Method and system for performing an item level restore from a backup

• US 10,289,495 B1
• Filed: 12/19/2014
• Issued: 05/14/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Chakraborty, Anupam, Ambastha, Nikhil, Yadav, Sunil, Behera, Amarendra
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Miranda
• Application Number:
  US14/578,283
• Time in Patent Office: 1,607 Days
• Field of Search: 707654
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1451 by selection of backup contents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1458 Management of the backup or restore process
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1464 for networked environments
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1469 Backup restoration techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2094 Redundant storage or storage space G06F11/2056 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/21 Design, administration or maintenance of databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/284 Relational databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/80 Database-specific techniques

Abstract

Methods and systems for performing an item level restore from a backup are described herein. A method starts by mounting files of content databases from storage device on management server. Content databases from storage device are from the backup. New database is created in relational database server with the mounted files of the content databases. Unattached database object is then created which includes pointing to the new database. Unattached database is not related to the content databases from the storage device. Unattached database object is then searched for source item selected for restore from content databases. Selected source item is exported from new database to a source item location in management server. Data from selected source item is then restored by importing data from the source item location to a target item location in management server.

Claims

1. A method for performing an item level restore from a backup comprising:

mounting files of content databases from a storage device on a management server, the content databases from the storage device being a shadow copy from the backup which is created in response to a request for restore;

creating a new database in a relational database server with the mounted files of the content databases, wherein creating the new database in the relational database server includes providing read and write access to the mounted files of the content databases and providing searching functions of items included in the mounted files of the content databases;

creating an unattached database object, wherein creating an unattached database object includes pointing to the new database, wherein the unattached database object is not related to the content databases from the storage device;

searching from the unattached database object for a source item selected for restore from the content databases;

exporting the selected source item and a metadata associated with the selected source item from the new database to a source item location in the management server, wherein the selected source item is a granular item from the content databases, and wherein the associated metadata identifies at least an owner, a permission, a data of creation, or a date of modification of the selected source item;

receiving by the content management server a request to start backup to generate the backup; and

backing up content databases to the storage device by the relational database server, wherein backing up the content databases includes;

backing up content, configuration, generic and search databases, and search index,

discovering and backing up virtual directories of web applications, and

backing up writers associated with configuration, a metabase, and a registry.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a database selection from a user for granular restore indicating one of the plurality of content databases;

receiving a search query from the user including a source item from the content databases;

receiving from the user the source item selected for restore from the content databases;

receiving from the user the target item location in the management server; and

restoring data from the selected source item by importing the data from the source item location to a target item location in the management server.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected source item includes at least one of:

a site collection, a Web site, a list, a list item, or a field.

4. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform a method for performing an item level restore from a backup, the method comprising:

mounting files of content databases from a storage device on the management server, the content databases from the storage device being from a shadow copy of the backup which is created in response to a request for restore;

creating a new database in a relational database server with the mounted files of the content databases, wherein creating the new database in the relational database server includes providing read and write access to the mounted files of the content databases, and providing searching functions of items included in the mounted files of the content databases;

creating an unattached database object, wherein creating an unattached database object includes pointing to the new database, wherein the unattached database object is not related to the content databases from the storage device;

searching from the unattached database object for a source item selected for restore from the content databases; and

exporting the selected source item and a metadata associated with the selected source item from the new database to a source item location in the management server, wherein data from the selected source item is restored by the management server by being imported from the source item location to a target item location in the management server wherein the selected source item is a granular item from the content databases, and wherein the associated metadata identifies at least an owner, a permission, a data of creation, or a date of modification of the selected source item;

receiving a request to start backup to generate the backup; and

backing up content databases to the storage device, wherein backing up the content databases includes;

backing up content, configuration, generic and search databases, and search index,

discovering and backing up virtual directories of web applications, and

backing up writers associated with configuration, a metabase, and a registry.

5. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 4, wherein the selected source item includes at least one of:

a site collection, a Web site, a list, a list item, or a field.