Patent ID: 7246211
Filing Date: 2007-07-17
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A computer system providing backup copying of data without suspending an application program accessing the data, comprising: a storage device storing block data; a backup storage device storing block backup data and restoring the storage device multiple times and to any prior stable consistent state of the storage device stored as the block backup data; and an intermediate block data container storing block backup data, wherein the computer system copies a data block from the storage device into the intermediate block data container and copies a data block from the intermediate block data container into the backup storage device during an online data backup process, and wherein the intermediate block data container is protected from data overwrite during the online backup process; and wherein the computer system manages the online data backup process by: suspending a write command that is directed to a data storage block that is subject to the data backup process but has not yet been copied, copying the data storage block that is the subject of a write command to the intermediate storage device, executing the write command and copying the data storage block from the intermediate storage device to the backup storage device, wherein the computer system suspends a write command to the storage device during the data backup process if the intermediate block data container has reached a selected data capacity; and copies a selected amount of data from the intermediate block data container to the backup storage device.