Roxio, Inc.

Adaptec, Inc.

Michael D Berhan

Daniel A Polfer

Daniel L Evers

Thomas G Halloran

Michael Scott McMurdie

Andrea D'Amato

Peter C Diemer

A method is provided for backing up data from a storage device having one or more partitions. Each partition has a plurality of clusters that include one or more sectors capable of storing data to be backed up. A number of sectors are specified for a block such that a partition to be backed up is defined in terms of a plurality of the blocks. A block map is then generated to indicate whether each of the blocks in the partition contains any data to be backed up. The block map is then traversed and the blocks that are indicated in the block map to contain the data are backed up from the partition while the blocks having no data are not backed up.

Image backup method for backing up disk partitions of a storage device

Disclosed is a method and system for backing up image data from one or more partitions of a storage device onto one or more backup media. Each backup medium defines backup volume having a predetermined storage capacity with each partition having a plurality of sectors. The method includes: (a) reading the sectors of a selected partition of the storage device for backup in the one or more backup volumes, wherein a set of the sectors read from the selected partition defines a data chunk for processing the sectors as data chunks; (b) sequentially storing a set of the data chunks in the order read from the partition in a selected backup volume; (c) generating and storing data chunk descriptors configured to reference the stored data chunks in the volume, one data chunk descriptor per data chunk, the data chunk descriptors being stored in the selected backup volume after storing all of the set of data chunks; and (d) generating and storing address data descriptors configured to reference at least one of the stored data chunks and at least one of the data chunk descriptors in the selected backup volume, the address data descriptors being stored in the selected backup volume after storing the data chunk descriptors.

Method and system for backing up data over a plurality of volumes

Disclosed is a system for minimizing the utilization of an I/O bus by a first data-writing peripheral device that is connected to the I/O bus. The system has a second peripheral device that shares the I/O bus connection. The system includes the operations of transferring data to a drive buffer that is in the first data-writing peripheral device. The transferring being configured to continue until the drive buffer has reached a full state. Performing a pre-write calibration of the first data-writing peripheral device after the drive buffer has reached the full state. Commencing a writing of a portion of the data contained in the drive buffer, such that the first data received by the drive buffer is written first. The system further including releasing the I/O bus connection by placing a write thread of the first data-writing peripheral device in a sleep mode. Wherein when the write thread of the first data-writing peripheral device is in the sleep mode the I/O bus connection is made available to the second peripheral device while the first data-writing peripheral device is not transferring data. The system further includes continually bring the write thread of the first data-writing peripheral device out of the sleep mode to perform a data burst when the drive buffer has emptied to a critical level and then placing the write thread back to the sleep mode after the data burst.

Method and apparatus for improved peripheral bus utilization

Growing community of inventors

San Jose, CA, United States of America

Michael D Berhan