Copy process substituting compressible bit pattern for any unqualified data objects
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorDavid Maxwell Cannon
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A copy procedure detects qualified data objects in a body of source data, and copies the source data to a target storage unit except for unqualified data objects, which are replaced with a prescribed bit pattern. Following completion of the backup, a record is prepared indicating that all data objects exist in the specified target storage, regardless of whether each data object was replaced with a predetermined bit pattern rather than being physically written to the specified target storage. This process may, be repeated in order to perform data reclamation, effectively removing user files no longer qualifying for backup.
Claims21
A method of backing up files to a storage, comprising operations of:
- determining whether an attribute of a file satisfies a criteria indicating the file qualifies to be backed up to a storage;
- writing the file to the storage in response to determining that the attribute of the file satisfies the criteria indicating the file qualifies to be backed up;
- and
- writing a dummy pattern to the storage, wherein the dummy pattern comprises a bit pattern different from data of the file, and wherein the dummy pattern is written for multiple files that do not qualify to be backed up and replaces file data for the multiple files in the storage.
A storage media including a program of machine-readable instructions executable by a processor to perform operations to back up files to a storage, the operations comprising:
- determining whether an attribute of a file satisfies a criteria indicating the file qualifies to be backed up to the storage;
- writing the file to the storage in response to determining that the attribute of the file satisfies the criteria indicating the file qualifies to be backed up;
- and
- writing a dummy pattern to the storage, wherein the dummy pattern comprises a bit pattern different from data of the file, and wherein the dummy pattern is written for multiple files that do not qualify to be backed up and replaces file data for the multiple files in the storage.
A storage system, comprising:
- a storage for storing files;
- a storage director, programmed to perform operations for backing up files to the storage, the operations comprising:
- determining whether an attribute of a file satisfies a criteria indicating the file qualifies to be backed up to the storage;
- writing the file to the storage in response to determining that the attribute of the file satisfies the criteria indicating the file qualifies to be backed up;
- and
- writing a dummy pattern to the storage, wherein the dummy pattern comprises a bit pattern different from data of the file, and wherein the dummy pattern is written for multiple files that do not qualify to be backed up and replaces file data for the multiple files in the storage.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.