Apparatus and method for backup of a disk storage system

Patent 6081875 Issued on June 27, 2000. Estimated Expiration Date:

May 19, 2017. Estimated Expiration Date is calculated based on simple USPTO term provisions. It does not account for terminal disclaimers, term adjustments, failure to pay maintenance fees, or other factors which might affect the term of a patent.

Abstract Claims Description Full Text

Patent References

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Inventors

Assignee

EMC Corporation

Application

No. 858231 filed on 05/19/1997

US Classes:

711/162Backup

Examiners

Primary: Chan, Eddie P.
Assistant: Encarnacion, Yamir

Attorney, Agent or Firm

Dulaney; Robert L.

Foreign Patent References

0 332 210 EP. 09/12/1989
WO 93/08529 WO. 04/12/1993

International Class

G06F 011/14

Abstract

A backup system and method provides for creation of a reconciled snapshot backup image of a database while the database, residing on a disk array system, is in use by users. A backup computer running a commercial backup utility is connected between the array system and a tape storage system. While the backup is underway, write requests to the database are suspended until the data currently in those data blocks is copied and stored in an original data cache. The disk system address of the copied block and a pointer to the location of the block in the cache are stored in a map. The backup utility incrementally reads portions of the database from the disk system and forwards those portions to the tape system. Prior to each portion being forwarded to the tape system, all data blocks in the portion which have an address that corresponds to the address of a block in the cache are discarded and replaced with the data from the cache for that address.