US 2024/0193050 A1Published application

Synthesizing a restore image from one or more secondary copies to facilitate data restore operations to a file server

AssigneeCommvault Systems, Inc.

InventorsSowdambiga Karthikeyan, Duncan Alden Littlefield

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Abstract

An illustrative media agent (MA) in a data storage management system instructs a NAS file server (filer) to restore an MA-created synthesized-copy instead of larger filer-created backup copies. The synthesized-copy is designed only for the particular files to be restored and mimics, and is typically much smaller than, a filer-created backup copy. The synthesized-copy is fed to the filer on restore as a “restore data image.” When receiving a restore request for certain backed-up data files, the MA synthesizes the synthesized-copy on the fly. The MA generates a header mimicking a filer-created backup header; extracts files from filer-created backup copies arranging them within the synthesized-copy as if in filer-created backups; and instructs filer to perform a full-volume restore from the synthesized-copy. The MA serves the synthesized-copy piecemeal as available, rather than waiting to synthesize the entire synthesized-copy. The synthesized-copy is not stored at the MA.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A system comprising:

a computing device comprising one or more hardware processors and computer memory, and in communication with a file server;
and
one or more data storage devices in communication with the computing device, wherein the one or more data storage devices store one or more backup copies that were generated by the file server, and wherein the one or more backup copies comprise a plurality of backed-up data files;
wherein the computing device is configured to:
generate a synthesized-copy that comprises one or more first backed-up data files selected from among the plurality of backed-up data files in the one or more backup copies that were generated by the file server,
wherein to generate the synthesized-copy, the computing device is further configured to:
(i) configure a header for the synthesized-copy, based at least in part on information collected by the computing device when the computing device stored the one or more backup copies that were generated by the file server at the one or more data storage devices,
wherein the header for the synthesized-copy is readable, by the file server, as a header for a backup copy generated by the file server, even though the synthesized-copy is not generated by the file server, and
(ii) within the synthesized-copy, arrange the one or more first backed-up data files, retrieved from the one or more backup copies, into a sequence that is compatible with how the file server restores backup copies;
and
wherein the computing device is further configured to:
cause the file server to restore, to the file server, the synthesized-copy comprising the one or more first backed-up data files, without restoring all of the plurality of backed-up data files.

9 more elements

A computer-implemented method comprising:

by a computing device in a data storage management system, wherein the computing device comprises one or more hardware processors and computer memory:
identifying one or more backup copies generated by a file server, wherein the one or more backup copies comprise one or more data files to be restored to the file server;
instructing the file server to perform a full-volume restore operation from a data storage volume at the computing device to the file server;
constructing a synthesized-copy that is to be restored by the file server in the full-volume restore operation, wherein constructing the synthesized-copy comprises:
(i) generating a first header for the synthesized-copy, based at least in part on information at the computing device which was collected by the computing device when the one or more backup copies generated by the file server were stored in secondary storage,
wherein the first header is in a format of a header for a backup copy generated by the file server,
(ii) retrieving, from the one or more backup copies, respective file data and a respective file header for each of the one or more data files to be restored, and
(iii) arranging, within the synthesized-copy, the respective file data and respective file header that were retrieved, into a sequence that is suitable for the file server to perform the full-volume restore operation;
and
in response to one or more read requests received from the file server during the full-volume restore operation, transmitting data blocks of the synthesized-copy to the file server as each of the data blocks of the synthesized-copy becomes available at the computing device, without storing the synthesized-copy in its entirety at the computing device.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 18/423,685Filed 26 Jan 2024
Priority: 7 Dec 2017
Published: 13 Jun 2024
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification8 codes

G06F 11/1464
Management of the backup or restore process: for networked environments
G06F 3/0619
Improving the reliability of storage systems: in relation to data integrity, e.g. data losses, bit errors
G06F 3/064
Organizing or formatting or addressing of data: management of blocks
G06F 3/065
Horizontal data movement in storage systems, i.e. moving data in between storage devices or systems: replication mechanisms

Family

Application15/835,296Continuation · filed 7 Dec 2017
Application16/814,826Continuation · filed 10 Mar 2020
Application17/673,154Division · filed 16 Feb 2022
Application18/423,685Division
Application17/673,154Continuation
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