Lightweight mounting of a secondary copy of file system data

• US 10,007,453 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2016
• Issued: 06/26/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CommVault Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: CommVault Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Kumarasamy, Paramasivam
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, DEBBIE M
• Application Number:
  US15/282,894
• Publication Number:
  US 20170115907A1
• Time in Patent Office: 634 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/113 Details of archiving lifecycle management in storage systems G06F3/0649; backup systems G06F11/1446
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/119 Details of migration of file systems migration mechanisms in storage systems G06F3/0647
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/14 Details of searching files based on file metadata
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/148 File search processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1844 Management specifically adapted to replicated file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0619 in relation to data integrity, e.g. data losses, bit errors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/065 Replication mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]

Abstract

A data storage system allows a user to search a secondary copy such as a back up, archive, or snapshot and receive an abbreviated version of the secondary copy of the file system as a result of the search. The abbreviated version of the secondary copy of the file system may include metadata such as a listing of secondary copy data that correspond with a search term or other filtering criteria provided by the user. An operating system of the user'"'"'s computing device may mount the abbreviated version so that it can be displayed within a view of the file system of the computing device. Once a user selects one or more desired data objects listed in the abbreviated version, the selected actual one or more data objects are retrieved from secondary storage.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a computing device configured to;

transmit filtering criteria to a secondary storage subsystem, the secondary storage subsystem including one or more secondary storage devices that store a secondary copy of at least a portion of a file system;

receive, from the secondary storage subsystem, metadata corresponding to a version of the secondary copy, wherein the version of the secondary copy comprises an identification of one or more files and directories in the secondary copy that satisfy the filtering criteria;

show the version of the secondary copy in a file structure layout;

receive an indication of a selection of an identification of a first file or directory in the secondary copy;

transmit, to the secondary storage subsystem, a request for a copy of the first file or directory; and

receive the copy of the first file or directory from the secondary storage subsystem.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing device is further configured to receive the copy of the selected first file or directory from the secondary storage subsystem via one of a local area network or a wide area network.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the filtering criteria comprises a search term comprising text and an identification of the secondary copy, the secondary copy comprising at least one of a back up copy, an archive copy, or a snapshot copy in which a search should be performed to identify files or directories which include one or more instances of the text in metadata associated with the files or directories, in content associated with the files or directories, or both.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the version of the secondary copy comprises an identification of one or more files and directories including one or more instances of the text and an identification of one or more files and directories not including one or more instances of the text, and wherein the identification of each file and directory including one or more instances of the text is identified differently than the identification of each file and directory not including one or more instances of the text.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein a file structure of the version of the secondary copy is the same as a file structure of the secondary copy.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the files and directories in the secondary copy comprise second files and directories that correspond to unidentified files and directories that do not match the filtering criteria and third files and directories that correspond to the identified files and directories that do match the filtering criteria.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the version of the secondary copy comprises an identification of the identified files and directories, and wherein the listing does not include the unidentified files and directories.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the version of the secondary copy is displayed within a graphical user interface in the file structure layout such that the one or more files and directories appear to be stored by the computing device in memory.

9. A method for searching a file system, the method comprising:

transmitting, by a computing device, filtering criteria to a secondary storage subsystem, the secondary storage subsystem including one or more secondary storage devices that store a secondary copy of at least a portion of a file system;

receiving, from the secondary storage subsystem, metadata corresponding to a version of the secondary copy, wherein the version of the secondary copy comprises an identification of one or more of files and directories in the secondary copy that satisfy the filtering criteria;

showing the version of the secondary copy in a file structure layout;

receiving an indication of a selection of an identification of a first file or directory in the secondary copy;

transmitting, to the secondary storage subsystem, a request for a copy of the first file or directory; and

receiving the copy of the first file or directory from the secondary storage subsystem.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein receiving the copy of the first file or directory comprises receiving the copy of the first file or directory from the secondary storage subsystem via one of a local area network or a wide area network.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the filtering criteria comprises a search term comprising text and an identification of the secondary copy, the secondary copy comprising at least one of a back up copy, an archive copy, or a snapshot copy in which a search should be performed to identify files or directories which include one or more instances of the text in metadata associated with the files or directories, in content associated with the files or directories, or both.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the version of the secondary copy comprises an identification of one or more of the files and directories in the secondary copy including one or more instances of the text and an identification of one or more of the files and directories in the secondary copy not including one or more instances of the text, and wherein the identification of each file and directory including one or more instances of the text is identified differently than the identification of each file and directory not including one or more instances of the text.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the version of the secondary copy is displayed within a graphical user interface in the file structure layout such that the one or more files and directories appear to be stored by the computing device in memory.

14. Non-transitory physical computer storage comprising executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed in a processor, are configured to implement operations for searching a file system, the operations comprising:

transmitting filtering criteria to a secondary storage subsystem, the secondary storage subsystem including one or more secondary storage devices that store a secondary copy of at least a portion of a file system;

receiving, from the secondary storage subsystem, metadata corresponding to a version of the secondary copy, wherein the version of the secondary copy comprises an identification of one or more files and directories in the secondary copy that satisfy the filtering criteria;

showing the version of the secondary copy in a file structure layout;

receiving an indication of a selection of an identification of a first file or directory in the secondary copy;

transmitting, to the secondary storage subsystem, a request for a copy of the first file or directory; and

receiving the copy of the first file or directory from the secondary storage subsystem.

15. The non-transitory physical computer storage of claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise receiving the copy of the selected first file or directory from the secondary storage subsystem via one of a local area network or a wide area network.

16. The non-transitory physical computer storage of claim 14, wherein the filtering criteria comprises a search term comprising text and an identification of the secondary copy, the secondary copy comprising at least one of a back up copy, an archive copy, or a snapshot copy in which a search should be performed to identify files or directories which include one or more instances of the text in metadata associated with the files or directories, in content associated with the files or directories, or both.

17. The non-transitory physical computer storage of claim 16, wherein the version of the secondary copy comprises an identification of one or more files and directories including one or more instances of the text and an identification of one or more files and directories not including one or more instances of the text, and wherein the identification of each file and directory including one or more instances of the text is identified differently than the identification of each file and directory not including one or more instances of the text.

18. The non-transitory physical computer storage of claim 14, wherein a file structure of the version of the secondary copy is the same as a file structure of the secondary copy.

19. The non-transitory physical computer storage of claim 18, wherein the files and directories in the secondary copy comprise second files and directories that correspond to unidentified files and directories that do not match the filtering criteria and third files and directories that correspond to the identified files and directories that do match the filtering criteria.

20. The non-transitory physical computer storage of claim 19, wherein the version of the secondary copy comprises an identification of the identified files and directories, and wherein the listing does not include the unidentified files and directories.