Database Snapshots Or Database Checkpointing Patents (Class 707/649)
  • Patent number: 8392366
    Abstract: The number of machines in a cluster of computers running a distributed database, such as a scalable hyperlink datastore or a distributed hyperlink database, may be changed such that machines may be added or removed. The data is not repartitioned all at once. Instead, only new and merged data stores are mapped to the changed set of machines. A database update mechanism may be leveraged to change the number of machines in a distributed database.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2013
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventor: Marc A. Najork
  • Patent number: 8392675
    Abstract: Systems and methods for reduced-overhead creation of persistent, point-in-time images (PPIs) are disclosed. The summary map is updated as needed when a block is newly freed or allocated after the latest PPI is taken. Therefore, PPI maps of previously created PPIs do not need to be scanned after PPI creation, thereby eliminating high latency disk reads and memory consumption for scanning. When a PPI is created, the active map and the latest PPI map are identical since the active map depicts the current allocation status of the blocks in the active file system. The active map only diverges from the PPI map when a block is allocated or freed in the active file system. Therefore, the active map can be used to update the status of blocks in the summary map when the status of a block diverges from its status as indicated in the latest PPI map.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2013
    Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
    Inventors: Harendra Kumar, Supratim Deka, Mrinal K. Bhattacharjee
  • Publication number: 20130054533
    Abstract: The subject disclosure is directed towards verifying a data recovery component of a volume snapshot service using a managed interface. The managed interface enables interoperability between the data recovery component and one or more complementary data recovery components by converting compatible instructions for the data recovery component and a complementary data recovery component into native data recovery operations for the volume snapshot service and vice versa. Via the managed interface, the complementary data recovery component emulates the native data recovery operations. Using status information associated with such an emulation, the data recovery component is verifiable.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 24, 2011
    Publication date: February 28, 2013
    Applicant: MICROSOFT CORPORATION
    Inventors: Howard Hao, James Robert Benton, Thothathri Vanamamalai
  • Publication number: 20130054534
    Abstract: A storage system for storage of data written from a computer, and when a write request of data to a first logical volume is received, the data on request is stored into the first logical volume. When a first-generation snapshot creation request is received, the data stored in the first logical volume at the time of receiving the first-generation snapshot creation request is written into a pool region as data corresponding to a first-generation snapshot, and when a second-generation snapshot creation request is received, any portion of the data updated after the first-generation snapshot creation request is received but before the second-generation snapshot creation request is issued is read from the first logical volume for writing into the pool region. Such a storage system favorably implements snapshot backup with no dependency with a positive volume in terms of performance and failure, and with high capacity efficiency.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 31, 2012
    Publication date: February 28, 2013
    Applicant: HITACHI, LTD.
    Inventor: Hitachi, LTD.
  • Patent number: 8386431
    Abstract: A system includes a database instance having a data storage system with a data store area storing first and second data partitions, where the respective data partitions each include a plurality of database pages storing respective tenant-independent/-specific data and respective first/second converters associated with the respective partitions. A database management system (DBMS) to receive a request for a database object and determine whether the database object is associated with tenant-independent data or with tenant-specific data. If the database object is associated with tenant-independent data, the DBMS determines a location of first database pages associated with the database object within the first plurality of database pages based on the first converter. Or if associated with tenant-specific data, the DBMS determines a location of second database pages associated with the database object within the second plurality of database pages based on the second converter. A method is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2013
    Assignee: SAP AG
    Inventors: Uwe H. O. Hahn, Torsten Strahl, Henrik Hempelmann
  • Patent number: 8386731
    Abstract: Techniques for migrating persistent data of virtual machines between and across data stores are optimized using special tracking data structures and monitoring methods. Special tracking data structures include an incremental change block tracking bitmap that indicate what blocks have been modified during a copy operation. The determination of whether any one block has been modified during the copy operation is based on whether or not the copy operation has progressed past that block. Another special tracking data structure is a Bloom filter, which provides a space-efficient data structure for keeping track of dirtied blocks. In addition, heat-based optimization techniques are applied so that blocks that are frequently updated are filtered and not transferred to the destination data store until the last iteration of the migration process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2013
    Assignee: VMware, Inc.
    Inventors: Ali Mashtizadeh, Min Cai, Emre Celebi
  • Patent number: 8386847
    Abstract: A setup module saves disk signatures identifying cluster disks for at least one source volume to a device distinct from the cluster disks. A copy module copies data with a volume-level restore from at least one snapshot volume to the at least one source volume, overwriting the disk signatures identifying the cluster disks so that the cluster disks cannot be accessed. A reset module rewrites the saved disk signatures to the cluster disks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2013
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Neeta Garimella, Delbert B. Hoobler, III
  • Patent number: 8386428
    Abstract: A method, system and computer program product for generation and management of incremental backups of VEE file system using bitmaps. The proposed method allows users to roll back to any previous version or state of the VEE file system and to instantiate this version using the data encapsulated in virtual disk storage (i.e. file system) of the VEE. A number of VEEs run on a Host Operating System of the computer system. One of the VEEs implemented on the computer system is designated to generation and management of backups of the virtual disk data of the other VEEs without freezing the file system during the entire backup process. A special tracing application runs on the designated VEE for generating the bitmap of a file system snapshot. The user can also set up a time for generating a backup or create a schedule for automatically generating the backups at critical points.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2013
    Assignee: Parallels IP Holdings GmbH
    Inventors: Alexey N. Kuznetzov, Alexander G. Tormasov, Kirill S. Korotaev, Dmitry I. Monakhov
  • Patent number: 8375003
    Abstract: Improved backup and storage operations are disclosed for virtual computing environments using a backup proxy server to perform storage operations on one or more virtual machine disks. The proxy server can include a module that intercepts application programming interface (API) calls, for writing backup data to a first location, prior to the data arriving on the proxy disk. During the intercept process, the data can be compressed in memory pages of the proxy server and redirected to an alternative backup disk location. The proxy server can also include a differential engine that identifies changes to the virtual machine disk at the block level since the last full backup. The differential engine can advantageously leverage memory pages of the proxy server to compare differences between signatures of blocks of the last full backup with signatures of new blocks. Subsequently, only blocks with non-matching signatures are processed for backup.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2013
    Assignee: Vizioncore, Inc.
    Inventors: Delano Xavier Afonso, David Allen Feathergill, Jason Mattox, Jeremy Christopher Herman
  • Patent number: 8375002
    Abstract: A storage where one NAS server makes snapshot management information including global paths of snapshots based on snapshot identifiers and global paths of file systems corresponding to the snapshots, so that global paths of both the file systems and snapshots are configured on the same global namespace simultaneously, with a directory configuration of the snapshots being the same in configuration layout as a directory configuration of the file systems; the one NAS server informs other NAS servers of the snapshot management information; memory in each of the NAS servers stores the snapshot management information; the snapshot management information includes the snapshot identifier, local path and global path for each of snapshots obtained by each NAS server at each point in time; and the computer obtains the snapshot management information from at least one of the NAS servers and displays at least a part of the snapshot management information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2013
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Tomoya Anzai, Takahiro Nakano, Yoji Nakatani
  • Patent number: 8375005
    Abstract: A method, article of manufacture, and apparatus for restoring or transmitting files from a first location to a second location, comprising prioritizing the files, and restoring or transmitting the files in prioritized order. In one embodiment, the files may be prioritized according to file type, and may be subsorted by timestamp. In one embodiment, the files may be prioritized according to timestamp or timestamp range, and subsorted by file type. File types may be grouped such that all file types in a group have the same priority, and the group may be associated with an application or application suite. In one embodiment, the files may be prioritized according to predicted file usage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2013
    Assignee: EMC Corporation
    Inventors: Christopher Hercules Claudatos, William Dale Andruss, Steven R. Terwilliger
  • Patent number: 8370589
    Abstract: Techniques introduced herein allow writeable PPIs to be re-used. A writeable PPI manager can make use of existing writeable PPIs to offer logical units to clients without creating additional writeable PPIs. The writeable PPI manager can determine which writeable PPIs to re-use by testing the writeable PPIs for a variety of conditions. Advantageously, re-use of remaining logical units reduces unnecessary replication of data and increased overhead costs. Resources can thereby be conserved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2013
    Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
    Inventors: Rushi Srinivas Surla, Gaurab Paul, Vasantha Prabhu, Ritesh Tiwari
  • Publication number: 20130031058
    Abstract: A client node on which a file system is mounted can be configured to efficiently handle content access requests after a snapshot is created. The client node can maintain generation numbers at a data block, a file, and a fileset level to determine whether a data block is part of a snapshot generation and consequently whether the data block is writable in a current generation. Data block mappings and write access permissions associated with the data blocks need not be revoked at the client node prior to creating the snapshot. Cached data block mappings can be accessed to identify data blocks for servicing a read request. The data block can be updated in place if the data block is not part of the snapshot generation. The write request can be serviced at a new data block if the data block is part of the snapshot generation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 1, 2012
    Publication date: January 31, 2013
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventor: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORO
  • Patent number: 8364632
    Abstract: An operation arrangement work is accelerated by improving efficiency of not only process of generating an operation arrangement proposal but also process of confirming whether the operation arrangement proposal is good or not by a user. An operation support system has an operation arrangement proposal generation part (1110) which executes automatic generation of an operation arrangement proposal, a diagram prediction part which executes simulation of train operation in the future, a diagram display part (1120) which displays an operation schedule and the operation arrangement proposal as a diagram, and a user input part which receives input of a parameter from the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2013
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Shuichiro Sakikawa, Tatsuhiro Sato, Toyohisa Morita, Hirotake Yoshida
  • Patent number: 8364644
    Abstract: A data set on a physical storage device is associated with an active bitmap and a persistent point-in-time image (PPI) exclusion bitmap, where each bit in the bitmaps is associated with a data block in the data set. The active bitmap and the PPI exclusion bitmap are used to determine which of the data blocks in the data set are to be included in a PPI of the data set.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2013
    Assignee: Network Appliance, Inc.
    Inventors: Sandeep Yadav, Subramaniam V. Periyagaram
  • Patent number: 8364643
    Abstract: A method and system thereof for restoring a virtual desktop are presented. A method may include generating a try-snapshot upon selection of a restore point of the virtual desktop, wherein the try-snapshot is an empty file. The method may further include linking the try-snapshot subsequently to a snapshot of the restore point without modifying snapshots created after the snapshot of the restore point and using the try-snapshot as an active snapshot upon affirmation of said restore point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2013
    Assignee: Red Hat Israel, Ltd.
    Inventor: Amos Benari
  • Patent number: 8356013
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a user or client device is connected to a distributed file system comprised of one or more physical nodes. The data on each of the physical nodes store metadata about files and directories within the file system. Some of the embodiments permit a user to take a snapshot of data stored on the file system. The snapshot may include a single file, a single directory, a plurality of files within a directory, a plurality of directories, a path on the file system that includes nested files and subdirectories, or more than one path on the file system that each includes nested files and directories. In an embodiment, a snapshot tracking data structure is maintained for efficient creation and deletion of the snapshot.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2013
    Assignee: EMC Corporation
    Inventors: Neal T. Fachan, Justin M. Husted, Eric M. Lemar, Darren P. Schack
  • Patent number: 8356088
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide apparatuses and methods for managing the configuration settings of one or more servers within a business. The configuration management apparatuses and methods generally relate to creating a configuration schema; creating configuration items to assign to the configuration schema; assigning the configuration schema to one or more servers in the business; capturing a snapshot of the configuration settings for a server based on the configuration schema and assigning it to the configuration schema as the reference snapshot; capturing a current snapshot of the actual configuration settings for one or more servers; and comparing the reference snapshot with the current snapshot to determine the differences in the configuration settings. Embodiments of the present invention also allow a report to be generated that displays the differences between the reference snapshot and the current snapshot, such as the new settings, changed settings, and missing settings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2013
    Assignee: Bank of America Corporation
    Inventors: James Charles Montagna, Martin Thomas Gajan, Anthony Keith Stone
  • Patent number: 8356148
    Abstract: Methods and systems for improving performance in a storage system utilizing snapshots are disclosed by using metadata management of snapshot data. Specifically, various metadata structures associated with snapshots are utilized to reduce the number of IO operations required to locate data within any specific snapshot. The number of IO operations are reduced by allowing the various metadata structures associated with the temporally current snapshot to locate data directly within any temporally earlier snapshot or on the original root volume.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2013
    Assignee: LSI Corporation
    Inventors: Vladimir Popovski, Nelson Nahum, Alexander Lyakas, Ishai Nadler, Moshe Melnikov
  • Patent number: 8352422
    Abstract: Stubbing systems and methods are provided for intelligent data management in a replication environment, such as by reducing the space occupied by replication data on a destination system. In certain examples, stub files or like objects replace migrated, de-duplicated or otherwise copied data that has been moved from the destination system to secondary storage. Access is further provided to the replication data in a manner that is transparent to the user and/or without substantially impacting the base replication process. In order to distinguish stub files representing migrated replication data from replicated stub files, priority tags or like identifiers can be used. Thus, when accessing a stub file on the destination system, such as to modify replication data or perform a restore process, the tagged stub files can be used to recall archived data prior to performing the requested operation so that an accurate copy of the source data is generated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: CommVault Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Anand Prahlad, Vijay H. Agrawal
  • Patent number: 8352785
    Abstract: A method, computer readable medium, and system for generating a unified virtual snapshot in accordance with embodiments of the present invention includes invoking with a file virtualization system a capture of a plurality of physical snapshots. Each of the physical snapshots comprises content at a given point in time in one of the plurality of data storage systems. A unified virtual snapshot is generated with the file virtualization system based on the captured plurality of the physical snapshots.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: F5 Networks, Inc.
    Inventors: Jonathan Case Nicklin, Harald Skardal
  • Patent number: 8352431
    Abstract: Providing a snapshot copy of data includes selectively collecting a plurality of data objects based on evaluation of a predicate associated with each of the data objects and performing a snapshot operation in connection with modifying at least one of the plurality of data objects. The snapshot operation may be performed prior to modifying the at least one of the plurality of data objects. The snapshot operation may be a copy on write operation. Providing a snapshot copy of data may also include providing a data structure that maintains a plurality of snapshot instances. The data structure may be a table. Each of the snapshot instances may include at least one of: an object set description, a timestamp indicating when the snapshot was initiated, a snapshot name and a handling policy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: EMC Corporation
    Inventors: Boris V. Protopopov, Arkady Kanevsky, Jurgen Leschner, Rossen Dimitrov
  • Publication number: 20130006942
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for performing an image level copy of an information store. The present invention comprises performing a snapshot of an information store that indexes the contents of the information store, retrieving data associated with the contents of the information store from a file allocation table, copying the contents of the information store to a storage device based on the snapshot, and associating the retrieved data with the copied contents to provide file system information for the copied contents.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 24, 2012
    Publication date: January 3, 2013
    Applicant: COMMVAULT SYSTEMS, INC.
    Inventors: Anand Prahlad, David Ngo, Prakash Varadharajan, Rahual Pawar, Avinash Kumar
  • Patent number: 8346727
    Abstract: An optimized backup image of a virtual machine is generated. The virtual machine is associated with a virtual disk. The virtual disk includes one or more virtual volumes. Generating the optimized backup image includes excluding one or more invalid sectors of the virtual disk from the optimized backup image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2013
    Assignee: Symantec Corporation
    Inventors: Robert Chester, Timothy M. Naftel
  • Patent number: 8346728
    Abstract: Managing backup data comprises accessing a snapshot of a data set, wherein the data set includes at least one object and the snapshot includes a replica of the data set, and adding to an index associated with the snapshot, with respect to each of one or more objects included in the snapshot, index data indicating at least where the object is located within the snapshot.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2013
    Assignee: EMC Corporation
    Inventor: Nathan Kryger
  • Publication number: 20120323853
    Abstract: Described are techniques for capturing and analyzing snapshots of virtual machines. One or more computers may automatically obtain snapshots of virtual machines as they are executing to form a pool of virtual machine snapshots. The virtual machine snapshots are then read to obtain a set of features properties of the virtual machine snapshots, including information about a running guest operating system, software installed on the virtual machine, metadata about the virtual machine itself, and others. The features or properties are analyzed, in one embodiment using a machine learning algorithm, to automatically compute and store information about the virtual machines.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 17, 2011
    Publication date: December 20, 2012
    Applicant: MICROSOFT CORPORATION
    Inventors: Robert Fries, Galen Hunt, Shobana Balakrishnan
  • Publication number: 20120303585
    Abstract: A storage system includes a distributed file system. An attribute of a particular entity in the file system relates to a snapshot. In response to an operation in the storage system, it is determined whether the snapshot attribute is to be propagated to another entity of the file system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 23, 2011
    Publication date: November 29, 2012
    Inventors: Boris Zuckerman, Robert Lee Rappaport, Manny Ye, Vitaly M. Oratovsky
  • Publication number: 20120303586
    Abstract: Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure relates to a system and method for data integration using at least two independent engineering tools including their private database, where all data in the first tool being of interest for the second tool are identified, specified and stored in an electronic data container. Each data item stored in the electronic data container is provided with a link to the original data and with a copy of the stored data items. The electronic data container that includes the data items can be accessed by the target tool or a separate application to obtain a read-only view of the engineering data of the source tool for further use in the target engineering tool and navigation through the data for the engineer as well as for a data import.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 4, 2012
    Publication date: November 29, 2012
    Applicant: ABB RESEARCH LTD
    Inventors: Rainer DRATH, Jens Hofschulte
  • Patent number: 8321377
    Abstract: A host server hosting one or more virtual machines can back up host volumes and the one or more virtual machines installed thereon in an application-consistent manner. In one implementation, a host-level requestor instructs a host-level writer to identify which virtual machines qualify for application-consistent backups. The host-level requestor then instructs the host-level writer to initiate virtual machine backups through guest-level requesters in each appropriately-configured virtual machine, wherein the virtual machines create application-consistent backups within the virtual machine volumes. The host-level requester then initiates snapshots of the server volumes on the host-level. The virtual machine-level snapshots can thus be retrieved from within the host-level snapshots of the server volumes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2012
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Michael L. Michael, William L. Scheidel, Paul Brandon Luber, Paul Adrian Oltean, Ran Kalach
  • Patent number: 8315987
    Abstract: A database management apparatus is provided with a setting unit that receives a snapshot request and records information indicating an extraction range to a memory, an extraction unit that sequentially extracts records and records the extracted records to another area, a monitoring unit that records information indicating an extraction-completed area and an extraction-remaining area, an update unit that judges whether a record targeted by an update instruction for update by a subsequent transaction is in the extraction-completed area, updates the update target record in the extraction-completed area if in the extraction-completed area, and records a map of the update target record in the extraction-remaining area to an area outside the extraction range and updates the map if in the extraction-remaining area, and a restore unit that updates the update target record to be the same as the map, after extraction of the update target record is completed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2012
    Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
    Inventor: Masaki Nishigaki
  • Patent number: 8311990
    Abstract: A system and method of reassembly a file from fragmented data written onto digital storage media are disclosed. The data reassembling system and method is particularly useful for image data reconstruction, and in forensic data recovery. More particularly, the inventive concept allows for reassembling out-of-sequence data fragments.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2012
    Inventors: Michael Martinek, David Martinek
  • Publication number: 20120284233
    Abstract: A contents management system comprises a plurality of subsystems which include: a storage subsystem to store a plurality of objects; a contents gateway server configured to create snapshots of the objects and store the snapshots in a first snapshot layer; a system management control unit configured to determine whether the number of snapshots in the first snapshot layer exceeds a corresponding limit for the first snapshot layer and, if yes, to migrate the snapshots from the first snapshot layer to a second snapshot layer provided by another subsystem of the contents management system, and delete the migrated snapshots from the first snapshot layer; and a contents management server configured to track location changes of the snapshots of the objects during migration of the snapshots and to re-index an index data of the snapshots of the objects based on the tracked location changes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 5, 2011
    Publication date: November 8, 2012
    Applicant: HITACHI, LTD.
    Inventor: Toshio OTANI
  • Patent number: 8306951
    Abstract: A cluster manager is configured to manage a plurality of copies of a mid-tier database as a mid-tier database cluster. The cluster manager may concurrently manage a backend database system. The cluster manager is configured to monitor for and react to failures of mid-tier database nodes. The cluster manager may react to a mid-tier database failure by, for example, assigning a new active node, creating a new standby node, creating new copies of the mid-tier databases, implementing new replication or backup schemes, reassigning the node's virtual address to another node, or relocating applications that were directly linked to the mid-tier database to another host. Each node or an associated agent may configure the cluster manager to behave in this fashion during initialization, based on common cluster configuration information. Each copy of the mid-tier database may be, for example, a memory resident database. Thus, a node must reload the entire database into memory to recover a copy of the database.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: Oracle International Corporation
    Inventors: Sourav Ghosh, Ashish Motivala, Charles Hoch, Rohan Aranha, Ben Fulton, Andrey Gusev, Tirthankar Lahiri, Juan Tellez
  • Publication number: 20120278286
    Abstract: A backup method for a backup system including an information processing apparatus and two or more information processing devices connected via a network includes, when the information processing device is designated as a first device among a plurality of the information processing devices, transmitting a first backup image of the first device to the information processing apparatus and transmitting the first backup image to a second device, and when the information processing device is the second device, extracting a difference image, which is a difference between the first backup image transmitted from the first device and a second backup image of the second device and transmitting the difference image to the information processing apparatus.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 22, 2012
    Publication date: November 1, 2012
    Applicant: FUJITSU LIMITED
    Inventors: Hironobu AWAZU, Yuzuru UEDA
  • Patent number: 8301602
    Abstract: Described are techniques for correcting at least some inconsistencies in a file system accessed by at least one client, while maintaining the file system online. A file system checking utility is executed on the file system to detect and create corrections for inconsistencies in the file system. The file system is updated to include at least some corrections. Also described is a computer system comprising a file system accessed by a client. A file system checking utility is executed on the file system to detect at least some inconsistencies in the file system, and to create a corrected version of the file system that includes corrections to correct for at least some of the detected inconsistencies. A report is created. The file system is not updated with the corrected version unless the proposed corrections are approved. The file system checking utility may be periodically scheduled for execution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2012
    Assignee: EMC Corporation
    Inventors: Xiaoye Jiang, Ajay Potnis, Mrinalini Chavan, Sairam Iyer, John Hayden
  • Publication number: 20120271799
    Abstract: A hardware-based file system includes multiple linked sub-modules that perform functions ancillary to client data handling. Each sub-module is associated with a metadata cache. A doubly-rooted structure is used to store each file system object at successive checkpoints. Metadata is stored within an object and/or as a separate object. Provisions are made for allocating sparse objects. A delayed write feature is used for writing certain objects into non-volatile storage. Checkpoints can be retained as read-only versions of the file system. Modifications to the file system are accomplished without affecting the contents of retained checkpoints. The file system can be reverted to a retained checkpoint. Multiple file servers can be interconnected as a cluster, and each file server stores requests from another file server. Interconnections between file servers can be dynamically modified. A distributed locking mechanism is used to control access to file system objects stored by the file servers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 26, 2012
    Publication date: October 25, 2012
    Applicant: BLUEARC UK LIMITED
    Inventors: Geoffrey S. Barrall, Simon L. Benham, Trevor E. Willis, Christopher J. Aston
  • Patent number: 8296537
    Abstract: The storage system includes a first storage device, configured to be installed in a first site and providing a primary logical volume in which data received from a host computer is written; a second storage device, configured to be installed in a second site and providing a virtual logical volume, which has no structure for storing data received from the first storage system; and a third storage device, configured to be installed in a third site and providing a secondary logical volume in which data received from the second storage system is written. Data written in the primary logical volume of the first storage device are remote-copied to the secondary logical volume of the third storage device via the virtual logical volume of the second storage device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2012
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Shintaro Inoue, Katsuhiro Okumoto
  • Publication number: 20120259815
    Abstract: Mechanisms, in a data processing system, are provided for performing a data management operation. These mechanisms identify one or more defined groups of data elements that are a target of the data management operation. One or more previously generated snapshot files associated with the one or more defined groups are identified and a determination is made as to whether at least one previously generated snapshot file of the one or more previously generated snapshot files associated with the one or more defined groups is able to be reused when performing the data management operation. The data management operation is performed based on the determination of whether at least one previously generated snapshot file of the one or more previously generated snapshot files associated with the one or more defined groups is able to be reused when performing the data management operation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 8, 2011
    Publication date: October 11, 2012
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventor: John T. Olson
  • Publication number: 20120259816
    Abstract: Aspects of the subject matter described herein relate to checkpoints for a file system. In aspects, updates to the file system are organized into checkpoint buckets. When a checkpoint is desired, subsequent updates are directed to another checkpoint bucket. After global tables have been updated for updates in the current checkpoint bucket, a logical copy of the global tables is created. This logical copy is stored as part of the checkpoint data. To assist in recovery, a checkpoint manager may wait until all updates of the current checkpoint bucket have been written to storage before writing final checkpoint data to storage. This final checkpoint data may refer to the logical copy of the global tables and include a validation code to verify that the checkpoint data is correct.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 22, 2012
    Publication date: October 11, 2012
    Applicant: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Jonathan M. Cargille, Thomas J. Miller, William R. Tipton
  • Patent number: 8284198
    Abstract: A server system allows an administrator to visualize storage space utilization of a storage system. In one implementation, the server system monitors the amount of used storage space in a storage system with respect to different types of usage. The server system generates a Graphical User Interface comprising a graphical chart displaying the amount of used storage space relating to a period of time. The graphical chart includes a breakdown of the different types of usage over the period of time. In another implementation, the server system receives a user input applied on the graphical chart, adjusts an allocation of storage space in the storage system in response to the user input, and updates the graphical chart to reflect the adjusted allocation of the storage space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2012
    Assignee: Network Appliance, Inc.
    Inventors: Brian Hackworth, Lokesh Shah, Ramanthan PS, Steve Klinkner
  • Publication number: 20120254121
    Abstract: A method for generating three-dimensional image data including accessing, using one or more processors, a first set of data from a database, the first set of data relating to an electronic bill of materials of a product, generating, using one or more processors, a second set of data based on the first set of data that relates to a three-dimensional image of the product, enriching, using one or more processors, the second set of data with a third set of data, the third set of data relating to image information added to the three-dimensional image of the product, and storing, using one or more processors, the enriched second set of data in the database.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 30, 2011
    Publication date: October 4, 2012
    Applicant: REALTIME TECHNOLOGY AG
    Inventors: Ludwig GROTEN, Jorg GERULLIS
  • Publication number: 20120254123
    Abstract: A method, computer readable medium, and a system for reconstituting a virtual snapshot of files in a file virtualization system includes forming at a file virtualization device a virtual snapshot that includes a plurality of physical snapshots associated with one or more file storage devices participating in the virtual snapshot, receiving a request for performing an operation on one or more physical snapshots in the plurality of physical snapshots, providing the one or more physical snapshots in response to the request for performing the operation when the one or more physical snapshots exists in the virtual snapshot, and reconstituting the virtual snapshot by including the one or more physical snapshots to form a reconstituted virtual snapshot in response to the request for performing the operation when the one or more physical snapshots do not exist in the virtual snapshot.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 22, 2012
    Publication date: October 4, 2012
    Applicant: F5 Networks, Inc.
    Inventors: JC Ferguson, Bradley E. Cain, Robert Cole
  • Publication number: 20120254122
    Abstract: A method for providing rolling continuous data protection of source data is disclosed. In one embodiment, such a method includes enabling a user to select source data and establish a first interval when point-in-time copies of the source data are generated. The method further enables the user to specify a first number of point-in-time copies to retain at the first interval. The method further enables the user to specify a second number of point-in-time copies to retain at a second interval, wherein the second interval is a (n?2) multiple of the first interval. The method further enables the user to specify a third number of point-in-time copies to retain at a third interval, wherein the third interval is a (n?2) multiple of the second interval. A corresponding apparatus and computer program product are also disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 30, 2011
    Publication date: October 4, 2012
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Michael T. Benhase, Theresa M. Brown, Lokesh M. Gupta, Carol S. Mellgren, Gail A. Spear
  • Patent number: 8271445
    Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for storing, organizing and searching files stored in a storage device. Backup files may be stored in snapshot-dependent and/or snapshot-independent paths. The backup files may be stored with additional attributes that can be used for searching and/or indexing purposes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2012
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: John Hörnkvist, Yan Arrouye
  • Patent number: 8271751
    Abstract: Systems and methods allow for reliably and efficiently managing files stored on a data storage medium associated with a computer system such as a set-top box. The computer system manages a collection of metadata describing each of the files stored on the data storage medium in a memory during operation of the computer system. A current snapshot of the collection of metadata is periodically or otherwise stored to the data storage medium. Following a reboot of the computer system, the collection of metadata can be recovered to the memory from the snapshot of the collection of metadata stored on the data storage medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2012
    Assignee: EchoStar Technologies L.L.C.
    Inventor: Joel Henry Hinrichs, Jr.
  • Patent number: 8260752
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method for change tracking with multiple backup jobs may include identifying a plurality of overlapping backup jobs to be performed on a volume. The computer-implemented method may also include identifying snapshots taken for any of the plurality of overlapping backup jobs. The computer-implemented method may further include, for each consecutive pair of identified snapshots, identifying changes made to the volume between the consecutive pair of identified snapshots and saving a list of the changes. The computer-implemented method may additionally include supplying the list of changes for each backup job in the plurality of overlapping backup jobs that requires the list of changes. The computer-implemented method may also include determining that no remaining backup job in the plurality of overlapping jobs requires the list of changes and deleting the list of changes. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2012
    Assignee: Symantec Corporation
    Inventors: Russell R. Stringham, Jason Ivey, Erik Prusse
  • Patent number: 8260751
    Abstract: In certain embodiments, a method for log file time sequence stamping is provided. The method includes connecting to a console port of one or more data sources and receiving data from the data sources. The data may be logged with both an independent time stamp and a sequence indicator. The independent time stamp provides a consistent time stamp of when the data was received at the system and the time sequence indicator represents an order in which the data was received at the system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2012
    Assignee: TDI Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: William D. Johnson, Darel R. Stokes, David G. North, Robert Yellin
  • Patent number: 8260747
    Abstract: A system, method, and computer program product are provided for allowing access to backup data resulting from performance of one or more recovery point backup operations and one or more full backup operations. This is accomplished by associating recovery point backup operations with full backup operations and allowing access to backup data resulting from performance of the recovery point backup operations and the full backup operations. In this way, logs corresponding to the backup operations may be associated with a backup path, such that the logs may be accessed during a restore operation. Furthermore, the recovery point operations may be configured to provide a user defined granularity for data recovery. To this end, in various embodiments, backup data may be stored at a granularity defined by a user and recovered based on a user selection of a recovery point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2012
    Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
    Inventors: Grace Zhanglei Wu, Michael David Mankovsky
  • Patent number: 8260745
    Abstract: A method and system for automatically managing changes to organizational data in a unified messaging (UM) platform are disclosed. A database snapshot is retrieved from a client human resources database. Added user information associated with a user is detected in the database snapshot, and an existing mailbox associated with the user in the UM platform is detected. Organizational data in the UM platform is automatically modified to combine the added user information and the existing mailbox in the UM platform. When the existing mailbox is detected in the UM platform for the user, it is possible for the UM platform to automatically compose and send a message to at least one user associated with the added user information including potential modifications of the organization data. The organizational data in the UM platform can then be modified in response to receiving approval of the potential modifications of the organizational data from at least one user associated with the added user information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2012
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
    Inventors: Mehrad Yasrebi, James Jackson
  • Patent number: 8255998
    Abstract: A method for protecting objects in a computer system against malware is disclosed. An object is analyzed to determine whether it is infected by malware, and if it is determined to be infected, a backup copy of the object is located in a backup of the objects. The infected object is replaced with the backup copy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2012
    Assignee: EMC Corporation
    Inventors: Christopher Hercules Claudatos, Jason A. Baim, Daniel S. Cobb