[linux-lvm] LVM Snapshots for remote archiving.

[Chris Beck]

It is whispered that Greg Freemyer was heard, on or about 1/28/2004 
12:19 PM to say:

>A snapshot is based on copy on write technology.  I guess you could use
>it to create the transaction log you are talking about, but it is not
>what it is designed to do, and I believe significant effort would be
>involved.
>
>Basically with a snapshot, a blank disk volume is created with a flag
>table with one entry per block of master volume data.  All of the flag
>entries are initialized as "unmodified".
>
>When a write is performed to the master volume, the flag table is
>checked.  If the flag for that particular block is set to "unmodified",
>then a copy of the unmodified block is made to the snapshot area prior
>to the write being performed.  The flag is then set to modified.
>
>Future writes to that specific block will have no effect on the flag
>table, nor on the snapshot volume.
>  
>
Oh well, I guess I was thinking that it was the reverse:  changes were 
written to the new volume, which was then merged into the old one once 
the snapshot was finished.

>For your transaction log, the flag table is significant, but the actual
>snapshot volume is not.  It is just the old unmodified content.
>
>To get a true set of differences over a 24-hour period, you would have
>to create a snapshot at time T, and another at time T+24.  (Easily done
>I think).
>
>Then have code that went thru the flag table for snapshot T and
>retrieved the blocks from snapshot T+24 that were marked as modified. 
>(LVM will automatically get the block from the appropriate source: T+24
>or Master volume)
>
>Once done, the snapshot T would be deleted, and snapshot T+24 would be
>maintained.  At the 48 hour mark, snapshot T+48 would be created and the
>process repeated.
>
>I don't think that is a trivial issue, and I think the code would have
>to implemented in the kernel.
>  
>
Why the kernel? ... surely reading the flag tables could be done in user 
space?  I think you have the necessary logic spot on.

>New code would also have to be developed to apply the above blocks.
>  
>
Hmmm.  I can mess around in perl and java as well as the next guy, but 
my c-fu is weak, very weak.  How much would it cost to sponsor someone 
to do this do you think?

-- 
Chris Beck / Y.A.B.A. / Fungal Genomics
CFSG / Concordia University
"La loi dans sa majestueuse égalité, interdit à tous, aux riches comme
aux pauvres de dormir sous les ponts, de coucher dans la rue et de voler
du pain." -- Anatole France (Les Lys Rouge - 1894)