System and method for extended media retention
First Claim
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1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:
- storing a full backup and one or more incremental backups of a data set including multiple data elements to a removable storage media device;
for each full backup and each of the one or more incremental backups stored on the removable storage media device;
obtaining, with a storage manager, a set of aging preferences, wherein the set of aging preferences define periods of retention for multiple data elements of the full backup and multiple data elements of each of the one or more incremental backups stored on the removable storage media device;
retrieving, with the storage manager, index data indicating a respective date of creation of the multiple data elements of the full backup or the multiple data elements of the one or more incremental backups;
comparing the retrieved index data with the obtained set of aging preferences;
determining that dates of creation of the multiple data elements of the full backup or the multiple data elements of the one or more incremental backups exceed the period of retention based on the comparison; and
returning the removable storage media device to a scratch pool after the dates of creation of the multiple data elements of the full backup and the multiple data elements of the one or more incremental backups exceed the respective period of retention,wherein the scratch pool includes a set of removable storage media devices to be overwritten, andwherein returning the removable storage media device to the scratch pool includes deleting the data elements of the data set stored by the removable storage media device.
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Abstract
The present invention provides systems and methods for extending media retention. Methods are provided in which a set of aging preferences are obtained. Data elements of a data set stored on storage media are evaluated against the aging preferences to determine whether each of the data elements satisfy the aging preferences. Each of the data elements that is determined to satisfy the aging preferences is aged. Aging can include freeing a portion of storage media, previously used to store a data element, for other storage usage.
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Citations
15 Claims
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1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:
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storing a full backup and one or more incremental backups of a data set including multiple data elements to a removable storage media device; for each full backup and each of the one or more incremental backups stored on the removable storage media device; obtaining, with a storage manager, a set of aging preferences, wherein the set of aging preferences define periods of retention for multiple data elements of the full backup and multiple data elements of each of the one or more incremental backups stored on the removable storage media device; retrieving, with the storage manager, index data indicating a respective date of creation of the multiple data elements of the full backup or the multiple data elements of the one or more incremental backups; comparing the retrieved index data with the obtained set of aging preferences; determining that dates of creation of the multiple data elements of the full backup or the multiple data elements of the one or more incremental backups exceed the period of retention based on the comparison; and returning the removable storage media device to a scratch pool after the dates of creation of the multiple data elements of the full backup and the multiple data elements of the one or more incremental backups exceed the respective period of retention, wherein the scratch pool includes a set of removable storage media devices to be overwritten, and wherein returning the removable storage media device to the scratch pool includes deleting the data elements of the data set stored by the removable storage media device. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A system, comprising:
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a processor; memory; and a storage manager configured to; store a full backup and one or more incremental backups of a data set including multiple data elements to a removable storage media device; obtain a set of aging preferences, wherein the set of aging preferences define periods of retention for multiple data elements of the full backup and multiple data elements of one or more incremental backups stored on the removable storage device; retrieve index data indicating dates of creation of the multiple data elements of the full backup or the multiple data elements of the one or more incremental backups; compare the retrieved index data with the obtained set of aging preferences; determine that the dates of creation of the multiple data elements of the full backup or the multiple data elements of the one or more incremental backups exceed the period of retention based on the comparison; and return the removable storage media device to a scratch pool after the dates of creation of the multiple data elements of the full backup and the multiple data elements of the one or more incremental backups exceed respective periods of retention, wherein the scratch pool includes a set of removable storage media devices to be overwritten, and wherein returning the removable storage media device to the scratch pool includes deleting the data elements of the data set stored by the removable storage media device. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium whose contents, when executed by a data storage system, cause the data storage system to perform a method, the method comprising:
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storing a full backup and one or more incremental backups of a data set including multiple data elements to a removable storage media device; for each full backup and each of the one or more incremental backups stored on the removable storage media device; obtaining, with a storage manager of the data storage system, a set of aging preferences, wherein the set of aging preferences define periods of retention for multiple data elements of the full backup and multiple data elements of each of the one or more incremental backups stored on the removable storage media device; retrieving, with the storage manager, index data indicating a respective date of creation of the multiple data elements of the full backup or the multiple data elements of the one or more incremental backups; comparing the retrieved index data with the obtained set of aging preferences; determining that the dates of creation of the multiple data elements of the full backup or the multiple data elements of the one or more incremental backups exceed the period of retention based on the comparison; and returning the removable storage media device to a scratch pool after the dates of creation of the multiple data elements of the full backup and the multiple data elements of the one or more incremental backups exceed the respective period of retention, wherein the scratch pool includes a set of removable storage media devices to be overwritten, and wherein returning the removable storage media device to the scratch pool includes deleting the data elements of the data set stored by the removable storage media device.
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Specification