# US 2021/0240570 A1 · Method and system for generating immutable backups with configurable retention spans > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2021/0240570 A1 - Document ID: US20210240570A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/782,103 - Filed: 2020-02-05 - Published: 2021-08-05 - Earliest claimed: 2020-02-05 - Assignees: EMC IP Holding Company LLC - Applicants: EMC IP Holding Company LLC - Inventors: Navneet Upadhyay; Rejith Mohan M; Shraddha Chunekar; Amith Ramachandran; Shelesh Chopra; Reshmee Jawed - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20210240570A1 ## CPC - G06F 11/1448: {Management of the data involved in backup or backup restore} - G06F 11/1451: {by selection of backup contents} - G06F 11/1471: involving logging of persistent data for recovery - G06F 16/128: {Details of file system snapshots on the file-level, e.g. snapshot creation, administration, deletion (error detection or correction of the data by redundancy in operations or in hardware G06F11/14, G06F11/16)} - G06F 16/1774: {Locking methods, e.g. locking methods for file systems allowing shared and concurrent access to files} - G06F 16/1865: {Transactional file systems} - G06F 2201/80: Database-specific techniques - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract In general, the invention relates to a method for performing backup operations. The method includes generating a backup on backup storage system, locking the backup for a retention span, generating a backup archive log image using archive log files for the backup, and locking the backup archive log image for a second retention span. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for performing backup operations, comprising: generating a backup on backup storage system; locking the backup for a retention span; generating a backup archive log image using archive log files for the backup; and locking the backup archive log image for a second retention span. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the backup is a full backup. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, further comprising: generating a second backup on the backup storage system, wherein the second backup is an incremental backup associated with the backup; and locking the second backup for a third retention span. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, wherein the retention span and the third retention span are equal. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the backup cannot be manipulated during the retention span. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein generating the backup archive log image comprises: obtaining a checkpoint-time parameter; and generating an archive log set using the checkpoint-time parameter, wherein the archive log set specifies the archive log files. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, wherein the checkpoint-time parameter is obtained from an archive tag file; wherein the method further comprises: updating the archive tag file with a second checkpoint-time parameter after locking the backup and the backup archive log image. ### Claim 8 A system, comprising: a processor; a client protection agent, which when executed by the processor performs a method, the method comprising: generating a backup on backup storage system; locking the backup for a retention span; generating a backup archive log image using archive log files for the backup; and locking the backup archive log image for a second retention span. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8, wherein the backup is a full backup. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The system of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises: generating a second backup on the backup storage system, wherein the second backup is an incremental backup associated with the backup; and locking the second backup for a third retention span. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the retention span and the third retention span are equal. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8, wherein the backup cannot be manipulated during the retention span. ### Claim 13 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8, wherein generating the backup archive log image comprises: obtaining a checkpoint-time parameter; and generating an archive log set using the checkpoint-time parameter, wherein the archive log set specifies the archive log files. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The system of claim 13, wherein generating the backup archive log image further comprises: wherein the checkpoint-time parameter is obtained from an archive tag file; wherein the method further comprises: updating the archive tag file with a second checkpoint-time parameter after locking the backup and the backup archive log image. ### Claim 15 A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer readable program code, which when executed by a computer processor enables the computer processor to perform a method, the method comprising: generating a backup on backup storage system; locking the backup for a retention span; generating a backup archive log image using archive log files for the backup; and locking the backup archive log image for a second retention span. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the backup is a full backup. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the method further comprises: generating a second backup on the backup storage system, wherein the second backup is an incremental backup associated with the backup; and locking the second backup for a third retention span. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the retention span and the third retention span are equal. ### Claim 19 (depends on 15) The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the backup cannot be manipulated during the retention span. ### Claim 20 (depends on 15) The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein generating the backup archive log image comprises: obtaining a checkpoint-time parameter; and generating an archive log set using the checkpoint-time parameter, wherein the archive log set specifies the archive log files.