Synthesizing format-specific full backup images

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12353298-B2
Application number	US-202318199284-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 18, 2023
Priority date	May 10, 2019
Publication date	Jul 8, 2025
Grant date	Jul 8, 2025

Abstract

Certain embodiments described herein relate to an improved synthetic full backup image generation system. In some embodiments, one or more components in an information management system can identify a file-server-created backup copy in a particular backup format of a plurality of backup formats, determine structure information associated with the particular backup format, and generate a synthetic full backup copy according to the structure information, where the synthetic full backup copy is also in the particular backup format identical to that of the file-server-created backup copy.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:
identifying, by a secondary storage computing device, a first full backup copy that is based on primary data,
wherein the first full backup copy was generated at a first time, in a first backup format, by a network attached storage that stores the primary data,
wherein the network attached storage is distinct from the secondary storage computing device, and
wherein the first full backup copy is stored at one or more data storage devices that are distinct from the network attached storage and that are communicatively coupled to the secondary storage computing device;

identifying, by the secondary storage computing device, one or more incremental backup copies based on the primary data,
wherein the one or more incremental backup copies are associated with the first full backup copy and were generated by the network attached storage at one or more times after the first time, in the first backup format;

determining, by the secondary storage computing device, a first arrangement of data within the first full backup copy and within the one or more incremental backup copies,
wherein the first arrangement is specific to the first backup format,
wherein determining the first arrangement is based on an index maintained by the secondary storage computing device,
wherein the index comprises metadata associated with at least the first full backup copy and the one or more incremental backup copies that describes, at least in part, the first arrangement of data;

generating, by the secondary storage computing device, a second full backup copy that is based on the first full backup copy and the one or more incremental backup copies,
wherein the second full backup copy represents a state of the primary data at a time when a most recent one of the one or more incremental backup copies was generated by the network attached storage, and
wherein the second full backup copy is in the first backup format; and

storing the second full backup copy at the one or more data storage devices.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising: receiving, by the secondary storage computing device, the first full backup copy and the one or more incremental backup copies from the network attached storage; and storing, by the secondary storage computing device, the first full backup copy and the one or more incremental backup copies at the one or more data storage devices.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein generating the second full backup copy in the first backup format is based on the metadata in the index.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the secondary storage computing device is configured to synthesize the second full backup copy, in the first backup format from the first full backup copy and the one or more incremental backup copies.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein generating the second full backup copy is based on a request to restore data, to the network attached storage, to the state of the primary data at the time when the most recent one of the one or more incremental backup copies was generated.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein generating the first full backup copy is based on a request transmitted by the secondary storage computing device to the network attached storage.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, by the secondary storage computing device, a request to restore the second full backup copy from the one or more data storage devices to the network attached storage; and transmitting the second full backup copy to the network attached storage, wherein the network attached storage is configured to restore the second full backup copy from the first backup format to a primary data format of the primary data.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising: after storing the second full backup copy at the one or more data storage devices, removing, by the secondary storage computing device, the first full backup copy and the one or more incremental backup copies from the one or more data storage devices.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the first arrangement of data indicates an order in which file data corresponding to a plurality of files in the primary data is to be arranged in the second full backup copy.

10. A system comprising:
a secondary storage computing device that comprises one or more hardware processors, wherein the secondary storage computing device is in communication with a first file server and with one or more data storage devices, and wherein the secondary storage computing device is configured to:
identify a first full backup copy that is based on primary data,
wherein the first full backup copy was generated at a first time, in a first backup format, by the first file server that stores the primary data, and
wherein the first full backup copy is stored at the one or more data storage devices, which are distinct from the first file server;

identify one or more incremental backup copies based on the primary data,
wherein the one or more incremental backup copies are associated with the first full backup copy and were generated by the first file server, in the first backup format, at one or more times after the first time;

determine a first arrangement of data within the first full backup copy and within the one or more incremental backup copies,
wherein the first arrangement is specific to the first backup format;

maintain an index that comprises metadata associated with at least the first full backup copy and the one or more incremental backup copies, wherein the metadata describes, at least in part, the first arrangement of data,
determine the first arrangement based on the metadata in the index;
generate a second full backup copy that is based on the first full backup copy and the one or more incremental backup copies,
wherein the second full backup copy represents a state of the primary data at a time when a most recent one of the one or more incremental backup copies was generated by the first file server, and
wherein the second full backup copy is in the first backup format, and
wherein generating the second full backup copy in the first backup format is based on the metadata in the index; and

store the second full backup copy at the one or more data storage devices.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the secondary storage computing device is further configured to: receive the first full backup copy and the one or more incremental backup copies from the first file server; and store the first full backup copy and the one or more incremental backup copies at the one or more data storage devices.

12. The system of claim 10 , wherein the secondary storage computing device is further configured to: synthesize the second full backup copy, in the first backup format of the first file server, from the first full backup copy and the one or more incremental backup copies, responsive to a request to restore data to the first file server to the state of the primary data at the time when the most recent one of the one or more incremental backup copies was generated.

13. The system of claim 10 , wherein the secondary storage computing device is further configured to: generate the second full backup copy based on a request to restore data to the first file server to the state of the primary data at the time when the most recent one of the one or more incremental backup copies was generated.

14. The system of claim 10 , wherein generating the first full back

Assignees

• Commvault Systems Inc

Inventors

• Littlefield Duncan Alden
• Karthikeyan Sowdambiga

Classifications

• G06F11/1466

  to make the backup process non-disruptive · CPC title

• G06F11/1461

  Backup scheduling policy · CPC title

• G06F11/1448

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

• G06F11/1451

  by selection of backup contents · CPC title

• G06F11/1469 Primary

  Backup restoration techniques · CPC title