Maintaining fastcopy-overwrite optimization using key-value pair file handles for backups cloned across namespaces

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12596617-B2
Application number	US-202318497289-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 30, 2023
Priority date	Oct 30, 2023
Publication date	Apr 7, 2026
Grant date	Apr 7, 2026

Abstract

Enhancing data replication performance by preserving fastcopy-overwrite optimization for backups cloned across namespace subdivisions in a deduplication filesystem. A process keeps a key value pair for each of the files that are being cloned from the original namespace to a subcopy namespace. The key is the file handle of the file being cloned in the original namespace and the value is the handle of the cloned file in the subcopy namespace. When a subsequent generation backup of the same asset is cloned the basefile target file relationship is transferred as is to the new file in the subcopy namespace. This maintains the basefile to target file relationship after cloning to realize fastcopy-overwrite optimization benefits for the backup to the subcopy namespace.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A computer-implemented method of processing fastcopy overwrite backups between different namespaces, comprising:
making a virtual synthetic (VS) backup of a file having a first file handle in a source namespace and designating the VS backup with a second file handle; first cloning the file to a target namespace and designating the first cloned file with a modified first file handle; creating a first key-value (KV) pair with a pair comprising the first file handle and the modified first file handle; second cloning the VS backup of the file to the target namespace and designating the second cloned VS backup with a modified second file handle; creating a second KV pair with a pair comprising the second file handle and the modified second file handle; and modifying VS information for the cloned VS backup to point to the file corresponding to the modified first file handle using the first KV pair.

2 . The method of claim 1 wherein the fastcopy overwrite backups are performed using a deduplication backup system.

3 . The method of claim 2 wherein the deduplication backup system comprises a data storage server running a Data Domain File System (DDFS).

4 . The method of claim 3 wherein the clone operation is one of a fastcopy operation or a clone-aware replication, wherein the fastcopy operation clones files on a data storage location to an alternate location within a local instance of the DDFS.

5 . The method of claim 4 wherein the fastcopy operation:
creates a brand new file or set of files at the target namespace; and
clones metadata of existing files at the source namespace to new files at the target namespace.

6 . The method of claim 5 wherein the fastcopy operation uses a set of remote procedure calls to move the file from the source namespace to the target namespace.

7 . The method of claim 4 wherein the clone-aware replication:
internally determines that the source and target namespaces reside on the same appliance; and
internally makes a clone of a backup of the fastcopy overwrite backups.

8 . The method of claim 4 wherein the file is stored in a Merkle tree structure with content data stored in a bottom level of the tree and indexed by fingerprints.

9 . The method of claim 8 wherein the fastcopy operation copies metadata of the base file comprising inode information and a reference to a top segment file in a first Merkle tree to a second directory for the target file, and wherein a second Merkle tree is generated for the target file in which the new data blocks for the overwritten data are inserted over any updated old data blocks of the first Merkle tree.

10 . The method of claim 9 wherein the modifying step comprises a rectification of a basefile to target file relationship after clone replication of the fastcopy overwrite backup to the target namespace.

11 . The method of claim 10 wherein the rectification allows operation of fastcopy overwrite optimization for the backup.

12 . A computer-implemented method of processing fastcopy overwrite backups between different namespaces, comprising:
cloning a synthetic backup of a first generation file with handle h1 from a source namespace to a target namespace to generate a second generation file with handle h1′; maintaining, as attributes of the file, a handle h0 as a basefile of the synthetic backup; making, upon cloning the file with handle h0 to create file with handle h0′ in the target namespace, a key-value (KV) entry in a KV store, wherein h0 is a handle of a basefile on the source namespace, and h0′ is a handle of an embodiment of the basefile on the target namespace, and further wherein h1 is a handle of a clone of the basefile on the source namespace, and h1′ is handle of an embodiment of the clone of the basefile on the target namespace, as h0 comprises the basefile of h1; and modifying the attributes to change a current basefile from h1′ to h0′ using the KV entry allowing a file with handle h0′ to be replicated to the target namespace, thus facilitating use of fastcopy-overwrite optimization during continuous replication of the file.

13 . The method of claim 12 wherein the modifying comprises looking up the current basefile that its attribute stores in the key-value store.

14 . The method of claim 12 wherein the fastcopy overwrite backups are performed using a deduplication backup system, and further wherein the deduplication backup system comprises a data storage server running a Data Domain File System (DDFS).

15 . The method of claim 14 wherein the clone operation is one of a fastcopy operation or a clone-aware replication, wherein the fastcopy operation clones files on a data storage location to an alternate location within a local instance of the DDFS.

16 . The method of claim 15 wherein the fastcopy operation:
creates a brand new file or set of files at the target namespace; and
clones metadata of existing files at the source namespace to new files at the target namespace, and further wherein the fastcopy operation uses a set of remote procedure calls to move the file from the source namespace to the target namespace.

17 . The method of claim 14 wherein the clone-aware replication:
internally determines that the source and target namespaces reside on the same appliance; and
internally makes a clone of the synthetic backup.

18 . A tangible, non-transitory, product having stored thereon programming code configured to perform, when executed by a processor-based computer, a method of processing fastcopy overwrite backups between different namespaces, by:
making a virtual synthetic (VS) backup of a file having a first file handle in a source namespace and designating the VS backup with a second file handle; first cloning the file to a target namespace and designating the first cloned file with a modified first file handle; creating a first key-value (KV) pair with a pair comprising the first file handle and the modified first file handle; second cloning the VS backup of the file to the target namespace and designating the second cloned VS backup with a modified second file handle; creating a second KV pair with a pair comprising the second file handle and the modified second file handle; and modifying VS information for the cloned VS backup to point to the file corresponding to the modified first file handle using the first KV pair.

19 . The product of claim 18 wherein the fastcopy overwrite backups are performed using a deduplication backup system, and further wherein the deduplication backup system comprises a data storage server running a Data Domain File System (DDFS).

20 . The product of claim 19 wherein the clone operation is one of a fastcopy operation or a clone-aware replication, wherein the fastcopy operation clones files on a data storage location to an alternate location within a local instance of the DDFS.

Assignees

• Dell Products L P

Inventors

• Madan Nitin
• Vedanthan Sanjay
• Yallapragada Srisailendra
• Bhanjois Bhimsen
• Chourasia Neerajkumar
• Katiyar Alok

Classifications

• G06F2201/80

  Database-specific techniques · CPC title

• G06F11/1453 Primary

  using de-duplication of the data · CPC title