Prioritizing backup of endpoint devices in enterprise network environments

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016335283-A1
Application number	US-201514709402-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 11, 2015
Priority date	May 11, 2015
Publication date	Nov 17, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A backup system is described for prioritizing backup data in enterprise networks. Messages containing data to be backed up are received at a backup server from endpoint devices and a priority value is determined for each message based on numerous factors, such as the organizational role of the user of the endpoint, the time since last backup, average upload speed, frequency of backups, and other properties. The system prioritizes backing up of messages based on the priority value of the messages.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method, comprising:
receiving at a backup server messages containing backup data from a plurality of endpoint devices, wherein the endpoint devices send the messages to the backup server to backup data on a backup database; determining a priority value corresponding to each message based on properties related to the endpoint device from which the message is received; placing each message into a queue that temporarily stores messages before messages are written to the backup database; and processing the messages from the queue to the backup database according to the priority value corresponding to each message.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein processing the messages from the queue to the backup database according to the priority value corresponding to each message comprises at least one of:
writing messages in the queue with a higher corresponding priority value to the database before messages with a lower corresponding priority value; or allocating more resources to writing messages with a higher corresponding priority value to the database than to messages with a lower corresponding priority value.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the priority value corresponding to a message is further determined based on an organizational role corresponding to the endpoint device from which the message is received.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the priority value corresponding to a message is further determined based on how close the endpoint device from which the message is received is to completing backup.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the priority value corresponding to a message is further determined based on an amount of time that passed since the endpoint device from which the message is received was backed up last.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the priority value corresponding to a message is further determined based on at least one of:
a comparison of a current upload speed with an average upload speed of the endpoint device from which the message is received; or an average connected time to the backup server of the endpoint device from which the message is received.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the priority value corresponding to a message is further determined based on a uniqueness of data that is to be backed up on the endpoint from which the message is received.

8 . A computing device, comprising:
at least one processor; and memory including instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the computing device to: receive at a backup server messages containing backup data from a plurality of endpoint devices, wherein the endpoint devices send the messages to the backup server to backup data on a backup database; determine a priority value corresponding to each message based on properties related to the endpoint device from which the message is received; place each message into a queue that temporarily stores messages before messages are written to the backup database; and process the messages from the queue to the backup database according to the priority value corresponding to each message.

9 . The computing device of claim 8 , wherein processing the messages from the queue to the backup database according to the priority value corresponding to each message comprises at least one of:
writing messages in the queue with a higher corresponding priority value to the database before messages with a lower corresponding priority value; or allocating more resources to writing messages with a higher corresponding priority value to the database than to messages with a lower corresponding priority value.

10 . The computing device of claim 8 , wherein the priority value corresponding to a message is further determined based on an organizational role corresponding to the endpoint device from which the message is received.

11 . The computing device of claim 8 , wherein the priority value corresponding to a message is further determined based on how close the endpoint device from which the message is received is to completing backup.

12 . The computing device of claim 8 , wherein the priority value corresponding to a message is further determined based on an amount of time that passed since the endpoint device from which the message is received was backed up last.

13 . The computing device of claim 8 , wherein the priority value corresponding to a message is further determined based on at least one of:
a comparison of a current upload speed with an average upload speed of the endpoint device from which the message is received; or an average connected time to the backup server of the endpoint device from which the message is received.

14 . The computing device of claim 8 , wherein the priority value corresponding to a message is further determined based on a uniqueness of data that is to be backed up on the endpoint from which the message is received.

15 . A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising one or more sequences of instructions, the instructions when executed by one or more processors causing the one or more processors to execute the operations of:
receiving at a backup server messages containing backup data from a plurality of endpoint devices, wherein the endpoint devices send the messages to the backup server to backup data on a backup database; determining a priority value corresponding to each message based on properties related to the endpoint device from which the message is received; placing each message into a queue that temporarily stores messages before messages are written to the backup database; and processing the messages from the queue to the backup database according to the priority value corresponding to each message.

16 . The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein processing the messages from the queue to the backup database according to the priority value corresponding to each message comprises at least one of:
writing messages in the queue with a higher corresponding priority value to the database before messages with a lower corresponding priority value; or allocating more resources to writing messages with a higher corresponding priority value to the database than to messages with a lower corresponding priority value.

17 . The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the priority value corresponding to a message is further determined based on an organizational role corresponding to the endpoint device from which the message is received.

18 . The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the priority value corresponding to a message is further determined based on how close the endpoint device from which the message is received is to completing backup.

19 . The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the priority value corresponding to a message is further determined based on an amount of time that passed since the endpoint device from which the message is received was backed up last.

20 . The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the priority value corresponding to a message is further determined based on at least one of:
a comparison of a current upload speed with an average upload speed of the endpoint device from which the message is received; or an average connected time to the backup server of the endpoint device from which the message is received.

Assignees

• Vmware Inc

Inventors

• Rabinovich Dmitry
• Genah Meytal
• Gartsbein Anton

Classifications

• G06F11/1464

  for networked environments · CPC title

• G06F16/17 Primary

  Details of further file system functions · CPC title

• G06F11/1458

  Management of the backup or restore process · CPC title

• G06F11/1448

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

• G06F17/30129 Primary

  Physics · mapped topic