The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Apr. 03, 2001
Filed:
Jan. 13, 1998
David Randall Blea, Tucson, AZ (US);
Donald Reynold Blea, Tucson, AZ (US);
Mark Alan Haye, Tucson, AZ (US);
Ronald Maynard Kern, Tucson, AZ (US);
David M. Shackelford, Tucson, AZ (US);
John G. Thompson, Tucson, AZ (US);
International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY (US);
Abstract
A method, apparatus, and article of manufacture for performing a point-in-time backup using a snapshot function. Work space on a work virtual volume is obtained to hold the snapshot copy of the source data being copied from a source virtual volume. Updates to the source virtual volume are suspended during the snapshot function, so as to provide a logically consistent view of the source virtual volume at a common point in time. Pointers are copied from a virtual track table of the source virtual volume to a virtual track table of the work virtual volume without actually moving any data on data storage devices referenced by those pointers. As a result, the snapshot function provides a method for copying the source virtual volume to the work virtual volume very quickly. Upon completion of the snapshot function, updates to the source virtual volume may be resumed. Subsequently, a backup is performed in the usual manner, except that the backup retrieves the source data from the work virtual volume rather than the source virtual volume.