Hierarchical system and method for performing storage operations in a computer network

• US 20050033800A1
• Filed: 06/25/2004
• Published: 02/10/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CommVault Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: CommVault Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Madeira, Andre Duque, Kavuri, Srinivas
• Granted Patent: US 7,454,569 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/201
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0866 for peripheral storage systems, e.g. disk cache
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0605 by facilitating the interaction with a user or administrator
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0649 Lifecycle management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/065 Replication mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0685 Hybrid storage combining heterogeneous device types, e.g. hierarchical storage, hybrid arrays
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

A system for performing storage operations using hierarchically configured storage operation cells, the system comprising: a first storage manager component; and a first storage operation cell, the first storage operation cell having a second storage manager component directed to performing storage operations in the first storage operation cell; wherein the first storage manager component is programmed to instruct the second storage manager regarding performance of storage operations in the first storage operation cell.

Claims

1. A system for performing storage operations using hierarchically configured storage operation cells, the system comprising:

a first storage manager component; and

a first storage operation cell, the first storage operation cell having a second storage manager component directed to performing storage operations in the first storage operation cell;

wherein the first storage manager component is programmed to instruct the second storage manager regarding performance of storage operations in the first storage operation cell.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first storage manager component comprises a master storage manager component.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first storage manager component comprises a component of a storage operation cell other than the first storage operation cell.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first storage manager component does not comprise a component of a storage operation cell.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the first storage manager component controls the second storage manager component during performance of storage operations in the first storage operation cell.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the first storage operation cell includes a media agent component and a data agent component.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the first storage manager component is programmed to directly control at least one of the media agent and the data agent component during performance of storage operations in the first storage operation cell.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the first storage manager component bypasses the second storage manager component to directly control at least one of the media agent or the data agent component during performance of storage operations in the first storage operation cell.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the first storage manager component instructs the second storage manager component regarding a time to perform a storage operation.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the first storage manager component instructs the second storage manager component regarding a type of storage operation to perform.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the type of storage operation comprises one or more from the group consisting of:

a snapshot copy operation, an HSM copy operation, and an archive copy operation.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the first storage operation cell is organized according to a functional criteria.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the functional criteria comprises a type of storage operation performed by the first storage operation cell.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the first storage operation cell is organized according to a geographic criteria.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the geographic criteria comprises a physical location of one or more components of the first storage operation cell.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the second storage manager component is programmed to communicate status information regarding the first storage operation cell to the first storage manager component.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the status information comprises information regarding the availability of a component of the first storage operation cell.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the status information comprises information regarding resource usage status by the first storage operation cell.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the resource usage status comprises usage of a storage device associated with the first storage operation cell.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the resource usage status comprises usage of a network pathway by components associated with the first storage operation cell.

21. The system of claim 16, wherein the status information comprises information regarding the status of one or more storage operations previously performed by the first storage operation cell.

22. The system of claim 16, wherein the status information comprises information regarding the status of one or more storage operations scheduled to be performed by the first storage operation cell.

23. The system of claim 1, comprising a second storage operation cell, the second storage operation cell having a third storage manager component directed to performing storage operations in the second storage operation cell;

wherein the first storage manager component is programmed to instruct the third storage manager regarding performance of storage operations in the second storage operation cell.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the second storage manager component is programmed to instruct the third storage manager regarding performance of storage operations in the second storage operation cell.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein the second storage manager component is programmed to communicate status information regarding the first storage operation cell to the first storage manager component and the third storage manager component is programmed to communicate status information regarding the second storage operation cell to the first storage manager component.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the first storage manager component is programmed to present a report of summary information regarding the status information communicated by the first storage operation cell and the status information communicated by the second storage operation cell.

27. The system of claim 23, wherein the second storage manager component is programmed to instruct the third storage manager regarding performance of storage operations in the second storage operation cell if a user of the second storage manager satisfies an access criteria for access to the second storage operation cell.