Method to determine a base file relationship between a current generation of files and a last replicated generation of files

A data storage system, comprising:

• a memory;
• and
• a processor coupled to the memory or other data storage device and configured to:
• subsequent to creation of a current generation of files, determine all generation-to-generation base file relationships between any two consecutive generations of files within a range from a last replicated generation to the current generation;
• subsequent to creation of the current generation of files, determine all sets of common regions of data between any two consecutive generations of files within the range from the last replicated generation to the current generation based on the generation-to-generation base file relationships;
• subsequent to creation of the current generation of files, construct a base file relationship between the current generation of files and the last replicated generation based on all the sets of common regions of data between any two consecutive generations of files within the range from the last replicated generation to the current generation;
• and
• perform a data replication of the current generation of files from a source file system to a replica file system based on the base file relationship between the current generation of files and the last replicated generation without replicating intervening generations of files between the current generation and the last replicated generation.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored therein which, when executed by processor, cause the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising:

• subsequent to creation of a current generation of files, determining all generation-to-generation base file relationships between any two consecutive generations of files within a range from a last replicated generation to the current generation;
• subsequent to creation of the current generation of files, determining all sets of common regions of data between any two consecutive generations of files within the range from the last replicated generation to the current generation based on the generation-to-generation base file relationships;
• subsequent to creation of a current generation of files, constructing a base file relationship between the current generation of files and the last replicated generation based on all the sets of common regions of data between any two consecutive generations of files within the range from the last replicated generation to the current generation;
• and
• performing a data replication of the current generation of files from a source file system to a replica file system based on the base file relationship between the current generation of files and the last replicated generation without replicating intervening generations of files between the current generation and the last replicated generation.