Systems and methods for backing up data files

Abstract

The invention provides systems and methods for continuous back up of data stored on a computer network. To this end the systems of the invention include a synchronization process that replicates selected source data files data stored on the network and to create a corresponding set of replicated data files, called the target data files, that are stored on a back up server. This synchronization process builds a baseline data structure of target data files. In parallel to this synchronization process, the system includes a dynamic replication process that includes a plurality of agents, each of which monitors a portion of the source data files to detect and capture, at the byte-level, changes to the source data files. Each agent may record the changes to a respective journal file, and as the dynamic replication process detects that the journal files contain data, the journal files are transferred or copied to the back up server so that the captured changes can be written to the appropriate ones of the target data files.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is a divisional of commonly assigned copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10 / 320,762, which was filed on Dec. 16, 2002, by Midgley et al. for Systems and Methods of Backing Up Data Files, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09 / 465,411, filed on Dec. 16, 1999, by Midgley et al. for Systems and Methods of Backing Up Data Files. Both applications are hereby incorporated by references. This application is related to U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,625,623, 6,779,003, 6,847,984, and 6,460,055, all of which where filed on Dec. 16, 1999, and entitled Systems and Methods for Backing up Data Files. This application is also related to U.S. Pat. No. 6,704,755, which was filed on May 21, 2002.FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] The invention relates to systems and methods for maintaining back up files for servers on a computer network, and more specifically, to systems and method for continuously backing up data files stor...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0014] Additionally, in one embodiment the systems described herein may include a policy manager for allowing a user to identify a set of source data files to be monitored by the synchronization mechanism and the dynamic replication mechanism. The policy manager may allow a user to set up policies including the timing of synchronization backups, the manner in which the dynamic replication mechanism operates, such as in a continuous mode, or in a periodic mode. The policy manager may also allow the user to identify the manner in which updates are to occur, such as by having the synchronization mechanism employ a file level update process wherein the rewriting of a target data file includes rewriting the current version of the corresponding source data file as the new version of the target data file, or alternatively, wherein the synchronization mechanism would write recorded changes to a target data file to bring the target data file into agreement with the most recent version of the corresponding source data file.

[0015] Accordingly, in another embodiment the invention provides a computer system for allowing a system administrator, user, or other operator to create backup files for data files stored on the computer network. The system may comprise a backup server having storage for a plurality of data files and a data server that has a plurality of data files organized into a file structure, and an agent that operates on the data server and that is capable of capturing changes to the data files as the data files are being modified and is also capable of recording detected changes within a journal file. This system can also have a console process that allows the user, system administrator, or another party to select one or more of the plurality of data files for identifying the selected data files as source data files which are to be backed up by the system. To this end, the system would also include a synchronization replication process that would replicate each of the source data files to create the respective target data file stored on the back up server, and would include a dynamic replication process that would be responsive to data stored within the journal file, and would employ that data for altering each of the target data files to mirror changes made to respective ones source data files. Accordingly, such a system allows a system administrator employing the console process to identify those data files on a computer network which were to be replicated for backup purposes. To this end the console process can include a file selection process that allows the user to create a profile file representative of the source data files that are selected to be backed up. The console process can also include a timing selection process for allowing the user to control the timing of the dynamic replication process. The console process can further include, in an alternative embodiment, a process for allowing the user to identify which files are to be included or excluded from the synchronization process.

[0016] In a further embodiment, the system may also include a transactional process. The transactional process may allow a user such as a system administrator to identify a set of source data files that are to be grouped together. The transactional process can therefore control the synchronization replication process such that the synchronization replication process will back up the identified set of source data files as a single transaction. In this way, the system administrator can identify a set of files which are to be backed up together, thereby providing transactional integrity for the backup process that is to encompass a plurality of different files.

[0020] In an additional embodiment, the systems and methods described herein include a backup process that monitors other available network resources, such as buffer resources, to determine the amount of buffer resources available on the network for the backup process. Further, as resources become dear the backup process may determine that the current backup operation is to be aborted, and restarted once network resources become more available. Additionally, the backup process may include a coalescence process which will consolidate the amount of data being transferred in journal files for reducing the demands on network resources.

Problems solved by technology

Although such a backup process may work well to create a copy of the data stored on the network, it is a time consuming and labor intensive process.

Moreover, it is a cumbersome process that often is inappropriate in many environments.

For example, as more and more computer networks begin to operate twenty-four hours a day seven days week, it is continuously more difficult for the system administrator to identify a block of time during which the majority of network resources may be turned over to the backup procedure.

In fact many companies now rely on the corporate network to store almost all of its business information, and the loss of even a portion of the information stored on the network during the course of a day may result in a substantial cost for the company.

Moreover, although the current backup systems work well for putting data on to a long term storage media system, they often store data sequentially on to media, like a magnetic tape, losing the file structure of the data, and making it difficult to retrieve information without having to reinstall all the data previously stored on the tape.

Thus, if a portion of the data is lost, it is often difficult to restore just the data that was lost, and often the system administrator is forced to decide whether it is worth the cost of retrieving the lost portion of the data.

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