Patent ID: 7428558
Filing Date: 2008-09-23
Classification: G06F,Y10S

Abstract:
1. A method of restoring data to a first storage device, comprising: providing data in the first storage device at a first storage area of a first type that contains sections of data; providing data in a second storage device at a second storage area of a second type wherein the second type is a virtual storage area that has, for each section of data thereof, at least one of: a pointer to a corresponding section of data of the first storage area and a pointer to corresponding section of data of a third storage device at a third storage area of the first type, wherein prior to writing new data to a section of the first storage area pointed to by a pointer of the second storage area, data of the section of the first storage area is copied to a section of the third storage area and the pointer of the second storage area is adjusted to point to the section of the third storage area; providing data in a fourth storage device having at least one other storage area of the second type; and for each particular section of data of the second storage area having a pointer to the third storage area, providing to a corresponding section of the first storage area an indirect pointer to a corresponding section of the third storage area if no storage areas of the at least one other storage area point to the corresponding section of the first storage area.