication library, data segments to be written to the backup file, the data segments corresponding to fingerprints that a deduplication server has determined to not match with fingerprints of data segments already stored by the deduplication server.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
setting the first flag on a second backup file indicating that the second backup file should be automatically retention locked after the cooling off period has elapsed;
after the cooling period has elapsed, automatically retention locking the second backup file;
receiving a command requesting that the second backup file be opened for writes; and
failing the command to open the second backup file because the second backup file has been retention locked.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
after the setting a second flag, receiving, from the client-side deduplication library, a list of fingerprints corresponding to data segments that are to be backed up;
filtering the fingerprints against an index of fingerprints corresponding to data segments already backed up;
based on the filtering, identifying fingerprints corresponding to data segments that have yet to be backed up, and fingerprints corresponding to data segments that have already been backed up;
sending the fingerprints corresponding to the data segments that have yet to be backed up to the client-side deduplication library; and
receiving, from the client-side deduplication library, the data segments that have yet to be backed up.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
after the clearing the second flag and resetting the first flag, determining that the cooling off period has elapsed; and
upon the cooling off period having elapsed, automatically retention locking the backup file.

7. A system comprising: a processor; and memory configured to store one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to carry out the steps of:
receiving a command, issued by a client-side deduplication library, requesting creation of a backup file;
upon creating the backup file, setting a first flag on the backup file indicating that the backup file should be automatically retention locked after a cooling off period has elapsed;
during the cooling off period, receiving a command, issued by the client-side deduplication library, requesting that the backup file be opened for writes;
clearing the first flag to exclude the backup file from being automatically retention locked after the cooling off period has elapsed;
setting a second flag on the backup file indicating that writes to the backup file are in progress;
receiving a command, issued by the client-side deduplication library, requesting that the backup file be closed, the writes to the backup file thereby being complete;
clearing the second flag; and
resetting the first flag to allow the backup file to be automatically retention locked after the cooling off period has elapsed.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the processor further carries out the steps of:
setting the first flag on a second backup file indicating that the second backup file should be automatically retention locked after the cooling off period has elapsed;
during the cooling off period, receiving a command requesting that the second backup file be opened for writes;
clearing the first flag set on the second backup file to exclude the second backup file from being automatically retention locked after the cooling off period has elapsed;
setting the second flag on the second backup file indicating that writes to the second backup file are in progress;
after an interruption of the writes to the second backup file and after the cooling off period has elapsed, scanning a backup storage system on which the second backup file was stored;
identifying the second backup file as being abandoned based on the second flag having been set; and
deleting the second backup file, wherein the deletion of the second backup file is allowed because the first flag set on the second backup file was cleared and not reset, the second backup file thereby not having been automatically retention locked despite the cooling off period having elapsed.

9. The system of claim 7 wherein the processor further carries out the steps of:
after the setting a second flag, receiving, from the client-side deduplication library, data segments to be written to the backup file, the data segments corresponding to fingerprints that a deduplication server has determined to not match with fingerprints of data segments already stored by the deduplication server.

10. The system of claim 7 wherein the processor further carries out the steps of:
setting the first flag on a second backup file indicating that the second backup file should be automatically retention locked after the cooling off period has elapsed;
after the cooling period has elapsed, automatically retention locking the second backup file;
receiving a command requesting that the second backup file be opened for writes; and
failing the command to open the second backup file because the second backup file has been retention locked.

11. The system of claim 7 wherein the processor further carries out the steps of:
after the setting a second flag, receiving, from the client-side deduplication library

Assignees

• Dell Products Lp

Inventors

• Gunda Kalyan C
• Rath Jagannathdas
• Lewis Donna Barry

Classifications

• G06F16/1748 Primary

  De-duplication implemented within the file system, e.g. based on file segments (de-duplication techniques in storage systems for the management of data blocks G06F3/0641) · CPC title

• G06F11/1461

  Backup scheduling policy · CPC title

• G06F11/1448 Primary

  Management of the data involved in backup or backup restore · CPC title

• G06F9/4837

  time dependent · CPC title

• G06F11/1453

  using de-duplication of the data · CPC title