Emc Corporation

Emc IP Holding Company LLC

Robert Alan Boudrie

David C Dysert

Glenn R Sachar

Stephen M Howard

William Alton Gill

Thomas L Dings

Sunil Kumar

Neil F Schutzman

Sujit Suresh Naik

Edgar StPierre

Madhav G Mutalik

A system, program product, and computer implemented method for providing a back-up application agnostic back-up during asynchronous data replication, the method comprising determining if a communicative coupling, coupled to a first site, is set to an automatic mode, based on a positive determination of an automatic mode, setting the communicative coupling to a manual transfer mode, pausing an application on the first site in an application consistent state and creating a snapshot of a portion of a first storage medium on the first site accessed by the application.

Taking a back-up software agnostic consistent backup during asynchronous replication

A backup storage system includes a server having a restore operation that is independent from browse, mark and submit operations. A restore engine process is created as part of a restore session initiated by a client for retrieving a list of restorable objects to be displayed to a user via a graphical user interface. The user can browse the list of restorable objects, mark or select objects for restoration and submit the list of mark objects. Multiple restore submissions can be made prior to the user commanding the restore engine process, via a remote procedure call, to execute the submitted restore requests. To support new backup techniques and storage devices, a corresponding library can be added for processing with minimal impact to the overall restore system.

Data backup system having a flexible restore architecture

A method may be provided for incrementally backing up data from a logically represented volume on disk media. The disk media is accessible by a client through a network connection. The client comprises an enterprise database application. The method identifies tracks of the logically represented volume that have changed since a last incremental backup operation by reading fresh data indications. Each of the fresh data indications corresponds to a track of the logically represented volume, and a given fresh data indication is indicative of whether its corresponding track has been changed since a last incremental backup operation. Files are identified for incremental backup. The identified files comprise blocks saved on a track deemed changed since a last incremental backup operation. The identified files are backed up from the disk media to sequential storage media through a high speed connection.

Identification of updated files for incremental backup

A method is performed with an enterprise storage system comprising disk storage and sequential storage media. Alternatively, systems, subsystems, and computer media containing encoded portions are disclosed. The method serves the data storage needs of a given client coupled to the enterprise storage system via a network. A physical device level backup is performed, backing up data from the disk storage to the sequential storage media, while minimizing demands on the client. The device level backup comprises a complete image backup of data in a host device as defined from a perspective of the given client. A logical restore of data is performed on a file by file basis from physically backed data on the sequential storage media. The logical restore involves locating files requested by the client on the sequential storage media and recovering the files from the sequential storage media. The files comprise files defined in accordance with a files system defined by the client.

Logical restores of physically backed up data

When performing mirrored disk restores, including both disk level mirrored restores and file level mirrored restores, rather than first restore data to a mirror disk and later move that data to the primary disk, the data on the primary disk is first copied to the mirror disk, and thereafter, the data is restored from the backup storage device to the primary disk, independent of the mirror disk.

Reversible mirrored restore of an enterprise level primary disk

A system for providing high speed external backup and restoration of data in a data storage system. Individual data objects are backed up in logical order on backup media such as magnetic tape so that they may be retrieved individually. Minimized descriptions of backed up data are transmitted between the host and backup systems to control high speed transfer of data between data servers and backup devices on a separate data channel. The descriptions are manipulated by the backup system to comply with formats of any number of host systems and data storage systems and to efficiently map the backed up data onto the backup devices. The system also provides for restoration of data to the data storage system by using a host system to pre-allocate space for the restored data, obtaining mapping information for the allocated space from the host system, and then directly writing the restored data into the allocated space, based on the mapping information.

Method for physical backup in data logical order

A backup and restore system includes a work item server for restoring multiple work times simultaneously. The work item server assigns each work item to a respective trail queue based upon the commonality of the volumes on which the work items are stored. The work item server allocates drives to the trail queues for restoring multiple work items simultaneously. The trail queue have drives assigned for work items in that trail queues to use during a restore. The trail queue has a concurrency defined to predetermine the number of simultaneous work items can run that are associated with the trail queues. Drives can be allocated to the trail queues for executing work item restores associated with the respective trail queues until a predetermined trail queue concurrency is reached.

Restoring multiple work items simultaneously from backup and data restore

A backup and restore system forms a persistent submit object from objects marked for restoration by a user. The submit object encapsulates the information needed to restore the work items contained in the submit object. The submit object enables restore execution to be independent from the browse, mark and submit operations. The submit object also allows multiple restore requests to be submitted.

Data backup system having independent data restore execution

A method and apparatus for automatic discovery of databases that determines what databases are installed at a client site, interrogates each database to determine what files or tables are present and what storage is associated with each, groups the databases into the smallest atomic units that can be backed up while preserving database integrity, and presents this information to backup procedures. In a preferred embodiment, a discovery process is performed by a script for each client to be backed up. Each script causes the creation of a temporary file describing each database. The temporary files are normalized into a common format which is then passed to a grouper program that analyzes the temporary files and produces a data descriptor file describing the smallest atomic units that can be backed up while still preserving database integrity at that client site. This data descriptor file is presented to a work item generator for scheduling backup procedures. Backups of each atomic unit can then be scheduled as desired.

Growing community of inventors

Ashland, MA, United States of America

Robert Alan Boudrie