Patent ID: 9747168
Date: 2017-08-29
CPC Classifications: G06F

Claim:
1. A data block based backup method for a data management system, the data management system comprising a file system having a database management application program interface (DMAPI), wherein the file system controls access by a database application to at least one database container file set with a DMAPI event mask and stored in a first storage of the data management system, the data management system further comprising a backup client that is connected to a remote backup server in a client-server configuration, wherein a first version of the database container file is saved in the backup server, a first inode comprising information on data blocks of the first version of the database container file, the method comprising: creating a change tracking table for at least the database container file, and repeatedly adding an entry in the change tracking table in response to detecting an access of the database application through the DMAPI to a data block of the database container file set with the DMAPI event mask, wherein the entry comprises an indication of the respective data block in association with an information indicating the type of the access, wherein the type of the access comprises at least one of a read and a write access tracked by the DMAPI event mask; in response to receiving a request to backup the database container file: pausing the execution of the database application and performing a snapshot of a storage volume containing at least the file system and the database container file in a second storage of the data management system; resuming the database application; mounting the snapshot storage volume; recreating the file system including a copy of the database container file in the second storage using the mounted storage volume and recreating the DMAPI event mask associated with the database container file; identifying entries in the change tracking table referencing the database container file and that are associated with information indicating a write access; copying the data associated with data blocks of the identified entries to the backup server from the copy of the database container file, thereby backing up a second version of the database container file; and updating the first inode for indicating the backed up data blocks in the backup server, thereby obtaining a second inode.