# US 2026/0093582 A1 · Incremental backup to object store

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- Number: US 2026/0093582 A1
- Document ID: US20260093582A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 19/412,301
- Filed: 2025-12-08
- Published: 2026-04-02
- Earliest claimed: 2020-06-26
- Assignees: NetApp, Inc.
- Applicants: NetApp, Inc.
- Inventors: Ling Zheng; Atul Ramesh Pandit; Tijin George; Ravindra Ramachandraiah Kuramkote
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20260093582A1

## CPC

- G06F 11/1451: {by selection of backup contents}
- G06F 11/1458: {Management of the backup or restore process}
- G06F 11/1469: {Backup restoration techniques}
- G06F 16/1756: {based on delta files}
- G06F 11/1435: {using file system or storage system metadata}
- G06F 11/1461: {Backup scheduling policy}
- G06F 2201/84: Using snapshots, i.e. a logical point-in-time copy of the data
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)

## Abstract

Techniques are provided for incremental backup to an object store. A request may be received from an application to perform a backup from a volume hosted by a node to a backup target within the object store. A set of changed files within the volume since a prior backup of the volume was performed to the backup target is identified, along with metadata associated with the set of changed files. The metadata is utilized to identify changed data blocks comprising data of the set of changed files that was modified since the prior backup. The changed data blocks are backed up to the object store.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method comprising:
performing a plurality of backups from a node hosting a volume to an object store;
utilizing a storage application programming interface (API) to obtain file metadata changes after each backup of the plurality of backups to the object store;
building a catalog containing file paths and inode numbers of files based upon the file metadata changes;
in response to receiving a request to restore a file of the volume from the plurality of backups of the object store, utilizing the catalog to identify a file path and an inode number of the file; and
implementing a single file restore operation to restore the file from backup data within the object store to the volume, wherein the single file restore operation uses the file path and inode number from the catalog to access the backup data.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, comprising:
restoring the file to a state captured by multiple backups of the plurality of backups using the backup data accessed through the catalog.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, comprising:
providing a backup application with access through a storage operating system of the node to metadata of changed files of the volume; and
utilizing inodes of the changed files to perform a backup on behalf of the backup application.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, comprising:
evaluating metadata of changed files within the volume to identify inodes of the changed files; and
inputting the inodes into storage operating system functionality to transfer changed data blocks to the object store to create a backup.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, comprising:
creating a restore relationship to specify the volume of the node as a restore target for the file being restored by the single file restore operation.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The method of claim 5, comprising:
in response to successfully restoring the file to the restore target, deleting the restore relationship.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, comprising:
utilizing a full backup and one or more incremental backups to restore the file to a restore state.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, comprising:
executing a utility tool associated with a second storage application programming interface (API) to providing browsing functionality to browse files backed up to the object store for obtaining the inode number of the file to restore.

### Claim 9

A non-transitory machine readable medium comprising instructions for performing a method, which when executed by a machine, causes the machine to:
perform a plurality of backups from a node hosting a volume to an object store;
utilize a storage application programming interface (API) to obtain file metadata changes after each backup of the plurality of backups to the object store;
build a catalog containing file paths and inode numbers of files based upon the file metadata changes;
in response to receiving a request to restore a file of the volume from the plurality of backups of the object store, utilize the catalog to identify a file path and an inode number of the file; and
implement a single file restore operation to restore the file from backup data within the object store to the volume, wherein the single file restore operation uses the file path and inode number from the catalog to access the backup data.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 9, wherein the instructions cause the machine to:
restore the file to a state captured by multiple backups of the plurality of backups using the backup data accessed through the catalog.

### Claim 11 (depends on 9)

The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 9, wherein the instructions cause the machine to:
provide a backup application with access through a storage operating system of the node to metadata of changed files of the volume; and
utilize inodes of the changed files to perform a backup on behalf of the backup application.

### Claim 12 (depends on 9)

The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 9, wherein the instructions cause the machine to:
evaluate metadata of changed files within the volume to identify inodes of the changed files; and
input the inodes into storage operating system functionality to transfer changed data blocks to the object store to create a backup.

### Claim 13 (depends on 9)

The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 9, wherein the instructions cause the machine to:
create a restore relationship to specify the volume of the node as a restore target for the file being restored by the single file restore operation.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 13, wherein the instructions cause the machine to:
in response to successfully restoring the file to the restore target, delete the restore relationship.

### Claim 15 (depends on 9)

The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 9, wherein the instructions cause the machine to:
utilize a full backup and one or more incremental backups to restore the file to a restore state.

### Claim 16 (depends on 9)

The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 9, wherein the instructions cause the machine to:
execute a utility tool associated with a second storage application programming interface (API) to providing browsing functionality to browse files backed up to the object store for obtaining the inode number of the file to restore.

### Claim 17

A computing device comprising:
a memory comprising machine executable code for performing a method; and
a processor coupled to the memory, the processor configured to execute the machine executable code to cause the processor to:
perform a plurality of backups from a node hosting a volume to an object store;
utilize a storage application programming interface (API) to obtain file metadata changes after each backup of the plurality of backups to the object store;
build a catalog containing file paths and inode numbers of files based upon the file metadata changes;
in response to receiving a request to restore a file of the volume from the plurality of backups of the object store, utilize the catalog to identify a file path and an inode number of the file; and
implement a single file restore operation to restore the file from backup data within the object store to the volume, wherein the single file restore operation uses the file path and inode number from the catalog to access the backup data.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The computing device of claim 17, wherein the machine executable code causes the processor to:
restore the file to a state captured by multiple backups of the plurality of backups using the backup data accessed through the catalog.

### Claim 19 (depends on 17)

The computing device of claim 17, wherein the machine executable code causes the processor to:
provide a backup application with access through a storage operating system of the node to metadata of changed files of the volume; and
utilize inodes of the changed files to perform a backup on behalf of the backup application.

### Claim 20 (depends on 17)

The computing device of claim 17, wherein the machine executable code causes the processor to:
evaluate metadata of changed files within the volume to identify inodes of the changed files; and
input the inodes into storage operating system functionality to transfer changed data blocks to the object store to create a backup.