US6047294A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Logical restore from a physical backup in a computer storage system
Assignee: EMC Corp
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Filing: 1998-03-31
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Granted: 2000-04-04
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Expires: 2018-03-31
Abstract
Abstract Method and apparatus for backing up and restoring data in a computer system is disclosed. A segment of data, such as a virtual disk partition, may be backed up at a physical level from a primary storage device to a backup storage device. A logical element within the segment of data, such as a data file, may be restored from the backup storage device to the primary storage device. In one embodiment, this is achieved by restoring the segment to a scratch memory area and using a client computer to logically restore the logical element.
Inventors
- 👤 John Deshayes
- 👤 Madhav Mutalik
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-02 01:03
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06F; G06F11/00; G06F11/07; G06F11/14; G06F11/1446; G06F11/1456; G06F11/1458; G06F11/1469; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S707/00; Y10S707/99951; Y10S707/99952; Y10S707/99953; Y10S707/99955
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 30
Claim 1
Independent Claim
66 words
A method of backing up and restoring data in a computer system, the method comprising steps of: (a) performing a physical backup of a segment of storage stored on a primary storage device, onto a backup storage device, the segment of storage being used to store a plurality of logical elements; and (b) logically restoring one of the logical elements stored in the segment of storage.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
66 words
A method of backing up and restoring data in a computer system, the method comprising steps of: (a) performing a physical backup of a segment of storage stored on a primary storage device, onto a backup storage device, the segment of storage being used to store a plurality of logical elements; and (b) logically restoring one of the logical elements stored in the segment of storage.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method of claim 1, wherein the backup storage device cannot read the segment of storage at a logical level.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
34 words
The method of claim 2, wherein the step (a) comprises a step of: physically backing up the segment of storage over a direct connection between the primary storage device and the backup storage device.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
43 words
The method of claim 2, wherein the step (b) comprises steps of: (c) restoring a copy of the segment of storage to a scratch storage area; and logically restoring one of the logical elements from the copy restored to the scratch storage area.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method of claim 4, wherein the scratch storage area is on the primary storage device.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method of claim 5, wherein the scratch storage area includes a mirror storage location on the primary storage device.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
35 words
The method of claim 5, wherein the step (c) comprises a step of copying the backup of the segment of storage from the backup storage device to the primary storage device over a direct connection.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
40 words
The method of claim 4, wherein the logical element is a file; the segment of storage corresponds to a virtual partition; and the segment of storage is stored on a plurality of physical storage segments on the primary storage device.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
40 words
The method of claim 2, wherein: the primary storage device is used in a normal mode of operation by a primary computer; and the step (b) comprises a step of using the primary computer to logically restore the logical element.
Claim 11
Independent Claim
71 words
A method of restoring data from a backup storage device to a primary storage device, the method comprising steps of: (a) restoring a copy of a segment of storage to a scratch storage area, the segment of storage being used to store a plurality of logical elements; and (b) logically restoring one of the logical elements stored in the segment of storage from the copy restored to the scratch storage area.
Claim 12
Independent Claim
71 words
A method of restoring data from a backup storage device to a primary storage device, the method comprising steps of: (a) restoring a copy of a segment of storage to a scratch storage area, the segment of storage being used to store a plurality of logical elements; and (b) logically restoring one of the logical elements stored in the segment of storage from the copy restored to the scratch storage area.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method of claim 10, wherein the scratch storage area is on the primary storage device.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method of claim 11, wherein the scratch storage area includes a mirror storage location on the primary storage device.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
44 words
The method of claim 11, wherein the step (a) comprises a step of restoring the copy of the segment of storage at a physical level to the scratch storage area over a direct connection between the primary storage device and the backup storage device.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method of claim 10, wherein the backup storage device cannot read the segment of storage at a logical level.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
40 words
The method of claim 14, wherein: the primary storage device is used in a normal mode of operation by a primary computer; and the step (b) comprises a step of using the primary computer to logically restore the logical element.
Claim 18
Independent Claim
89 words
A method of backing up and restoring data used in a computer system having a primary computer, a primary storage device and a backup storage device, the method comprising steps of: (a) using the backup storage device to control backing up a segment of storage stored on the primary storage device by copying at a physical level the segment of storage from the primary storage device to the backup storage device; and (b) using the primary computer to logically restore a logical element stored in the segment of storage.
Claim 19
Independent Claim
89 words
A method of backing up and restoring data used in a computer system having a primary computer, a primary storage device and a backup storage device, the method comprising steps of: (a) using the backup storage device to control backing up a segment of storage stored on the primary storage device by copying at a physical level the segment of storage from the primary storage device to the backup storage device; and (b) using the primary computer to logically restore a logical element stored in the segment of storage.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
48 words
The method of claim 16, wherein the step (b) comprises steps of: (c) restoring a copy of the segment of storage to a scratch storage area; and using the primary computer to logically restore one of the logical elements from the copy restored to the scratch storage area.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method of claim 17, wherein the scratch storage area is on the primary storage device.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method of claim 18, wherein the scratch storage area includes a mirror storage location on the primary storage device.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
51 words
The method of claim 17, wherein the step (c) comprises a step of using the backup storage device to control restoring the copy of the segment of storage, by copying at a physical level the copy of the segment of storage from the backup storage device to the scratch storage area.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method of claim 16, wherein the backup storage device cannot read the segment of storage at a logical level.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
49 words
A backup storage system for backing up a storage device used by a primary computer, the backup storage system comprising: means for controlling a physical backup of a segment of storage stored on the storage device; and means for logically restoring a logical element from the segment of storage.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
49 words
A backup storage system for backing up a storage device used by a primary computer, the backup storage system comprising: means for controlling a physical backup of a segment of storage stored on the storage device; and means for logically restoring a logical element from the segment of storage.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
29 words
The system of claim 22, wherein the means for controlling comprises means for physically backing up the segment of storage over a direct connection with the primary storage device.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
46 words
The system of claim 22, wherein the means for logically restoring comprises: means for restoring a copy of the segment of storage to a scratch storage area; and means for logically restoring one of the logical elements from the copy restored to the scratch storage area.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
36 words
The system of claim 24, wherein the means for logically restoring to a scratch storage area comprises means for restoring the copy to the scratch storage area, the scratch storage area being on the storage device.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
29 words
The system of claim 22, wherein the means for logically restoring comprises: means on the primary computer for logically reading the logical element from a copy of the segment.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US5655096A
Cited
US5960449A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2003-04-04 | 2003-10-04 | 2004-04-04 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2007-04-04 | 2007-10-04 | 2008-04-04 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2011-04-04 | 2011-10-04 | 2012-04-04 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |