17966772. CLONE-AWARE BACKUP AND RESTORE simplified abstract (Oracle International Corporation)

CLONE-AWARE BACKUP AND RESTORE

Organization Name

Oracle International Corporation

Inventor(s)

Thomas Engle of Nashua NH (US)

Diane Lebel of Methuen MA (US)

CLONE-AWARE BACKUP AND RESTORE - A simplified explanation of the abstract

This abstract first appeared for US patent application 17966772 titled 'CLONE-AWARE BACKUP AND RESTORE

Simplified Explanation

The patent application describes techniques for backup and restore of a thin-cloned data file. The process involves identifying shared memory portions between the thin-cloned data file and the source data file, storing placeholder metadata and references for shared memory portions in the backup file, and replicating derivative data from the backup file during restore.

• The process iterates through memory portions of the thin-cloned data file to identify shared data with the source data file.
• Placeholder metadata and references are stored for shared memory portions in the backup file.
• Derivative data is replicated from the backup file during restore, while references are used for shared data.

Potential Applications

This technology could be applied in data backup and restore systems, particularly for efficiently handling thin-cloned data files with shared memory portions.

Problems Solved

1. Efficient backup and restore of thin-cloned data files with shared memory portions. 2. Reducing storage requirements by storing references to shared data instead of duplicating it.

Benefits

1. Faster backup and restore processes for thin-cloned data files. 2. Reduced storage space needed for backup files. 3. Improved data management for systems with thin-cloned data files.

Potential Commercial Applications

"Efficient Backup and Restore Techniques for Thin-Cloned Data Files" could find applications in data storage and management systems, cloud computing services, and enterprise backup solutions.

Possible Prior Art

One possible prior art could be traditional backup and restore techniques that involve duplicating entire data files without considering shared data portions.

How does this technology impact data security during backup and restore processes?

This article does not address the specific security measures implemented to protect data during backup and restore operations.

What are the potential limitations of using this technology for large-scale data backup systems?

The article does not discuss the scalability of this technology for handling massive amounts of data in enterprise-level backup systems.

Original Abstract Submitted

Techniques are described for backup and restore of a thin-cloned data file. The process iterates through a plurality of memory portions of the thin-cloned data file and determines whether a memory portion of the thin-cloned data file is a memory portion with common data shared with the source data file. Without storing the common data of the shared memory portion into the thin-backup data file, the process stores placeholder metadata and corresponding reference to the shared memory portion for the thin-backup data file, in an embodiment. At restore, the process may replicate the derivative data, different from the common data, from the thin-backup data file into the thin-restored data file. For the common data, the process restores a reference for the thin-restored data file to the share memory portion, in an embodiment.