System and method for instant access of data in file based backups in a backup storage system using metadata files

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11892910-B2
Application number	US-202117383074-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 22, 2021
Priority date	Jun 9, 2021
Publication date	Feb 6, 2024
Grant date	Feb 6, 2024

Abstract

A method for managing file based backups (FBBs) includes obtaining, by a FBB metadata file manager, a FBB mount request for a FBB mount of a FBB from an application, wherein the application is executing in a production host environment, in response to the FBB mount request, the FBB metadata file manager: identifies a FBB in a backup storage system, obtains a FBB metadata file corresponding to the FBB from the backup storage system, performs an attribute analysis to identify the storage location attributes in the FBB metadata file, stores a FBB virtual file system in the production host environment using the storage location attributes, and enables access to the FBB virtual file system by the application.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for managing file based backups (FBBs), the method comprising:
obtaining, by a FBB metadata file manager, a FBB mount request for a FBB mount of a FBB from an application, wherein the application is executing in a production host environment, and wherein the FBB comprises file system data comprising data tags and a FBB metadata file;
in response to the FBB mount request, the FBB metadata file manager:
identifies a FBB in a backup storage system;
obtains the FBB metadata file corresponding to the FBB from the backup storage system;
performs an attribute analysis to identify storage location attributes in the FBB metadata file;
stores a FBB virtual file system in the production host environment using the storage location attributes; and
enables access to the FBB virtual file system by the application;

obtaining, from the application, a file request for at least a portion of the file system data stored in the FBB;
in response to the file request:
identifying a storage of the portion of the file system data in the backup storage system via the FBB virtual file system;
initiating generation of a temporary storage device, separate from the backup storage system, that comprises a copy of the portion of the file system data from the backup storage system, wherein the copy does not include data tags; and
initiating access to the temporary storage device by the application.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the FBB is stored in a common data streaming format (CDSF).

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the FBB metadata file comprises a plurality of root paths for a file system of the FBB.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the storage location attributes comprise at least one of: a file identifier attribute, a parent file identifier and a container identifier, a file size, a hash value, and an offset.

5. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer readable program code, which when executed by a computer processor enables the computer processor to perform a method for managing file based backups (FBBs), the method comprising:
obtaining, by a FBB metadata file manager, a FBB mount request for a FBB mount of a FBB from an application, wherein the application is executing in a production host environment, and wherein the FBB comprises file system data comprising data tags and a FBB metadata file;
in response to the FBB mount request, the FBB metadata file manager:
identifies a FBB in a backup storage system;
obtains the FBB metadata file corresponding to the FBB from the backup storage system;
performs an attribute analysis to identify storage location attributes in the FBB metadata file;
stores a FBB virtual file system in the production host environment using the storage location attributes; and
enables access to the FBB virtual file system by the application;

obtaining, from the application, a file request for at least a portion of the file system data stored in the FBB;
in response to the file request:
identifying a storage of the portion of the file system data in the backup storage system via the FBB virtual file system;
initiating generation of a temporary storage device, separate from the backup storage system, that comprises a copy of the portion of the file system data from the backup storage system, wherein the copy does not include data tags; and
initiating access to the temporary storage device by the application.

6. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 5 , wherein the FBB is stored in a common data streaming format (CDSF).

7. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 5 , wherein the FBB metadata file comprises a plurality of root paths for a file system of the FBB.

8. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 5 , wherein the storage location attributes comprise at least one of: a file identifier attribute, a parent file identifier and a container identifier, a file size, a hash value, and an offset.

9. A system comprising:
a processor; and
memory comprising instructions, which when executed by the processor, perform a method comprising:
obtaining, by a FBB metadata file manager, a FBB mount request for a FBB mount of a FBB from an application, wherein the application is executing in a production host environment, and wherein the FBB comprises file system data comprising data tags and a FBB metadata file;
in response to the FBB mount request, the FBB metadata file manager:
identifies a FBB in a backup storage system;
obtains the FBB metadata file corresponding to the FBB from the backup storage system;
performs an attribute analysis to identify storage location attributes in the FBB metadata file;
stores a FBB virtual file system in the production host environment using the storage location attributes; and
enables access to the FBB virtual file system by the application;

obtaining, from the application, a file request for at least a portion of the file system data stored in the FBB;
in response to the file request:
identifying a storage of the portion of the file system data in the backup storage system via the FBB virtual file system;
initiating generation of a temporary storage device, separate from the backup storage system, that comprises a copy of the portion of the file system data from the backup storage system, wherein the copy does not include data tags; and

initiating access to the temporary storage device by the application.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the FBB is stored in a common data streaming format (CDSF).

11. The system of claim 9 , wherein the FBB metadata file comprises a plurality of root paths for a file system of the FBB.

12. The system of claim 9 , wherein the storage location attributes comprise at least one of: a file identifier attribute, a parent file identifier and a container identifier, a file size, a hash value, and an offset.

Assignees

• Emc Ip Holding Co Llc

Inventors

• Yadav Sunil
• Chitloor Ravi Vijayakumar
• Chopra Shelesh

Classifications

• G06F11/1448 Primary

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

• G06F9/541

  via adapters, e.g. between incompatible applications · CPC title

• G06F11/1451

  by selection of backup contents · CPC title

• G06F11/1458

  Management of the backup or restore process · CPC title

• G06F16/148

  File search processing · CPC title