US 7,096,392 B2 · Method and system for automated, no downtime, real-time, continuous data protection

Abstract

A data management system or “DMS” provides an automated, continuous, real-time, substantially no downtime data protection service to one or more data sources associated with a set of application host servers. To facilitate the data protection service, a host driver embedded in an application server captures real-time data transactions, preferably in the form of an event journal that is provided to other DMS components. The driver functions to translate traditional file/database/block I/O and the like into a continuous, application-aware, output data stream. The host driver includes an event processor that provides the data protection service, preferably by implementing a finite state machine (FSM). In particular, the data protection is provided to a given data source in the host server by taking advantage of the continuous, real-time data that the host driver is capturing and providing to other DMS components. The state of the most current data in DMS matches the state of the data in the host server; as a consequence, the data protection is provided under the control of the finite state machine as a set of interconnected phases or “states.” The otherwise separate processes (initial data upload, continuous backup, blackout and data resynchronization, and recovery) are simply phases of the overall data protection cycle. As implemented by the finite state machine, this data protection cycle preferably loops around indefinitely until, for example, a user terminates the service. A given data protection phase (a given state) changes only as the state of the data and the environment change (a given incident).

Claims21

Dependent claims

Apparatus comprising a processor and program code to implement a finite state machine with a plurality of states and to effect transitions between the states, the finite state machine providing a data protection service to a data source associated with a host and comprising:

a first state for acting upon an upload event;
a second state for acting upon a backup event, the finite state machine transitioning from the first state to the second state upon the occurrence of a given incident;
a third state for acting upon a resynchronization event, the finite state machine transitioning from the second state to the third state upon the occurrence of a given incident;
a fourth state for acting upon a recovery initiation event, the finite state machine transitioning to the fourth state from either the second state or the third state upon the occurrence of a given incident;
a fifth state for acting upon a recovery event, the finite state machine transitioning from the fourth state to the fifth state upon the occurrence of a given incident;
wherein, upon completion of the recovery event, the finite state machine transitions from the fifth state back to the second state upon the occurrence of a given incident;
and
a sixth state for acting upon a blackout event that occurs while the finite state machine is in either the second state or the third state;
wherein the finite state machine transitions from the second state to the sixth state upon occurrence of a given incident, wherein the given incident that causes this transition is a blackout that occurs while the finite state machine is in the second state or the third state.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method and system for automated, no downtime, real-time, continuous data protection

Life of this patent

Method and system for automated, no downtime, real-time, continuous data protection

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims21