System and method for maintaining temporal data in data storage

• US 20050071379A1
• Filed: 09/30/2003
• Published: 03/31/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Veritas Technologies, LLC (Whitehouse Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Veritas Operating Corporation (Gen Digital Inc.)
• Inventors: Panchbudhe, Ankur, Kekre, Anand A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,158,991 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2477 Temporal data queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0605 by facilitating the interaction with a user or administrator
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0629 Configuration or reconfiguration of storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0683 Plurality of storage devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

System and method for maintaining temporal data in data storage at the logical device level. Embodiments of the temporal volume manager may provide an interface that allows applications and/or application agents to communicate with the temporal volume manager to manage and keep track of the temporal information on one or more temporal volumes. Embodiments may provide an infrastructure for applications that work on the history of data such as temporal databases, versioning file-systems/repositories, data archives, and streaming media to manage temporal data. In one embodiment, if an application does not want to use the temporal volume directly, application agents may be used to access the temporal volume. Embodiments may provide I/O controlled, application-controlled, and/or periodic checkpointing of temporal data on the temporal volume. One embodiment may provide a mechanism for generating temporal images (e.g. point-in-time and slice-in-time images) of a temporal volume that may have their own independent history.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

an application;

a temporal volume configured to store temporal data; and

a temporal volume manager configured to;

receive an I/O request from the application, wherein the I/O request specifies one or more timestamps for temporal data on the temporal volume; and

perform a logical device-level temporal operation on the temporal volume in response to the I/O request.

2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the I/O request is a write request, and wherein, in said temporal operation, the temporal volume manager is further configured to write temporal data specified by the I/O request to the temporal volume.

3. The system as recited in claim 2, wherein, in said temporal operation, the temporal volume manager is further configured to generate a checkpoint of the temporal data on the temporal volume corresponding to a timestamp specified by the I/O request.

4. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the I/O request is a read request, and wherein, in said temporal operation, the temporal volume manager is further configured to return temporal data specified by the I/O request to the application.

5. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the I/O request specifies that a checkpoint of the temporal volume is to be created corresponding to a timestamp specified by the I/O request, and wherein, in said temporal operation, the temporal volume manager is further configured to generate the checkpoint of the temporal volume corresponding to the specified timestamp.

6. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the temporal volume manager is further configured to generate checkpoints of the temporal volume at a time interval specified by an I/O request.

7. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the I/O request specifies that a point-in-time image of the temporal volume is to be created corresponding to a timestamp specified by the I/O request, and wherein, in said temporal operation, the temporal volume manager is further configured to generate the point-in-time image of the temporal volume corresponding to the specified timestamp.

8. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the I/O request specifies that a slice-in-time image of the temporal volume specified by two timestamps in the I/O request is to be created, and wherein, in said temporal operation, the temporal volume manager is further configured to generate the slice-in-time image of the temporal volume specified by the two timestamps.

9. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the I/O request specifies that a history of the temporal volume is to be truncated at a point in time specified by the I/O request, and wherein, in said temporal operation, the temporal volume manager is further configured to truncate the history of the temporal volume at the point in time specified by the I/O request.

10. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the I/O request specifies that a history of the temporal volume is to be traversed to a point in time specified by the I/O request, and wherein the temporal volume manager is further configured to perform the temporal operation at the point in time in the history of the temporal volume specified by the I/O request.

11. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the I/O request indicates one or more regions of the temporal volume on which the temporal operation is to be performed.

12. A system, comprising:

means for receiving an I/O request for a temporal volume from an application, wherein the I/O request specifies one or more timestamps for temporal data on a temporal volume; and

means for performing a logical device-level temporal operation on the temporal volume in response to the I/O request.

13. A method, comprising:

a temporal volume manager receiving an I/O request from an application, wherein the I/O request specifies one or more timestamps for temporal data on a temporal volume; and

the temporal volume manager performing a logical device-level temporal operation on the temporal volume in response to the I/O request.

14. The method as recited in claim 13, wherein the I/O request is a write request, and wherein said performing a logical device-level temporal operation on the temporal volume comprises the temporal volume manager writing temporal data specified by the I/O request to the temporal volume.

15. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein said performing a logical device-level temporal operation on the temporal volume further comprises generating a checkpoint of the temporal data on the temporal volume corresponding to a timestamp specified by the I/O request.

16. The method as recited in claim 13, wherein the I/O request is a read request, and wherein said performing a logical device-level temporal operation on the temporal volume comprises returning temporal data specified by the I/O request to the application.

17. The method as recited in claim 13, wherein the I/O request specifies that a checkpoint of the temporal volume is to be created corresponding to a timestamp specified by the I/O request, and wherein said performing a logical device-level temporal operation on the temporal volume comprises generating the checkpoint of the temporal volume corresponding to the specified timestamp.

18. The method as recited in claim 13, further comprising the temporal volume manager generating checkpoints of the temporal volume at a time interval specified by an I/O request.

19. The method as recited in claim 13, wherein the I/O request specifies that a point-in-time image of the temporal volume is to be created corresponding to a timestamp specified by the I/O request, and wherein said performing a logical device-level temporal operation on the temporal volume comprises generating the point-in-time image of the temporal volume corresponding to the specified timestamp.

20. The method as recited in claim 13, wherein the I/O request specifies that a slice-in-time image of the temporal volume specified by two timestamps in the I/O request is to be created, and wherein said performing a logical device-level temporal operation on the temporal volume comprises generating the slice-in-time image of the temporal volume specified by the two timestamps.

21. The method as recited in claim 13, wherein the I/O request specifies that a history of the temporal volume is to be truncated at a point in time specified by the I/O request, and wherein said performing a logical device-level temporal operation on the temporal volume comprises truncating the history of the temporal volume at the point in time specified by the I/O request.

22. The method as recited in claim 13, wherein the I/O request specifies that a history of the temporal volume is to be traversed to a point in time specified by the I/O request, and wherein said performing a logical device-level temporal operation on the temporal volume comprises performing the temporal operation at the point in time in the history of the temporal volume specified by the I/O request.

23. The method as recited in claim 13, further comprising performing the logical device-level temporal operation on one or more regions of the temporal volume indicated by the I/O request.

24. A computer-accessible medium comprising program instructions, wherein the program instructions are configured to implement:

a temporal volume manager receiving an I/O request from an application, wherein the I/O request specifies one or more timestamps for temporal data on a temporal volume; and

the temporal volume manager performing a logical device-level temporal operation on the temporal volume in response to the I/O request.

25. The computer-accessible medium as recited in claim 24, wherein the I/O request is a write request, and wherein, in said performing a logical device-level temporal operation on the temporal volume, the program instructions are further configured to implement the temporal volume manager writing temporal data specified by the I/O request to the temporal volume.

26. The computer-accessible medium as recited in claim 25, wherein, in said performing a logical device-level temporal operation on the temporal volume, the program instructions are further configured to implement generating a checkpoint of the temporal data on the temporal volume corresponding to a timestamp specified by the I/O request.

27. The computer-accessible medium as recited in claim 24, wherein the I/O request is a read request, and wherein, in said performing a logical device-level temporal operation on the temporal volume, the program instructions are further configured to implement returning temporal data specified by the I/O request to the application.

28. The computer-accessible medium as recited in claim 24, wherein the I/O request specifies that a checkpoint of the temporal volume is to be created corresponding to a timestamp specified by the I/O request, and wherein, in said performing a logical device-level temporal operation on the temporal volume, the program instructions are further configured to implement generating the checkpoint of the temporal volume corresponding to the specified timestamp.

29. The computer-accessible medium as recited in claim 24, wherein the program instructions are further configured to implement the temporal volume manager generating checkpoints of the temporal volume at a time interval specified by an I/O request.

30. The computer-accessible medium as recited in claim 24, wherein the I/O request specifies that a point-in-time image of the temporal volume is to be created corresponding to a timestamp specified by the I/O request, and wherein, in said performing a logical device-level temporal operation on the temporal volume, the program instructions are further configured to implement generating the point-in-time image of the temporal volume corresponding to the specified timestamp.

31. The computer-accessible medium as recited in claim 24, wherein the I/O request specifies that a slice-in-time image of the temporal volume specified by two timestamps in the I/O request is to be created, and wherein, in said performing a logical device-level temporal operation on the temporal volume, the program instructions are further configured to implement generating the slice-in-time image of the temporal volume specified by the two timestamps.

32. The computer-accessible medium as recited in claim 24, wherein the I/O request specifies that a history of the temporal volume is to be truncated at a point in time specified by the I/O request, and wherein, in said performing a logical device-level temporal operation on the temporal volume, the program instructions are further configured to implement truncating the history of the temporal volume at the point in time specified by the I/O request.

33. The computer-accessible medium as recited in claim 24, wherein the I/O request specifies that a history of the temporal volume is to be traversed to a point in time specified by the I/O request, and wherein, in said performing a logical device-level temporal operation on the temporal volume, the program instructions are further configured to implement performing the temporal operation at the point in time in the history of the temporal volume specified by the I/O request.

34. The computer-accessible medium as recited in claim 24, wherein the program instructions are further configured to implement performing the logical device-level temporal operation on one or more regions of the temporal volume indicated by the I/O request.