US 8,015,158 B1Granted

Copy-less restoring of transaction files of a database system

AssigneeNetApp, Inc.

InventorsMichael Mankovsky, Qing Zhang

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A mechanism is provided for archiving and restoring transaction files of a database system without requiring the copying of the transaction files. A server system executes a host application that implements the database system comprising a set of database files and a set of transaction files that contains updates to the set of database files, the files being stored in a storage system. A backup engine interacts with the host application to archive a transaction file having an original filename in an original directory by creating a corresponding archive filename to the transaction file in an archive directory. The archive transaction files may be used later to perform a copy-less restore process of the database system that does not require copying of any transaction files. The copy-less restore process restores any altered original filenames by replacing, in the original directory, an altered original filename with its corresponding archive filename.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A system for restoring a database system, the system comprising:

a server system executing a backup management engine and a host database application that implements the database system, the database system comprising a set of one or more transaction data containers stored on a storage system, each transaction data container having an original pointer that references the transaction data container and a corresponding archive pointer that also references the same transaction data container, the original pointer being stored in an original directory and the archive pointer being stored in an archive directory on the storage system, the backup management engine configured for:
determining whether a first original pointer is altered, wherein the first original pointer initially referenced a first transaction data container, wherein determining whether the first original pointer is altered comprises:
retrieving a primary transaction data container that the first original pointer currently references and a primary pointer counter associated with the primary transaction data container;
determining, in the archive directory, a first corresponding archive pointer that corresponds to the first original pointer;
retrieving a secondary transaction data container that the first corresponding archive pointer currently references and a secondary pointer counter associated with the secondary transaction data container;
and
using the primary and secondary pointer counters and the primary and secondary transaction data containers to determine whether the first original pointer is altered by being deleted from the original directory or by no longer referencing the first transaction data container;
and
upon determining that the first original pointer is altered, restoring the first original pointer in the original directory by replacing, in the original directory, the first original pointer with the first corresponding archive pointer in the archive directory that references the same first transaction data container.

6 more elements

A method for restoring a database system, the method comprising:

implementing the database system on a storage system, the database system comprising a set of one or more transaction data containers stored on the storage system, each transaction data container having an original pointer that references the transaction data container and a corresponding archive pointer that also references the same transaction data container, the original pointer being stored in an original directory and the archive pointer being stored in an archive directory on the storage system;
determining whether a first original pointer is altered, wherein the first original pointer initially referenced a first transaction data container, wherein determining whether the first original pointer is altered comprises:
retrieving a primary transaction data container that the first original pointer currently references and a primary pointer counter associated with the primary transaction data container;
determining, in the archive directory, a first corresponding archive pointer that corresponds to the first original pointer;
retrieving a secondary transaction data container that the first corresponding archive pointer currently references and a secondary pointer counter associated with the secondary transaction data container;
and
using the primary and secondary pointer counters and the primary and secondary transaction data containers to determine whether the first original pointer is altered by being deleted from the original directory or by no longer referencing the first transaction data container;
and
upon determining that the first original pointer is altered, restoring the first original pointer in the original directory by replacing, in the original directory, the first original pointer with the first corresponding archive pointer in the archive directory that references the same first transaction data container.

6 more elements

A computer-program product comprising a computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon when executed by a processor, restore a database system, the computer-program product comprising sets of instructions for:

implementing the database system on a storage system, the database system comprising a set of one or more transaction data containers stored on the storage system, each transaction data container having an original pointer that references the transaction data container and a corresponding archive pointer that also references the same transaction data container, the original pointer being stored in an original directory and the archive pointer being stored in an archive directory on the storage system;
determining whether a first original pointer is altered, wherein the first original pointer initially referenced a first transaction data container, wherein determining whether the first original pointer is altered comprises:
retrieving a primary transaction data container that the first original pointer currently references and a primary pointer counter associated with the primary transaction data container;
determining, in the archive directory, a first corresponding archive pointer that corresponds to the first original pointer;
retrieving a secondary transaction data container that the first corresponding archive pointer currently references and a secondary pointer counter associated with the secondary transaction data container;
and
using the primary and secondary pointer counters and the primary and secondary transaction data containers to determine whether the first original pointer is altered by being deleted from the original directory or by no longer referencing the first transaction data container;
and
upon determining that the first original pointer is altered, restoring the first original pointer in the original directory by replacing, in the original directory, the first original pointer with the first corresponding archive pointer in the archive directory that references the same first transaction data container.

6 more elements

A method for restoring a data container system, the method comprising:

implementing the data container system on a storage system, the data container system comprising a set of one or more data containers stored on the storage system, each data container having an original pointer that references the data container and a corresponding archive pointer that also references the same data container, the original pointer being stored in an original directory and the archive pointer being stored in an archive directory on the storage system;
determining whether a first original pointer is altered, wherein the first original pointer initially referenced a first data container, wherein determining whether the first original pointer is altered comprises:
retrieving a primary data container that the first original pointer currently references and a primary pointer counter associated with the primary data container;
determining, in the archive directory, a first corresponding archive pointer that corresponds to the first original pointer;
retrieving a secondary data container that the first corresponding archive pointer currently references and a secondary pointer counter associated with the secondary data container;
and
using the primary and secondary pointer counters and the primary and secondary transaction data containers to determine whether the first original pointer is altered by being deleted from the original directory or by no longer referencing the first transaction data container;
and
upon determining that the first original pointer is altered, restoring the first original pointer in the original directory by replacing, in the original directory, the first original pointer with the first corresponding archive pointer in the archive directory that references the same first transaction data container.

6 more elements

A system for restoring a data container system, the system comprising:

a server system executing a backup management engine and a host data container application that implements the data container system, the data container system comprising a set of one or more data containers stored on a storage system, each data container having an original pointer that references the data container and a corresponding archive pointer that also references the same data container, the original pointer being stored in an original directory and the archive pointer being stored in an archive directory on the storage system, the backup management engine configured for:
determining whether a first original pointer is altered, wherein the first original pointer initially referenced a first data container, wherein determining whether the first original pointer is altered comprises:
retrieving a primary data container that the first original pointer currently references and a primary pointer counter associated with the primary data container;
determining, in the archive directory, a first corresponding archive pointer that corresponds to the first original pointer;
retrieving a secondary data container that the first corresponding archive pointer currently references and a secondary pointer counter associated with the secondary data container;
and
using the primary and secondary pointer counters and the primary and secondary transaction data containers to determine whether the first original pointer is altered by being deleted from the original directory or by no longer referencing the first transaction data container;
and
upon determining that the first original pointer is altered, restoring the first original pointer in the original directory by replacing, in the original directory, the first original pointer with the first corresponding archive pointer in the archive directory that references the same first transaction data container.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.