Content Manager

• US 20070038687A1
• Filed: 08/10/2006
• Published: 02/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panstoria, Inc. (Forever Inc)
• Original Assignee: Caspedia Corporation
• Inventors: Schweizer, Paul, Carroll, Micheal
• Granted Patent: US 7,685,175 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/113 Details of archiving lifecycle management in storage systems G06F3/0649; backup systems G06F11/1446
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/41 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures

Abstract

An archive for digital content comprises archive storage, an archive service and a manifest. The archive storage is a unified storage structure for storing items, such a directory having a plurality of subdirectories. The manifest is stored within the archive storage when the archive storage is loaded onto a storage device, and comprises an index of items stored in the unified structure of the archive, an organizational structure that supports defined categories that characterize items stored in the unified structure and at least one backup queue that temporarily queues a list of items that satisfy predetermined backup criteria by have not been backed up. The archive service serves as an intermediate between users, e.g., operators, software modules, programs, services, etc., and the archive storage to control requests for access to items stored in the unified storage structure.

Claims

1. A archive for digital content comprising:

an archive storage area having a unified storage structure for storing items;

a manifest that is stored within said archive storage area when said archive storage area is loaded onto a storage device, said manifest comprising;

an index of items stored in said unified structure of said archive;

an organizational structure that supports defined categories that characterize items stored in said unified structure; and

at least one backup queue that temporarily queues a list of items that satisfy predetermined backup criteria but have not been backed up; and

an archive service that serves as an intermediate between software modules and said archive storage area to control requests for access to items stored in said unified storage structure and to back up items stored in said archive storage area at predetermined times based upon predetermined backup criteria for each of said at least one backup queue.

2. The archive according to claim 1, wherein:

said unified storage structure comprises a hashed directory structure; and

said manifest stores a hashing modulus of a corresponding to hash function.

3. The archive according to claim 1, wherein said archive storage area is marked as a special directory by at least one of an information file saved in said archive storage area or a shell extension of an operating system on a corresponding computing device upon which said system is loaded.

4. The archive according to claim 1, wherein said manifest is constructed in the extended markup language.

5. The archive according to claim 1, wherein said at least one backup queue comprises a first backup queue that said archive service utilizes to back up information to a removable media device and a second backup queue that said archive service utilizes to back up information to a shadow copy.

6. The archive according to claim 5, wherein said first backup queue backs up to at least one of a compact disk or a digital video disk drive.

7. The archive according to claim 1, wherein said archive storage area is stored on a storage appliance that is communicably coupled to a host computer.

8. The archive according to claim 1, wherein said archive service utilizes said organizational structure to provide at least one view of the items stored in the archive storage area tot allow a user to locate items of interest within the archive storage area.

9. The archive according to claim 1, wherein said archive service utilizes a time control that implements fuzzy dates and times to allow a user to locate items of interest within said archive storage area.

18. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

utilizing a time control that implements fuzzy dates and times to allow a user to locate items of interest within said archive storage area.

10. A method of archiving digital content comprising:

creating an archive storage area having a unified storage structure for storing items on one or more storage devices;

providing an archive service that serves as an intermediate between users and said archive storage area to control requests for access to items stored in said unified storage structure; and

maintaining a manifest by said archive service, comprising;

maintaining in said manifest, an index of items in said unified structure of said archive;

maintaining in said manifest an organizational structure that supports defined categories that characterize items stored in said unified structure; and

maintaining at least one backup queue that temporarily queues a list of items that satisfy predetermined backup criteria but have not been backed up;

utilizing said archive service to back up items stored in said archive storage area at predetermined times based upon predetermined backup criteria for each of said at least one backup queue.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein:

said creating an archive storage area having a unified storage structure for storing items on one or more storage devices comprises;

creating a hashed directory structure; and

said maintaining a manifest stored within said archive storage area comprises;

storing a hashing modulus of a corresponding to hash function within said manifest.

12. The method according to claim 10, further comprising marking said archive storage area as a special directory by at least one of storing an information file in said archive storage area or utilizing a shell extension of an operating system on a corresponding computing device.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein said maintaining a manifest stored within said archive storage area comprises creating said manifest using the extended markup language.

14. The method according to claim 10, wherein said maintaining at least one backup queue that temporarily queues a list of items that have been changed but have not been backed up comprises:

maintaining a plurality of backup queues, each having a predefined backup location and backup parameters.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein said maintaining a plurality of backup queues, each having a predefined backup location and backup parameters comprises:

maintaining at least one backup queue that backs up to a portable removable media device; and

maintaining at least one shadow copy queue that backs up to a shadow copy of said archive.

16. The method according to claim 10, further comprising:

storing said archive storage area on a storage appliance that is remote from a host computer that executes said archive service.

17. The method according to claim 10, further comprising:

utilizing said organizational structure to provide a view to the items stored in said archive storage area to allow a user to locate items of interest.

19. A computer program product to archive digital content comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer usable program code embodied therewith, the computer usable program code comprising;

computer usable program code configured to create an archive storage area having a unified storage structure for storing items;

computer usable program code configured to create a manifest that is stored within said archive storage area when said archive storage area is loaded onto a storage device, said manifest comprising;

an index of items stored in said unified structure of said archive;

an organizational structure that supports defined categories that characterize items stored in said unified structure; and

at least one backup queue that temporarily queues a list of items that satisfy predetermined backup criteria but have not been backed up;

computer usable program code configured to implement an archive service that serves as an intermediate between software modules and said archive storage area to control requests for access to items stored in said unified storage structure and to back up items at predetermined; and

computer usable program code configured to back up items stored in said archive storage area at predetermined times based upon predetermined backup criteria for each of said at least one backup queue.

20. The computer program product according to claim 19, wherein:

said computer usable program code configured to back up items stored in said archive storage area at predetermined times based upon predetermined backup criteria for each of said at least one backup queue comprises;

computer usable program code configured to back up items stored in a first backup queue to a removable media; and

computer usable program code configured to back up items stored in a second backup queue to a shadow copy.