Method and system for transferring data in a storage operation

• US 20050268068A1
• Filed: 01/03/2005
• Published: 12/01/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CommVault Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: CommVault Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Prahlad, Anand, Kumar, Avinash, Tyagarajan, Mahesh, Ignatius, Paul
• Granted Patent: US 7,581,077 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/202
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1464 for networked environments
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0613 in relation to throughput
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0653 Monitoring storage devices or systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0656 Data buffering arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]

Abstract

The invention provides a system and method for storing a copy of data stored in an information store. In one embodiment, a data agent reads one or more blocks containing the data from the information store. The data agent maps the one or more blocks to provide a mapping of the blocks, and transmits the one or more blocks and mapping to a media agent for a storage device. The media agent stores the one or more blocks in the storage device according to the mapping.

Claims

1. A method for storing a copy of data stored in an information store comprising:

reading one or more blocks containing the data;

mapping the one or more blocks to provide a mapping of the blocks;

transmitting the one or more blocks and mapping to a storage device; and

storing the one or more blocks in the storage device according to the mapping.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting changed blocks in the information store.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising performing the steps of reading, mapping, transmitting and storing with respect to the changed blocks.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting an addition of blocks in the information store.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising performing the steps of reading, mapping, transmitting and storing with respect to the added blocks.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of mapping occurs using a data pipeline.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of transmitting occurs using a data pipeline.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising arranging the one or more blocks into one or more chunks.

9. The method of claim 2, further comprising adding the mapping to a header for each of the one or more chunks.

10. A system for storing a copy of data stored in an information store comprising:

an agent for reading one or more blocks containing the data;

an agent for mapping the one or more blocks to provide a mapping of the blocks;

an agent for transmitting the one or more blocks and mapping to a storage device; and

an agent for storing the one or more blocks in the storage device according to the mapping.

11. The system of claim 10, comprising a data agent that includes one or more agents, each agent selected from the group consisting of:

the agent for reading;

the agent for mapping and the agent for transmitting.

12. The system of claim 10, comprising a media agent that comprises the agent for storing.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the agent for reading is for detecting changed blocks in the information store, the one or more blocks that are read by the agent comprising the changed blocks.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the agent for reading is for detecting added blocks in the information store, the one or more blocks that are read by the agent for reading comprising the added blocks.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the agent for mapping is part of a data pipeline.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the agent for transmitting is part of a data pipeline.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the agent for mapping is further for arranging the one or more blocks into one or more chunks.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the mapping is provided as part a header for each of the one or more chunks.

19. The system of claim 10, wherein the agent for transmitting is further for arranging the one or more blocks into one or more chunks.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the mapping is provided as part a header for each of the one or more chunks.

21. A computer readable medium storing program code which, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform a method for storing a copy of data stored in an information store, the method comprising:

reading one or more blocks containing the data;

mapping the one or more blocks to provide a mapping of the blocks;

transmitting the one or more blocks and mapping to a storage device; and

storing the one or more blocks in the storage device according to the mapping.