Patent ID: 6934725

Claim:
An enterprise storage system for performing a file level backup operation on data using a mirror disk and a primary disk, individual files of data being backed up from the mirror disk to a backup storage media while a database application on a host system can freely read to and write from a database stored on the primary disk after a quiesce period which occurs as part of the file level backup operation, said system comprising: a primary disk; a mirror disk; a file level mirrored backup portion, operable to initiate a file by file backup of data from said mirror disk to a backup storage device; a synchronizer to synchronize data from said primary disk to said mirror disk upon an initiation of a file level mirrored backup process by said file level mirrored backup portion; a database quiesce mechanism, operable after said synchronizer synchronizes said data from said primary disk to said mirror disk, to quiesce read and write interactions between said database application and said primary disk; a discovery and prepare mechanism operable after quiescing of the read and write interactions to conduct discovery and prepare phases of a file by file mirrored backup operation; a backup and cleanup mechanism to backup certain identified files from said mirror disk to said sequential storage media after completion of said discovery and prepare phases; a split mechanism operable to split said mirror disk from said primary disk before backing data files up from said mirror disk to said sequential storage media; an extent mapping mechanism to perform extent mapping on files to be backed up in a given backup session before said split mechanism splits said mirror for the same given backup session; and an extent map check and update mechanism to check, after said split mechanism splits said mirror for the same given backup session, whether any files have been updated in a manner so as to require additional or revised extent map information.