CONSOLIDATING DECREMENTAL BACKUPS IN A DECREMENTAL BACKUP CHAIN

1 . A method for consolidating decremental backups in a decremental backup chain, the method comprising:

identifying a decremental backup chain that includes multiple decremental backups of a source storage and a base backup of the source storage;

identifying, for consolidation, a sequential set of decremental backups in the multiple decremental backups;

identifying a set of oldest blocks from the sequential set of decremental backups for unique block positions of blocks included in the sequential set of decremental backups; and

creating a consolidated decremental backup that includes the set of oldest blocks.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the identifying, for consolidation, of the sequential set of decremental backups includes:

receiving input from a user that identifies the sequential set of decremental backups for consolidation.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the identifying, for consolidation, of the sequential set of decremental backups includes:

determining that each of the decremental backups in the sequential set of decremental backups represents a state of the source storage at a point in time that is prior to a threshold point in time set forth in a policy.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the identifying of the set of oldest blocks includes:

searching forward in the sequential set of decremental backups, from the oldest decremental backup in the sequential set of decremental backups, for the first block for each of the unique block positions.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the identifying of the set of oldest blocks includes:

retrieving one or more file system block allocation maps (FSBAMs) for points in time represented by the consolidated decremental backup and represented by any of the other decremental backups in the decremental backup chain that depend on the consolidated decremental backup;

identifying free blocks, corresponding to block positions that are indicated as being free in all of the FSBAM(s), in the set of oldest blocks; and

pruning the free blocks out of the set of oldest blocks.

6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the retrieving of the one or more FSBAMs includes:

for each FSBAM, searching forward in the decremental backup chain, from the decremental backup in the decremental backup chain that represents the point in time of the FSBAM, for the first block for each of one or more block positions that make up the FSBAM in order to reconstruct the FSBAM.

7 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the retrieving of the one or more FSBAMs includes:

for each FSBAM, retrieving a complete copy of the FSBAM that is associated with the decremental backup in the decremental backup chain that represents the point in time of the FSBAM.

8 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

deleting the sequential set of decremental backups.

9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the deleting of the sequential set of decremental backups is performed in response to:

receiving input from a user that identifies the sequential set of decremental backups for deletion.

10 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the deleting of the sequential set of decremental backups is performed in response to:

a predetermined period of time, as set forth in a policy, having passed since the creating of the consolidated decremental backup; and/or

a predetermined period of time, as set forth in a policy, having passed since a creating of the decremental backup in the decremental backup chain representing the newest point in time.

11 . One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing one or more programs that are configured, when executed, to cause one or more processors to perform the method as recited in claim 1 .

12 . A method for consolidating decremental backups in a decremental backup chain, the method comprising:

identifying a decremental backup chain that includes multiple decremental backups of a source storage and a base backup of the source storage, each of the multiple decremental backups and the base backup representing a state of the source storage at a point in time;

identifying, for consolidation, a sequential set of decremental backups in the multiple decremental backups;

identifying a set of oldest blocks from the sequential set of decremental backups for unique block positions of blocks included in the sequential set of decremental backups;

creating a consolidated decremental backup that includes the oldest blocks; and

deleting the sequential set of decremental backups.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the identifying, for consolidation, of the sequential set of decremental backups includes:

receiving input from a user that identifies the sequential set of decremental backups for consolidation; and/or

determining that the points in time represented by the decremental backups in the sequential set of decremental backups are prior to a threshold point in time set forth in a policy.

14 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the identifying of the oldest blocks from the sequential set of decremental backups includes:

searching forward in the sequential set of decremental backups, from the decremental backup in the sequential set representing the oldest point in time, for the first block for each of the unique block positions.

15 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the deleting of the sequential set of decremental backups is performed in response to:

receiving input from a user that identifies the sequential set of decremental backups for deletion;

a predetermined period of time, as set forth in a policy, having passed since the creating of the consolidated decremental backup;

a predetermined period of time, as set forth in a policy, having passed since a creating of the decremental backup in the decremental backup chain representing the newest point in time; or

some combination thereof.

16 . One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing one or more programs that are configured, when executed, to cause one or more processors to perform the method as recited in claim 12 .