DE102013103234A1 - Method for a computer system, firmware for a computer system and computer system - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for a computer system (CS) for restoring data. The method comprises the steps of backing up data from the computer system (CS) to a connected storage service (CL) and storing an identifier of the connected storage service (CL) and an identifier of the saved data in a non-volatile memory module (BST) of the computer system ( CS). The method further comprises the steps of detecting a recovery request by a firmware (FW) and the step of recovering the saved data from the storage service (CL) by the firmware (FW). The restored data is restored using the identifier of the connected storage service (CL) and the identifier of the backed up data after the restore request has been recorded. The invention also relates to firmware (FW) for a computer system (CS) and a computer system (CS).

Description

The invention relates to a method for a computer system for restoring data, a firmware for a computer system and a computer system.

Many computer systems, whether used for business or pleasure, store data that one or more users consider important. Therefore, there is a desire to protect these data against accidents or failures. A common method for doing this is to perform a so-called "backup". In this case, data is copied by the computer systems for protection against data loss and, for example, stored on a data carrier, stored in a secure location and, in the case of a restore, a so-called "restore", the data is written back from the disk back to the computer system. This is supported by various software products.

The object of the invention is to describe an improved method for recovering data for a computer system and devices suitable therefor.

• – Sichern von Daten von dem Computersystem auf einen verbundenen Speicherdienst;
• – Speichern einer Kennung des verbundenen Speicherdienstes und einer Kennung der gesicherten Daten in einen nichtflüchtigen Speicherbaustein des Computersystems;
• – Erfassen einer Wiederherstellungsanforderung durch eine Firmware; und
• – Wiederherstellen der gesicherten Daten von dem Speicherdienst durch die Firmware anhand der Kennung des verbundenen Speicherdienstes und der Kennung der gesicherten Daten, nachdem die Wiederherstellungsanforderung erfasst wurde.

According to a first aspect of the invention, a method for a computer system for restoring data is described. The method comprises the steps:

• - backing up data from the computer system to a linked storage service;
• - storing an identifier of the connected storage service and an identifier of the secure data in a nonvolatile memory module of the computer system;
• - detecting a recovery request by a firmware; and
• - recovering the backed up data from the storage service by the firmware based on the identifier of the connected storage service and the identifier of the backed up data after the recovery request has been detected.

To protect against data loss in computer systems, data can be backed up to a storage service (a so-called "backup" or backup, or "software image"). For example, this storage service is connected to the computer system via a network.

To access data that is backed up to a linked storage service and to restore it (performing a so-called "restore"), this storage service must be accessible. For this purpose, an identifier of the storage service is necessary. The identifier may be, for example, a network address or a device name. In order to find data saved on this storage service, an identifier of the saved data, for example a name of a data record, is necessary. This information is stored in a non-volatile memory module of a firmware (for example, a BIOS according to the EFI or UEFI standard) of a computer system. This allows the data to be restored directly from the firmware of the computer system without using any additional media or launching any additional software.

One advantage of this is that, even in the event of a computer system boot failure, the data can be recovered directly by the firmware without the need for any dedicated backup software or operating system to function properly. This is important if, for technical reasons, for example, there is a defect in a boot medium of the computer system.

In an advantageous embodiment, the storage service is connected to the computer system via a data network connection. By having the storage service connected to the computer system over a data network connection, the storage service may be at any location.

In a further advantageous embodiment, the storage service is locally connected to the computer system. In this embodiment, the identifier of the connected storage service comprises a device identifier, in particular a device name. An advantage of the embodiment with a storage service locally associated with the computer system is that a user of the computer system may, for example, use and personally manage an external USB hard disk or other portable storage.

In advantageous embodiments, the step of detecting comprises, for example, the detection of a keyboard input of a user and / or a multiple failure of a booting of the computer system. It is beneficial if a user can manually initiate recovery of data. This may be done by the user, for example, by pressing a key on a keyboard while loading the firmware of the computer system. In the event that the computer system fails several times to perform the booting of the computer system, it can be provided that the method is carried out automatically. This further facilitates the use of the computer system.

In a further advantageous embodiment, in the step of restoring the saved data is restored as a first part of data. An additional step is then performed, in which a second portion of data is restored from a local memory of the computer system. An advantage of this embodiment is that, for example, only the most important data must be saved on the storage service. The fact that additional data is also stored on local data carriers has the advantage that a connection to the storage service does not have to exist permanently or data can be restored from a local source with a higher data transmission bandwidth.

In an alternative embodiment, the data stored on the storage service alone is sufficient to restore a predetermined memory state of the computer system. If a user backs up data from his computer system at a certain point in time, he wants to make sure that it will be able to recover that memory later. In the alternative embodiment, it is possible that this memory level and thus the entire stored data are provided via the memory service. Thus, by performing the method, all the data that has been previously backed up and is to be recovered can be recovered from the storage service. For this purpose, it is not necessary to use additional data storage with backed-up data. However, using additional data storage is possible and offers, for example, the advantage of further increased data security.

In a further advantageous embodiment of the method, the saved data is stored in at least one encrypted file. The fact that the data is stored in an encrypted file makes it difficult for unauthorized third parties to access the data.

In a further advantageous embodiment, the step of restoring comprises the establishment of a data network connection between the computer system and the storage service by the firmware. Because the firmware automatically establishes a data network connection to the storage service, it is not necessary to have to additionally execute program code or software to establish a data network connection.

According to a second aspect of the invention, a firmware for a computer system is described. The firmware includes an executable program code module for performing at least the step of restoring a method according to the first aspect.

According to a third aspect of the invention, there is described a computer system having a data network port, a storage drive for storing software, and a non-volatile memory device including firmware, the computer system configured to perform any of the methods described above.

In an advantageous embodiment, a software stored on the storage drive is configured to save data from the computer system to a storage service via a data network connection.

The advantages of the described aspects two and three correspond to the advantages of the corresponding methods. By having software for backing up data stored on the computer system, a user can simply perform a backup.

The invention will be described in more detail below with reference to embodiments and figures. Show it:

1 a computer system according to an embodiment and

2 a flowchart of a method according to an embodiment.

1 shows an arrangement with a computer system CS and a storage service CL. The computer system CS in this case has a storage drive HD. In addition, the computer system CS has a non-volatile memory module BST, on which a firmware FW is stored. In the exemplary embodiment, the computer system CS is connected to the storage service CL via a data network connection.

The computer system CS is arranged to save data from the storage drive HD via the data network connection by means of the storage service CL. In this case, at least one identifier of the memory service CL and an identifier of the data stored on the memory service CL are stored in the nonvolatile memory module BST.

The firmware FW includes a firmware module for recovering the data from the storage service CL. For this purpose, the firmware module can build on a data network connection established by the same or another firmware module.

In an embodiment not shown, the computer system is additionally or only connected via a local data line, for example a USB connection with the memory service CL. The storage service CL is a USB hard disk in this embodiment. Likewise, the Storage service CL but also any other medium that can be used to store data, such as another computer system with built-in memory, a USB stick, or similar devices. Here, the identifier of the connected storage service CL is, for example, a device name or similar information that is used to address the corresponding device.

In all embodiments, the identifier of the linked storage service CL and the identifier of the saved data may be stored separately and / or in common, or as a single identifier. An example of this is a drive letter followed by a save path, the file name, and a format suffix.

The procedure for performing the backup and restore steps will be described below with reference to FIG 2 explained.

2 shows a flowchart of a method according to an embodiment of the invention. In a first step SAV, data is saved. This data may for example be stored on the storage drive HD of the computer system CS. To secure the data, a per se known method is used, which is executed by software which is stored on the storage drive HD in the computer system CS. In this case, all data which at least one user of the computer system CS desires to save is stored and saved on the storage service CL. The backup of the data occurs during normal operation of the computer system CS. For example, the backup software may run as a normal application under an operating system. Here, in the exemplary embodiment, the computer system CS is connected to a data network via a data network connection established, for example, by the operating system. The data network connection can be established either wirelessly, for example via a wireless LAN, or via a cable connection. Connected to the network is the storage service CL. The task of the storage service CL is to secure data sent by users of the network. Thus, a user of the computer system CS is able to send and secure data via the network to the storage service CL by means of software installed on the storage drive HD of the computer system CS and executed by the computer system CS. The storage service CL can here be either an external hard disk within a local (home) network or a server within a local corporate network, but also a cloud storage of a cloud storage provider, which is connected to the computer system CS via the Internet. Likewise, any further known embodiments of a storage service CL are possible.

In a second step INF of the method, information about the storage service CL is stored in the non-volatile memory device BST. If the user wants to restore the data after saving the data, it is necessary to know where the data is stored. For this purpose, in the exemplary embodiment, the network address of the storage service CL serves as an identifier of the connected storage service CL, as well as an identifier of the saved data. This identifier can be, for example, a file name or a file name together with a file extension or a different identification code of the saved files. This information data is stored in the non-volatile memory device BST of the firmware FW or other nonvolatile memory device of the computer system CS. By backing up the network address and the identifier of the secure data in a nonvolatile memory device BST, it is not necessary to access the computer system CS or the operating system stored on the memory drive HD and to the memory drive to access and obtain this data HD access. Thus, the data may also be obtained if the computer system CS is not bootable and / or the storage drive HD has been destroyed or damaged.

In a next step ERF, a recovery request is detected by the firmware FW. Due to the fact that the firmware FW can recognize itself that a restoration of the data is to be initiated or initialized, it is not necessary to boot an operating system of the computer system CS. Thus, the recovery process can be started directly via the firmware FW and access to the storage drive HD is not necessary. Thus, for example, it is conceivable that a restore is not performed on the storage drive HD of the computer system CS, but on another storage drive HD of any computer system CS. This is useful if, for example, the previous storage drive HD of the computer system CS has been replaced by another storage drive HD or the user wants to move his data to another computer system CS.

The detection of a recovery request can be triggered by various operations. For example, a user may initiate the recovery request by operating a predetermined key or key combination during an initialization phase immediately after powering on the computer system. It is also conceivable that the user first opens a firmware dialog box, or the user is automatically opened a firmware dialog window from which he subsequently triggers the restore request.

An alternative or additional embodiment for the detection of the recovery request by the firmware FW is that the recovery is requested automatically by the firmware FW. Here, the firmware FW determines that the computer system CS could not boot several times in succession. This may be the case, for example, if program code necessary for booting an operating system of the computer system CS has been damaged or the storage drive HD has a defect. If such a case has occurred, the firmware FW determines, for example in a POST phase, that the computer system CS can not boot. Following this, for example, a recovery of the backed up data is automatically performed. Alternatively, a user is first shown information that is displayed, for example, via a display element, so that the user can decide whether to perform a restore.

If a recovery request has been detected in step ERF, then in a step W, the backed up data is restored. For this purpose, the firmware FW builds on the basis of the identifier of the connected storage service CL, which is secured in the non-volatile memory device BST, in the embodiment, a network address, such as a data network connection to a storage service CL or the firmware FW uses an existing data network connection. The firmware FW is preferably of modular construction and uses a standard firmware module for network communication, for example a network boot module, a UDP firmware module or a TCP / IP firmware module. Following this, the firmware FW restores the data from the storage service CL to the computer system CS. Alternatively, the data from the storage service CL may be saved to a memory other than the storage drive HD of the computer system CS, which may reside not only in the original computer system CS but also in another computer system CS. The information relating to the storage service CL may therefore be entered manually in addition or alternatively to an automatic detection.

In a preferred embodiment, all the data a user has backed up is stored on the storage service CL. In this embodiment, the entire secure data of the user secured on the storage service CL is restored to the storage drive HD of the computer system CS. Thus, the recovery of all the data from the storage service CL to the storage drive HD is performed by the firmware FW.

In an alternative embodiment, not all of the data sufficient to secure the memory state desired by the user is stored on the memory service CL. Part of the data is hereby stored on another storage service, either in a local network, in a wide-area network or even on a storage drive or other storage medium inside or outside the computer system CS. The data may be distributed and / or shared by a user, for example, to further increase resilience to multiple storage services CL. The information about the further storage service or the storage services can hereby be recorded manually or automatically (for example by reading out the information during the writing of the data). Now, when the restoration of the data is initiated by the firmware FW, the data is copied from the storage service CL to the computer system. Here, the corresponding information is called, or manually entered by a user. Manual input of the information data is possible in each embodiment, especially in the case where the stored information data is erroneous, insufficient or absent. In addition, data from the further storage service CL is also restored. This is advantageous if, for example, an increased speed is desired in restoring the data. Further, by distributing the data to various storage services CL, increased security regarding data loss can be obtained.

In the exemplary embodiment, the data which is saved on the storage service CL is saved in a file which is stored in encrypted form. During the backup of the data, the user must specify a password or, in general, an authentication that is requested during the recovery. This query can either be initialized by the firmware FW or run independently of the program code for restoring. Here, the storage service CL would require authentication of the user as soon as the stored, protected file is accessed. In the event that authentication takes place via the firmware FW, security data can be stored in addition to the information in the non-volatile memory module BST, which are matched by the firmware FW with entered authentication data. In the case of authentication by the storage service CL, after recognizing access to the stored data by the storage service CL, an input mask for entering a password may be displayed or, in general, authentication may be required.

To increase the security can be dispensed with storage of the password or other authentication data. In this case, a user must authenticate each time they are restored. The manual input allows, among other things, a simple transfer of a storage state to another computer system, for example for cloning a standard configuration.

By virtue of the fact that the firmware FW itself can establish a data network connection to the memory service CL, it is not necessary to go to higher levels of the computer system structure. Thus, data recovery can be performed when large parts of the computer system have been destroyed or damaged.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

• SAV,

  INF, ERF, W process steps

  CS

  computer system

  CL

  store service

  HD

  Storage drive

  BST

  non-volatile memory chip

  FW

  firmware

Claims (12)

 Method for a computer system (CS) for recovering data comprising the steps: - backing up data from the computer system (CS) to a linked storage service (CL); - storing an identifier of the connected storage service (CL) and an identifier of the secure data in a non-volatile memory device (BST) of the computer system (CS); - detecting a recovery request by a firmware (FW); and - Restoring the backed up data from the storage service (CL) by the firmware (FW) based on the identifier of the storage service (CL) and the identifier of the backed up data after the recovery request has been detected. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that the storage service (CL) is connected to the computer system (CS) via a data network connection and that the identifier of the connected storage service (CL) comprises a network address. The method of claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the storage service (CL) locally to the computer system (CS) and the identifier of the associated message service (CL) a device identifier, and in particular comprises a device name. Method according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the step of detecting comprises detecting a keyboard input of a user. Method according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the step of detecting a multiple failure of a booting of the computer system (CS). Method according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that in the step of restoring the backed-up data is restored as a first part of data and then an additional step is carried out in which a second part of data from a local memory of the computer system (CS) is restored. Method according to one of Claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the data saved on the memory service (CL) alone are sufficient to restore a predetermined memory state of the computer system (CS). Method according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the saved data is stored in at least one encrypted file. A method according to any one of claims 2 to 8, characterized in that the step of recovering comprises establishing a data network connection between the computer system (CS) and the storage service (CL) by the firmware (FW). A firmware (FW) for a computer system (CS) comprising an executable program code module for performing at least the step of recovering a method according to any one of claims 1 to 9. A computer system (CS) having a data network port, a nonvolatile storage drive (HD) for storing software, and a nonvolatile memory device (BST) comprising a firmware (FW) as claimed in claim 10, wherein the computer system (CS) is adapted to perform a method according to any one of Claims 1 to 9 execute. Computer system (CS) according to claim 11, characterized in that a software stored on the storage drive (HD) thereto is set up to secure data from the computer system (CS) to a storage service (CL).

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