Data transfer in a data protection system

• US 10,404,705 B1
• Filed: 05/01/2017
• Issued: 09/03/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Jauhal, Shern S., Quesnelle, Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Tolentino, Roderick
• Application Number:
  US15/583,807
• Time in Patent Office: 855 Days
• Field of Search: 726 26- 30
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/14 Error detection or correction of the data by redundancy in operation G06F11/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1451 by selection of backup contents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1464 for networked environments
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/16 Error detection or correction of the data by redundancy in hardware
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/606 by securing the transmission between two devices or processes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/04 for providing a confidential data exchange among entities communicating through data packet networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]

Abstract

Systems and methods for performing a data transfer in a data protection system are disclosed. A user interface is provided that includes a workflow. The workflow is effective to configure a data transfer by identifying the source of the data, the destination of the data, and the data itself. A data control process associated with the data protection system is performed to authenticate the requesting user and determine whether the user is authorized to access the data. The data is transferred in accordance with the data control process of the data protection system.

Claims

1. A method for transferring or accessing data in a computing system using an infrastructure of a data protection application, the method comprising:

operating the data protection application in the computing system, the data protection system configured to perform data protection operations including a backup operation;

receiving, by a data protection service of the data protection application, a request to transfer or access data;

presenting a user interface, by the data protection service, in a display of a first host, the user interface including a workflow for transferring the data using the infrastructure of the data protection system, wherein the user interface includes a pluggable framework that allows the workflow in the user interface to be adapted to the data associated with the request, wherein the user interface is provided by an agent of the data protection system;

configuring the request to transfer or access the data to or from a second host in the user interface, wherein the first host is associated with a first storage device and the second host is associated with a second storage device,

in coordination with the data protection service operating on a data protection server, performing a data control process of the data protection system in response to the request to transfer or access data without performing the backup operation on the data with respect to the request, wherein the data control process includes authenticating a user requesting the data transfer and determining whether the user is authorized to access the data based on authentication information maintained by the data protection system; and

performing the request and transferring or accessing the data by the data protection application in accordance with the data control process of the data protection system.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising initiating the request to transfer of access the data.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising operating an agent on the first host, wherein the agent is configured to perform the data protection operations of the data protection system, wherein the data protection operations performed by the data protection system include the backup operation.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising initiating the user interface on the display in response to the request to transfer data, the user interface provided by the agent.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the user interface includes a workflow for transferring the data using the infrastructure of the data protection system.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the transfer of the data occurs in the data protection system and wherein the agent includes and performs the data control process.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the agent cooperates with a second agent operating on the second host to transfer the data.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein configuring the request includes generating configuration information based on the input received in the user interface, wherein the configuration information is collected in response to a workflow.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein configuring a request further comprises selecting the first host in the workflow and selecting the second host as a destination for the data transfer.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein configuring a request further comprises selecting the data.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the data is transferred randomly or in pieces.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising logging the request for auditing.

13. A storage device having stored therein computer-executable instructions which, when executed by one or more hardware processors of a computing system, implement a method for requesting data in the computing system, wherein the system is associated with a data protection system, the method comprising:

operating the data protection system in the computing system, the data protection system configured to perform data protection operations including a backup operation;

receiving, by a data protection service of the data protection system, a request to transfer data

presenting a user interface, by the data protection service, on a first host in response to the request to transfer data, wherein the user interface displayed on the first hose is provided by the data protection system and includes a workflow;

receiving input into the workflow of the data protection system through the user interface, wherein a data transfer operation to transfer the data is based on the input;

configuring the data transfer operation by selecting data for transfer from the second host identified in the user interface and identifying a destination of the data transfer in the user interface;

in coordination with the data protection service operating on a data protection server, performing a data control process of the data protection system in response to the request to transfer data without performing a backup or restore operation on the data associated with the data transfer operation, wherein the data control process includes authenticating a user requesting the data transfer and determining whether the user is authorized to access the data being requested; and

performing the request to transfer data by transferring the data by the data protection system using the data control process of the data protection system, wherein the first host is associated with a first storage device and the second host is associated with a second storage device.

14. The storage device of claim 13, wherein an agent of the data protection system operating on the first host cooperates with a second agent of the data protection system operating on the second host to transfer the data.

15. The storage device of claim 13, wherein the workflow is effective to configure the data transfer operation such that an infrastructure of the data protection system configured to perform data protection operations including backup operations can perform the data transfer operation.

16. The storage device of claim 13, wherein a pluggable framework is used to adapt the user interface to the data being transferred, to a type of the data, and to the first host.

17. The storage device of claim 13, further comprising performing access control during the data control process.

18. The storage device of claim 13, wherein configuring the request includes generating configuration information based on input received in the workflow.

19. The storage device of claim 13, wherein configuring a request further comprises transferring the data randomly or in pieces or based on a start location determined from the configuration of the data transfer and identifying a place in the requested data to access first when transferring the requested data.

20. The storage device of claim 13, wherein the requested data is copied to a local storage of the destination, wherein the destination is the first host.