Netapp, Inc.

Qing Zhang

Michael David Mankovsky

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.

Copy-less restoring of transaction files of a database system

The present invention provides a method for generating a backup of a database file that is suitable for a hard recovery operation. A snapshot of the database file is generated and the log and/or patch files associated with the database are stored in a backup location. Additionally, the header and/or footer information of the database is stored, thereby enabling a restored snapshot of the database to be converted into a file suitable for a hard recovery operation.

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Chapel Hill, NC, United States of America

Qing Zhang