System and method for performing auxillary storage operations

• US 20060230244A1
• Filed: 11/08/2005
• Published: 10/12/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CommVault Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: CommVault Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Gokhale, Parag, Vijayan Retnamma, Manoj Kumar, Prahlad, Anand, Amarendran, Arun Prasad, Lu, Jun
• Granted Patent: US 7,490,207 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/162
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1456 Hardware arrangements for backup
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1458 Management of the backup or restore process
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0619 in relation to data integrity, e.g. data losses, bit errors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0649 Lifecycle management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0685 Hybrid storage combining heterogeneous device types, e.g. hierarchical storage, hybrid arrays

Abstract

Systems and methods for protecting data in a tiered storage system are provided. The storage system comprises a management server, a media management component connected to the management server, a plurality of storage media connected to the media management component, and a data source connected to the media management component. Source data is copied from a source to a buffer to produce intermediate data. The intermediate data is copied to both a first and second medium to produce a primary and auxiliary copy, respectively. An auxiliary copy may be made from another auxiliary copy. An auxiliary copy may also be made from a primary copy right before the primary copy is pruned.

Claims

1. A method for storing data in a tiered storage system, the tiered storage system comprising a plurality of storage media, one or more first storage media being designated for use in storing one or more primary copies of production data and one or more second storage media being designated for use in storing one or more auxiliary copies of production data, the method comprising:

copying the production data from a data source to a first location to produce intermediate data;

copying the intermediate data to a first storage medium to produce a primary copy of the production data; and

while the primary copy is still being produced, copying the intermediate data to a second storage medium to produce an auxiliary copy of the production data.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising producing the primary copy and the auxiliary copy at substantially the same time.

3. The method of claim 1, comprising storing the intermediate copy in a buffer.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising monitoring the copying of the source data from the source to the first location.

5. The method of claim 1, comprising monitoring the copying of the intermediate data to the first storage medium.

6. The method of claim 5, comprising monitoring the copying the intermediate data to the second storage medium.

7. The method of claim 6, comprising:

determining that an interruption occurred in the production of the primary copy or auxiliary copy;

completing the production of the uninterrupted copy; and

thereafter, when the interruption is resolved, completing the interrupted production of the primary or auxiliary copy.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein copying the production data comprises using a data pipe.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second storage media are of different media types, and wherein the method comprises determining the media types of the first and second storage media.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein determining the media types comprises inspecting data in a header of the production data and determining the media types based on the header data.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein copying the intermediate data to the first and second storage media comprises formatting the production data in a first format based on the media type of the first storage medium and formatting the production data in a second format based on the media type of the second storage medium.

12. A method for storing data in a tiered storage system, the tiered storage system comprising a plurality of storage media, one or more first storage media being designated for use in storing one or more primary copies of production data and one or more second storage media being designated for use in storing one or more auxiliary copies of production data, the method comprising:

selecting a set of production data to be copied;

beginning to create a primary copy of the production data set on a first storage medium; and

while the primary copy is being created, beginning to create an auxiliary copy of the production data set from the primary copy.

13. A method for storing data in a tiered storage system, the tiered storage system comprising a plurality of storage media, one or more first storage media being designated for use in storing one or more primary copies of production data and one or more second storage media being designated for use in storing one or more auxiliary copies of production data, the method comprising:

creating a primary copy of production data on a first storage medium;

copying the primary copy to one of the second storage media to produce a first auxiliary copy; and

copying the first auxiliary copy to another of the second storage media to produce a second auxiliary copy.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein copying comprises unwrapping data to be copied and thereafter rewrapping the data to be copied with a tag header, the tag header indicating a type of media on which the data is to be copied.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein copying comprises using a data pipe.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the second storage media are of different media types, and wherein the method comprises determining the media types of the two second storage media.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein determining the media types comprises inspecting data in a header of the production data and determining the media types based on the header data.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein copying the primary copy comprises formatting the production data in a first format based on the media type of the storage medium upon which the first auxiliary copy is stored and wherein copying the first auxiliary copy comprises formatting the production data in a second format based on the media type of the second storage medium upon which the second auxiliary copy is stored.

19. A computer readable medium storing program code which when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform a method for storing data in a tiered storage system, the tiered storage system comprising a plurality of storage media, one or more first storage media being designated for use in storing one or more primary copies of production data and one or more second storage media being designated for use in storing one or more auxiliary copies of production data, the method comprising:

copying the production data from a data source to a first location to produce intermediate data;

copying the intermediate data to a first storage medium to produce a primary copy of the production data; and

while the primary copy is still being produced, copying the intermediate data to a second storage medium to produce an auxiliary copy of the production data.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 19, comprising producing the primary copy and the auxiliary copy at substantially the same time.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 19, comprising storing the intermediate copy in a buffer.

22. The computer readable medium of claim 19, comprising monitoring the copying of the source data from the source to the first location.

23. The computer readable medium of claim 19, comprising monitoring the copying of the intermediate data to the first storage medium.

24. The computer readable medium of claim 23, comprising monitoring the copying the intermediate data to the second storage medium.

25. The computer readable medium of claim 24, comprising:

determining that an interruption occurred in the production of the primary copy or auxiliary copy;

completing the production of the uninterrupted copy; and

thereafter, when the interruption is resolved, completing the interrupted production of the primary or auxiliary copy.

26. The computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein copying the production data comprises using a data pipe.

27. The computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the first and second storage media are of different media types, and wherein the method comprises determining the media types of the first and second storage media.

28. The computer readable medium of claim 27, wherein determining the media types comprises inspecting data in a header of the production data and determining the media types based on the header data.

29. The computer readable medium of claim 27, wherein copying the intermediate data to the first and second storage media comprises formatting the production data in a first format based on the media type of the first storage medium and formatting the production data in a second format based on the media type of the second storage medium.

30. A computer readable medium storing program code which when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform a method for storing data in a tiered storage system, the tiered storage system comprising a plurality of storage media, one or more first storage media being designated for use in storing one or more primary copies of production data and one or more second storage media being designated for use in storing one or more auxiliary copies of production data, the method comprising:

selecting a set of production data to be copied;

beginning to create a primary copy of the production data set on a first storage medium; and

while the primary copy is being created, beginning to create an auxiliary copy of the production data set from the primary copy.

31. A computer readable medium storing program code which when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform a method for storing data in a tiered storage system, the tiered storage system comprising a plurality of storage media, one or more first storage media being designated for use in storing one or more primary copies of production data and one or more second storage media being designated for use in storing one or more auxiliary copies of production data, the method comprising:

creating a primary copy of production data on a first storage medium;

copying the primary copy to one of the second storage media to produce a first auxiliary copy; and

copying the first auxiliary copy to another of the second storage media to produce a second auxiliary copy.

32. The computer readable medium of claim 31, wherein copying comprises unwrapping data to be copied and thereafter rewrapping the data to be copied with a tag header, the tag header indicating a type of media on which the data is to be copied.

33. The computer readable medium of claim 31, wherein copying comprises using a data pipe.

34. The computer readable medium of claim 31, wherein the second storage media are of different media types, and wherein the method comprises determining the media types of the two second storage media.

35. The computer readable medium of claim 34, wherein determining the media types comprises inspecting data in a header of the production data and determining the media types based on the header data.

36. The computer readable medium of claim 34, wherein copying the primary copy comprises formatting the production data in a first format based on the media type of the storage medium upon which the first auxiliary copy is stored and wherein copying the first auxiliary copy comprises formatting the production data in a second format based on the media type of the second storage medium upon which the second auxiliary copy is stored.