Method for transferring and indexing data from old media to new media

• US 20020156784A1
• Filed: 06/18/2002
• Published: 10/24/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Krause, Michael D., Hanes, David H., Bayless, Stephen F.
• Granted Patent: US 7,509,355 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/9
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/30 of unstructured textual data document management systems G06F16/93
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0605 by facilitating the interaction with a user or administrator
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0647 Migration mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0689 Disk arrays, e.g. RAID, JBOD
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99952 Coherency, e.g. same view to multiple users
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99955 Archiving or backup
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99956 File allocation

Abstract

A novel method and apparatus for automatically migrating computer data from one storage technology to another is presented herein. In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, the automated data transfer application detects the insertion of a source storage media into a source storage device and automatically accesses the source storage device to determine the contents of the source storage media. In one embodiment, all files are automatically selected for transfer. In an alternative embodiment, the user selects a set of files to be transferred. The destination storage media is automatically mounted and the set of selected files are automatically transferred to the destination storage media. In a preferred embodiment, an index comprising a set of keys for each selected file is automatically generated and saved along with the selected files on the destination storage media for use in performing searches of content of the transferred files. Preferably, the index is also stored in local memory to provide a global database of the contents of all migrated media, thereby facilitating a very fast search of the contents and locations of files whether or not the media on which the files are located is actually mounted. In addition, sector-by-sector data imaging functionality allows the transfer of source data to be copied sector-by-sector to create an image file from which the source media can be duplicated at a later time.

Claims

1. An automated process for migrating data from a source storage media in a source storage device to a destination storage media in a destination storage device, comprising:

accessing said source storage device to determine contents of said source storage media;

obtaining a set of selected files, said set of selected files comprising at least one data file present on said source storage media;

automatically mounting said destination storage media; and

transferring said set of selected files to said destination storage media.

2. The automated process in accordance with claim 1, comprising:

obtaining a transfer session identifier; and

automatically creating a directory on said destination storage media into which said set of selected files are transferred.

3. The automated process in accordance with claim 1, comprising:

detecting insertion of said source storage media into said source storage device.

4. The automated process in accordance with claim 1, comprising:

generating an index comprising a set of keys for each file in said set of said selected files.

5. The automated process in accordance with claim 4, comprising:

obtaining a search request, said search request comprising a set of search fields;

searching said index for keys that contain said search fields; and

returning a set of filenames and associated media locations of files corresponding to said keys that contain said search fields.

6. The automated process in accordance with claim 4, comprising:

storing said index on said destination storage media.

7. The automated process in accordance with claim 6, comprising:

obtaining a search request, said search request comprising a set of search fields;

searching said index for keys that contain said search fields; and

returning a set of filenames and associated media locations of files corresponding to said keys that contain said search fields.

8. The automated process in accordance with claim 4, comprising:

storing said index in a local memory.

9. The automated process in accordance with claim 8, comprising:

obtaining a search request, said search request comprising a set of search fields;

searching said index for keys that contain said search fields; and

returning a set of filenames and associated media locations of files corresponding to said keys that contain said search fields.

10. The automated process in accordance with claim 1, comprising:

transferring said set of selected files sector by sector to create an image file on said destination storage media.

11. An apparatus for migrating data from a source storage media in a source storage device to a destination storage media in a destination storage device, comprising:

a media detection function which accesses said source storage device to determine contents of said source storage media;

a file selection function which obtains a set of selected files, said set of selected files comprising at least one data file present on said source storage media; and

a data transfer function which automatically mounts said destination storage media and transfers said set of selected files to said destination storage media.

12. The apparatus in accordance with claim 11, wherein:

said data transfer function automatically creates a directory associated with said source storage media on said destination storage media into which said set of selected files are transferred.

13. The apparatus in accordance with claim 11, wherein:

said media detection function automatically detects insertion of said source storage media into said source storage device.

14. The apparatus in accordance with claim 11, comprising:

an indexing function which generates an index comprising a set of keys for each file in said set of said selected files.

15. The apparatus in accordance with claim 14, wherein:

said indexing function comprises a search function that obtains a search request, said search request comprising a set of search fields, searches said index for keys that contain said search fields, and returns a set of filenames and associated media locations of files corresponding to said keys that contain said search fields.

16. The automated process in accordance with claim 11, comprising:

an imaging function which transfers said set of selected files sector by sector to create an image file on said destination storage media.

18. The computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein said automated process comprises:

obtaining a transfer session identifier; and

automatically creating a directory on said destination storage media into which said set of selected files are transferred.

19. The computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein said automated process comprises:

detecting insertion of said source storage media into said source storage device.

20. The computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein said automated process comprises:

generating an index comprising a set of keys for each file in said set of said selected files.

17. A computer readable storage medium tangibly embodying program instructions for migrating data from a source storage media in a source storage device to a destination storage media in a destination storage device, comprising:

accessing said source storage device to determine contents of said source storage media;

obtaining a set of selected files, said set of selected files comprising at least one data file present on said source storage media;

automatically mounting said destination storage media; and

transferring said set of selected files to said destination storage media.