Intelligent snapshot based backups
This disclosure relates to a method, article of manufacture, and apparatus for intelligently determining snapshot method during snapshot based backup. In some embodiments, this includes at a second time instance, calculating a data change rate since a first time instance, obtaining policies, wherein each of the policies specifies a backup method and one or more corresponding conditions, determining a snapshot method based on the data change rate and the policies, and performing a snapshot using the snapshot method.
1. A method comprising:
at a second time instance, calculating a data change rate since a first time instance;
obtaining policies, wherein each of the policies specifies a backup method and one or more corresponding conditions;
determining a snapshot method based on the data change rate and the policies; and
performing a snapshot using the snapshot method, wherein a first policy specifies a first snapshot method to be performed when a first condition is satisfied, the first condition specifying a first data change rate, and wherein a second policy specifies a second snapshot method, different from the first snapshot method, to be performed when a second condition is satisfied, the second condition specifying a second data change rate, different from the first data change rate.
2. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein determining the snapshot method based on the data change rate and the policies comprises:
finding a policy, wherein the policy has conditions satisfied by the data change rate; and
obtaining the snapshot method based on the backup method specified by the policy.
3. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein performing the snapshot using the snapshot method comprises:
pairing a source and one or more targets using the snapshot method;
producing the snapshot of the source using the snapshot method; and
storing the snapshot on the one or more targets.
4. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein calculating the data change rate includes calculating the data change rate at filesystem level.
5. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein calculating the data change rate includes calculating the data change rate at block level.
6. A storage system comprising:
a source;
a storage group configured to include one or more targets;
a server configured to back up the source at a plurality of time instances and store backups to at least one target within the storage group;
a resource database coupled with the server for storing policies, wherein each of the policies specifies a backup method and one or more corresponding conditions, wherein a first policy specifies a first snapshot method to be performed when a first condition is satisfied, the first condition specifying a first data change rate, and wherein a second policy specifies a second snapshot method, different from the first snapshot method, to be performed when a second condition is satisfied, the second condition specifying a second data change rate, different from the first data change rate; and
a backup application executed by the server configured to calculate a data change rate between two time instances among the plurality of time instances, obtain the policies from the resource database, determine a snapshot method based on the data change rate and the policies, and perform a snapshot using the snapshot method.
7. The system as recited in claim 6 , wherein the system provides a user interface providing one or more criteria containing the backup method and the one or more corresponding conditions of the policies, wherein a selection of a criteria results in storing one or more policies in the resource database.
8. The system as recited in claim 6 , wherein the storage group includes the source.
9. The system as recited in claim 6 , wherein the source includes a plurality of sources.
10. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer usable medium having machine readable code embodied therein for:
at a second time instance, calculating a data change rate indicating an amount of data that has changed since a first time instance;
obtaining policies, wherein each of the policies specifies a backup method and one or more corresponding conditions, wherein a first policy specifies a first snapshot method to be performed when a first corresponding condition comprising a first data change rate is satisfied, and wherein a second policy specifies a second snapshot method, different from the first snapshot method, to be performed when a second corresponding condition comprising a second data change rate, different from the first data change rate, is satisfied;
determining whether the data change rate satisfies the first or second corresponding condition;
if the data change rate satisfies the first corresponding condition, selecting the first snapshot method to be performed;
if the data change rate satisfies the second corresponding condition, selecting the second snapshot method to be performed; and
performing a snapshot using the selected snapshot method.
11. A method comprising;
at a second time instance, calculating a data change rate since a first time instance;
obtaining policies, wherein each of the policies specifies a backup method and one or more corresponding conditions;
determining a snapshot method based on the data change rate and the policies; and
performing a snapshot using the snapshot method, wherein a first policy specifies a first snapshot method and a corresponding first condition, the first condition specifying a first maximum amount of data that is allowed to be changed for the first condition to be satisfied, wherein a second policy specifies a second snapshot method, different from the first snapshot method, and wherein the determining a snapshot comprises:
determining whether the data change rate is below the first maximum amount of data that is allowed to be changed for the first condition to be satisfied;
if the data change rate is below the first maximum amount, selecting the first snapshot method as the snapshot method to be performed; and
if the data change rate is above the first maximum amount, selecting the second snapshot method as the snapshot method to be performed.
12. A method comprising:
at a second time instance, calculating a data change rate since a first time instance;
obtaining policies, wherein each of the policies specifies a backup method and one or more corresponding conditions;
determining a snapshot method based on the data change rate and the policies; and
performing a snapshot using the snapshot method, wherein a first policy specifies a first snapshot method and a corresponding first condition, the first condition specifying a first minimum amount of data that must be changed for the first condition to be satisfied, wherein a second policy specifies a second snapshot method, different from the first snapshot method, and wherein the determining a snapshot comprises:
determining whether the data change rate is above the first minimum amount of data that must be changed for the first condition to be satisfied;
if the data change rate is above the first minimum amount, selecting the first snapshot method as the snapshot method to be performed; and
if the data change rate is below the first minimum amount, selecting the second snapshot method as the snapshot method to be performed.
13. A method comprising;
at a second time instance, calculating a data change rate since a first time instance;
obtaining policies, wherein each of the policies specifies a backup method and one or more corresponding conditions;
determining a snapshot method based on the data change rate and the policies; and
performing a snapshot using the snapshot method, wherein a first policy specifies a first snapshot method to be performed when a first corresponding condition comprising a first data change rate is satisfied, and wherein a second policy specifies a second snapshot method, different from the first snapshot method, to be performed when a second corresponding condition comprising a second data change rate, different from the first data change rate, is satisfied, and the determining a snapshot method comprises:
determining whether the data change rate satisfies the first or second corresponding condition;
if the data change rate satisfies the first condition, selecting the first snapshot method to perform; and
if the data change rate satisfies the second condition, selecting the second snapshot method to perform.
14. A method comprising;
at a second time instance, calculating a data change rate since a first time instance;
obtaining policies, wherein each of the policies specifies a backup method and one or more corresponding conditions;
determining a snapshot method based on the data change rate and the policies; and
performing a snapshot using the snapshot method, wherein a first policy specifies a first snapshot method and a corresponding first condition, the first condition specifying a first minimum amount of data that must be changed and a first maximum amount of data allowed to be changed for the first condition to be satisfied, and wherein a second policy specifies a second snapshot method, different from the first snapshot method, and a corresponding second condition, different from the first condition, and the method comprises:
determining whether the data change rate falls between the first minimum amount and the first maximum amount;
if the data change rate falls between the first minimum amount and the first maximum amount, selecting the first snapshot method to perform; and
if the data change rate falls outside the first minimum amount and the first maximum amount, selecting the second snapshot method to perform.
15. The method of claim 13 , wherein determining the snapshot method based on the data change rate and the policies comprises:
finding a policy, wherein the policy has conditions satisfied by the data change rate; and
obtaining the snapshot method based on the backup method specified by the policy.
16. The method of claim 13 , wherein performing the snapshot using the snapshot method comprises:
pairing a source and one or more targets using the snapshot method;
producing the snapshot of the source using the snapshot method; and
storing the snapshot on the one or more targets.
17. The method of claim 13 , wherein calculating the data change rate includes calculating the data change rate at filesystem level.
18. The method of claim 13 , wherein calculating the data change rate includes calculating the data change rate at block level.
19. The method of claim 11 , wherein calculating the data change rate includes calculating the data change rate at filesystem level.
20. The method of claim 12 , wherein calculating the data change rate includes calculating the data change rate at block level.