Skipping data backed up in prior backup operations

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11669261-B2
Application number	US-202117445712-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 23, 2021
Priority date	Mar 11, 2019
Publication date	Jun 6, 2023
Grant date	Jun 6, 2023

Abstract

Certain embodiments described herein relate to an improved selective data backup system. In some embodiments, one or more components in an information management system can determine that a portion of the primary data scheduled for backup was previously backed up or is scheduled to be backed up as part of another backup operation. For example, a data agent performing a cluster-level backup operation for an entire cluster of storage servers may check whether any part of the primary data was previously backed up by a prior server-level backup operation for one of the storage servers in the cluster. If so, the data agent may skip, in the cluster-level backup operation, any portion of the primary data stored in the storage server previously backed up as part of the prior server-level backup operation.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:
receiving a request to initiate a first backup operation, wherein the first backup operation is configured to use a first type of data agent to create a backup copy of first primary data;
determining, based on a mapping table indicative of one or more other backup operations, that a portion of the first primary data to be backed up as part of the first backup operation was previously backed up as part of a second backup operation of second primary data, wherein the second backup operation used a second type of data agent to back up the second primary data, wherein the first type of data agent is configured to protect the first primary data, and wherein the second type of data agent is distinct from the first type of data agent and is configured to protect the second primary data, which includes the portion of the first primary data;
filtering the first primary data to exclude the portion of the first primary data that was previously backed up as part of the second backup operation;
based on the filtering, excluding from the first backup operation the portion of the first primary data that was previously backed up as part of the second backup operation; and
updating the mapping table to reflect the first backup operation.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first primary data meets a first backup condition, wherein the second primary data meets a second backup condition, and wherein the first primary data includes at least some data that does not meet the second backup condition; wherein data meeting the first backup condition includes all data within one or more clusters of storage servers associated with the first backup operation, and data meeting the second backup condition includes all data within one or more storage servers associated with the second backup operation.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first primary data meets a first backup condition, wherein the second primary data meets a second backup condition, and wherein the first primary data includes at least some data that does not meet the second backup condition;
wherein data meeting the first backup condition includes all data associated with one or more software applications associated with the first backup operation, and data meeting the second backup condition includes all data in one or more file systems associated with the second backup operation.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first primary data meets a first backup condition, wherein the second primary data meets a second backup condition, and wherein the first primary data includes at least some data that does not meet the second backup condition; wherein data meeting the second backup condition includes all data within one or more clusters of storage servers associated with the second backup operation, and data meeting the first backup condition includes all data within one or more storage servers associated with the first backup operation.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first primary data meets a first backup condition, wherein the second primary data meets a second backup condition, and wherein the first primary data includes at least some data that does not meet the second backup condition; wherein data meeting the second backup condition includes all data associated with one or more software applications associated with the second backup operation, and data meeting the first backup condition includes all data in one or more file systems associated with the first backup operation.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein updating the mapping table comprises modifying the mapping table such that the modified mapping table indicates that at least some primary data that was not backed up as part of the second backup operation has been backed up.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein both of the first backup operation and the second backup operation are performed using a same data transfer protocol.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining, based on the mapping table, that another portion of the first primary data was previously backed up as part of a third backup operation configured to create a copy of primary data meeting a third backup condition; and
filtering the primary data to exclude said another portion of the primary data that was previously backed up as part of the third backup operation.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein each of the first backup operation, and the second backup operation, and the third backup operation is a different one of (i) a cluster-level backup operation configured to back up data within one or more clusters of storage servers, (ii) a server-level backup operation configured to back up data within one or more storage servers, (iii) a file-system-level backup operation configured to back up data within one or more file systems, or (iv) an application-level backup operation configured to back up data generated by one or more applications.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first primary data comprises a file generated by an application, and wherein the first type of data agent is associated with the application; wherein the second primary data comprises data stored at a file server, and wherein the second type of data agent is associated with the file server; wherein the file generated by the application is stored at the file server; and wherein the portion comprises the file.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first backup operation comprises an application-level backup of an application that generates a file that is stored in a file system; wherein the second backup operation comprises a file-system-backup of at least part of the file system comprising the file; and wherein the portion comprises the file.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a computing device comprising one or more hardware processors and computer memory, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:
receiving a request to initiate a first backup operation, wherein the first backup operation is configured to use a first data agent of a first type to create a backup copy of first primary data;
determining, based on a mapping table indicative of one or more other backup operations, that a portion of the first primary data to be backed up as part of the first backup operation was previously backed up as part of a second backup operation of second primary data, wherein the second backup operation used a second data agent of a second type to back up the second primary data, wherein the first type of data agent is configured to protect the first primary data, and wherein the second type of data agent is distinct from the first type of data agent and is configured to protect the second primary data, which includes the portion of the first primary data;
filtering the first primary data to exclude the portion of the first primary data that was previously backed up as part of the second backup operation;
based on the filtering, excluding from the first backup operation the portion of the first primary data that was previously backed up as part of the second backup operation; and
updating the mapping table to reflect the first backup operation.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12 , wherein each of the first backup operation and the second backup operation is a different one of (i) a cluster-level backup operation configured to back up data within one or more clusters of storage servers, (ii) a server-level backup operation configured to back up data within one or more storage servers, (iii) a file-system-level backup operation configured to ba

Assignees

• Commvault Systems Inc

Inventors

• Littlefield Duncan Alden
• Kottomtharayil Rajiv
• Kumar Kuldeep
• Bhagi Sri Karthik
• Ahn Jun H
• Gokhale Parag

Classifications

• G06F3/0608

  Saving storage space on storage systems · CPC title

• G06F2201/83

  the solution involving signatures · CPC title

• G06F11/1451 Primary

  by selection of backup contents · CPC title

• G06F2201/81

  Threshold · CPC title

• G06F11/1469

  Backup restoration techniques · CPC title