Synchronizing selected portions of data in a storage management system

• US 10,126,977 B2
• Filed: 02/09/2018
• Issued: 11/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CommVault Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: CommVault Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Sinha, Prosenjit
• Primary Examiner(s): Faal, Baboucarr
• Application Number:
  US15/893,281
• Publication Number:
  US 20180232149A1
• Time in Patent Office: 277 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1451 by selection of backup contents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1464 for networked environments
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1469 Backup restoration techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/178 Techniques for file synchronisation in file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/84 Using snapshots, i.e. a logical point-in-time copy of the data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0611 in relation to response time
• 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 3/0653 Monitoring storage devices or systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]

Abstract

Disclosed methods and systems leverage resources in a storage management system to partially synchronize primary data files based on synchronizing selected portions thereof without regard to changes that may be occurring in other non-synchronized portions. Accordingly, a number of primary data files may be partially synchronized by synchronizing designated portions thereof via auto-restore operations from backup data. This approach relies on storage management resources to designate portions of source data that is to be kept synchronized across any number of targets; detect changes to the designated portions; back up changes to secondary storage; and distribute the changes from secondary storage to the associated targets, with minimal impact to the primary data environment. The approach may be mutually applied, so that changes in any one of an associated group of source data files may be likewise detected, backed up, and distributed to the other members of the group.

Claims

1. A storage management system for synchronizing portions but not entireties of primary data files based on backup and restore operations, the storage management system comprising:

a first computing device comprising one or more processors and computer-readable memory;

a second computing device comprising one or more processors and computer-readable memory;

wherein the first computing device is configured to;

detect at least one change in a first portion of a first primary data file generated by the first computing device, and

back up the first portion of the first primary data file to a secondary copy of the first portion, which is in a backup format not accessible as primary data to the first computing device;

wherein the second computing device is configured to;

restore the secondary copy of the first portion to a second portion of a second primary data file generated by the second computing device,

thereby transforming the secondary copy of the first portion from the backup format to primary data that is accessible to the second computing device within the second primary data file;

a storage manager in communication with the first computing device and the second computing device, wherein the storage manager is configured to;

based on receiving from the first computing device notice of the at least one change in the first portion of the first primary data file, (a) instruct the first computing device to back up the first portion of the first primary data file to the secondary copy of the first portion, and (b) instruct the second computing device to restore the secondary copy of the first portion to the second portion of the second primary data file; and

wherein after the secondary copy of the first portion is restored to the second portion of the second primary data file, the first portion of the first primary data file and the second portion of the second primary data file are synchronized with each other without the rest of the first primary data file and the rest of the second primary data file being respectively synchronized with each other.

2. The storage management system of claim 1, wherein after the secondary copy of the first portion is restored to the second portion of the second primary data file, the first primary data file and the second primary data file are partially synchronized with each other, based on the back up and restore operations in the storage management system.

3. The storage management system of claim 1, wherein the storage manager comprises metadata for partially synchronizing the first primary data file and the second primary data file in the storage management system relative to the first portion of the first primary data file and the second portion of the second primary data file, respectively.

4. The storage management system of claim 1, wherein the first computing device is further configured to:

receive, from the storage manager, first metadata that identifies the first portion of the first primary data file and second metadata that identifies the second portion of the second primary data file; and

wherein the storage manager comprises metadata for partially synchronizing the first primary data file and the second primary data file in the storage management system, based on synchronizing the first portion but not other portions of the first primary data file and the second portion but not other portions of the second primary data file.

5. The storage management system of claim 1, wherein the first computing device comprises a first data agent associated with a first application that executes on the first computing device and wherein the first application accesses the first primary data file.

6. The storage management system of claim 1, wherein the first computing device comprises a first data agent associated with a first application that executes on the first computing device and wherein the first application accesses the first primary data file;

and

wherein the second computing device comprise a second data agent associated with a second application that executes on the second computing device and wherein the second application accesses the second primary data file, including the second portion comprising the restored secondary copy of the first portion of the first primary data file.

7. The storage management system of claim 1, wherein the second computing device is further configured to:

detect at least one change in the second portion of the second primary data file, and

back up the second portion of the second primary data file to a secondary copy of the second portion, which is in a backup format not accessible as primary data to the second computing device; and

wherein the first computing device is further configured to;

restore the secondary copy of the second portion to the first portion of the first primary data file,

thereby transforming the secondary copy of the second portion from its respective backup format to primary data that is accessible to the first computing device within the first primary data file.

8. The storage management system of claim 1, wherein the first computing device is further configured to:

receive from the storage manager metadata identifying the first portion of the first primary data file enabling the first computing device to detect the at least one change in the first portion of the first primary data file.

9. The storage management system of claim 1, wherein the first computing device is further configured to:

receive from the storage manager metadata identifying the first portion of the first primary data file enabling the first computing device to detect the at least one change in the first portion of the first primary data file; and

wherein the storage manager comprises metadata for synchronizing the first portion but not other portions of the first primary data file with the second portion but not other portions of the second primary data file.

10. A method for synchronizing portions but not entireties of primary data files based on backup and restore operations in a storage management system, the method comprising:

detecting, by a first computing device comprising one or more processors and computer memory, at least one change in a first portion of a first primary data file generated by the first computing device;

based on the detecting, backing up, by the first computing device, the first portion of the first primary data file to a secondary copy of the first portion, which is in a backup format not accessible as primary data to the first computing device;

restoring, by a second computing device comprising one or more processors and computer memory, the secondary copy of the first portion to a second portion of a second primary data file generated by the second computing device,

thereby transforming the secondary copy of the first portion from the backup format to primary data that is accessible to the second computing device within the second primary data file;

based on receiving from the first computing device notice of the at least one change in the first portion of the first primary data file, instructing, by a storage manager comprising one or more processors and computer memory;

(a) the first computing device to back up the first portion of the first primary data file to the secondary copy of the first portion, and (b) the second computing device to restore the secondary copy of the first portion to the second portion of the second primary data file; and

wherein after the secondary copy of the first portion is restored to the second portion of the second primary data file, the first portion of the first primary data file and the second portion of the second primary data file are synchronized with each other without the rest of the first primary data file and the rest of the second primary data file being respectively synchronized with each other.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the storage manager comprises metadata for partially synchronizing the first primary data file and the second primary data file in the storage management system relative to the first portion of the first primary data file and the second portion of the second primary data file, respectively.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving by the first computing device from the storage manager, first metadata that identifies the first portion of the first primary data file and second metadata that identifies the second portion of the second primary data file; and

wherein the storage manager comprises metadata for partially synchronizing the first primary data file and the second primary data file in the storage management system, based on synchronizing the first portion but not other portions of the first primary data file and the second portion but not other portions of the second primary data file.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein a first application and a first data agent associated therewith execute on the first computing device and wherein the first application accesses the first primary data file;

and

wherein a second application and a second data agent associated therewith execute on the second computing device and wherein the second application accesses the second primary data file, including the second portion comprising the restored secondary copy of the first portion of the first primary data file.

14. A storage management system for synchronizing portions but not entireties of primary data files based on backup and restore operations, the storage management system comprising:

a first computing device comprising one or more processors and computer-readable memory;

a first data storage device comprising a first primary data file generated by the first computing device;

a second computing device comprising one or more processors and computer-readable memory;

a second data storage device comprising a second primary data file generated by the second computing device;

wherein a first data agent on the first computing device is configured to;

detect at least one change in a first portion of the first primary data file, and

in conjunction with a media agent, perform a backup operation to create a secondary copy of the first portion of the first primary data file, wherein the secondary copy is in a backup format not accessible as primary data to the first computing device;

wherein a second data agent on the second computing device is configured to;

in conjunction with the media agent, restore the secondary copy of the first portion to a second portion of the second primary data file,

thereby transforming the secondary copy of the first portion from the backup format to primary data that is accessible to the second computing device within the second primary data file;

a storage manager in communication with the first data agent, the second data agent, and the media agent,

wherein the storage manager triggers the backup operation to create the secondary copy of the first portion of the first primary data file and also triggers the restore operation to the second portion of the second primary data file; and

wherein after the restore operation, the first portion of the first primary data file and the second portion of the second primary data file are synchronized with each other without the rest of the first primary data file and the rest of the second primary data file being respectively synchronized with each other.

15. The storage management system of claim 14, wherein after the restore operation, the first primary data file and the second primary data file are partially synchronized with each other, based on the backup and restore operations in the storage management system.

16. The storage management system of claim 14, wherein the storage manager comprises metadata for partially synchronizing the first primary data file and the second primary data file in the storage management system relative to the first portion of the first primary data file and the second portion of the second primary data file, respectively.

17. The storage management system of claim 14, wherein the first data agent is further configured to:

receive, from the storage manager, first metadata that identifies the first portion of the first primary data file and second metadata that identifies the second portion of the second primary data file; and

wherein the storage manager comprises metadata for partially synchronizing the first primary data file and the second primary data file in the storage management system, based on synchronizing the first portion, but not other portions, of the first primary data file and the second portion, but not other portions, of the second primary data file.

18. The storage management system of claim 14, wherein the first data agent is associated with a first application that executes on the first computing device and wherein the first application accesses the first primary data file.

19. The storage management system of claim 14, wherein the first data agent is associated with a first application that executes on the first computing device and wherein the first application accesses the first primary data file;

and

wherein the second data agent is associated with a second application that executes on the second computing device and wherein the second application accesses the second primary data file, including the second portion comprising the restored secondary copy of the first portion of the first primary data file.

20. The storage management system of claim 14, wherein the second data agent is further configured to:

detect at least one change in the second portion of the second primary data file, and

create, in conjunction with the media agent, a secondary copy of the second portion of the second primary data file; and

wherein the first data agent is further configured to;

restore, in conjunction with the media agent, the secondary copy of the second portion to the first portion of the first primary data file on the first data storage device,

thereby transforming the secondary copy of the second portion from a backup format to primary data that is accessible to the first computing device within the first primary data file.