Organizing managed content for efficient storage and management

• US 20070061359A1
• Filed: 02/28/2006
• Published: 03/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: EMC Corporation (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: EMC Corporation (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Kilday, Roger
• Application Number:
  US11/364,959
• Publication Number:
  US 20070061359A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes

Abstract

Organizing managed content for storage is disclosed. An object is linked, based at least in part on an attribute of the object, to a set of objects associated with the attribute. The objects in the set are subject to a policy a consequence of which is common to at least a subset of the set as determined based at least in part on the attribute. The object is stored in a storage location associated with the set.

Claims

1. A method for organizing managed content for storage, comprising:

linking an object, based at least in part on an attribute of the object, to a set of objects associated with the attribute, wherein the objects in the set are subject to a policy a consequence of which is common to at least a subset of the set as determined based at least in part on the attribute; and

storing the object in a storage location associated with the set.

2. A method as in claim 1, further including determining the attribute of the object.

3. A method as in claim 1, further including receiving the object.

4. A method as in claim 1, further including associating the object with the managed content.

5. A method as in claim 1, wherein linking an object, based at least in part on an attribute of the object, to a set of objects associated with the attribute includes linking the object to a folder associated with the attribute.

6. A method as in claim 1, wherein linking an object, based at least in part on an attribute of the object, to a set of objects associated with the attribute includes creating the set if the object is a first object to be associated with the set.

7. A method as in claim 1, further including associating the consequence with the object.

8. A method as in claim 1, further including associating the consequence with the object at least in part by associating with the object a data value that ensures that the consequence will occur with respect to the object.

9. A method as in claim 1, wherein the consequence includes performing one or more of the following with respect to the objects comprising the at least a subset of the set:

a backup operation;

a determination not to backup;

a determination to retain for a prescribed period or until a prescribed time; and

an erase operation performed at the conclusion of a prescribed retention period or at a prescribed time.

10. A method as in claim 1, wherein the consequence includes performing an operation and the method further includes performing the operation as a bulk operation with respect to the objects comprising the at least a subset of the set.

11. A method as in claim 1, wherein the storage location associated with the set comprises a physical storage location in which objects comprising the set are stored.

12. A method as in claim 10, wherein the physical storage location comprises a disk drive included in a plurality of disk drives used to store at least a portion of the managed content.

13. A method as in claim 1, wherein the storage location associated with the set comprises a logical storage location in which objects comprising the set are stored.

14. A method as in claim 12, wherein the logical storage location comprises a partition or other logical subdivision of a disk drive used to store at least a portion of the managed content.

15. A system for organizing managed content for storage, comprising:

a processor configured to link an object, based at least in part on an attribute of the object, to a set of objects associated with the attribute, wherein the objects in the set are subject to a policy a consequence of which is common to at least a subset of the set as determined based at least in part on the attribute; and

store the object in a storage location associated with the set; and

a memory configured to provide instructions to the processor.

16. A system as in claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to associate the consequence with the object.

17. A system as in claim 15, wherein the consequence includes performing one or more of the following with respect to the objects comprising the at least a subset of the set:

a backup operation;

a determination not to backup;

a determination to retain for a prescribed period or until a prescribed time; and

an erase operation performed at the conclusion of a prescribed retention period or at a prescribed time.

18. A system as in claim 15, wherein the consequence includes performing an operation and the processor is further configured to perform the operation as a bulk operation with respect to the objects comprising the at least a subset of the set.

19. A system as in claim 15, wherein the storage location associated with the set comprises a physical or logical storage location in which objects comprising the set are stored.

20. A computer program product for organizing managed content for storage, the computer program product being embodied in a computer readable medium and comprising computer instructions for:

linking an object, based at least in part on an attribute of the object, to a set of objects associated with the attribute, wherein the objects in the set are subject to a policy a consequence of which is common to at least a subset of the set as determined based at least in part on the attribute; and

storing the object in a storage location associated with the set.

21. A computer program product as recited in claim 20, the computer program product further comprising computer instructions for associating the consequence with the object.

22. A computer program product as recited in claim 20, wherein the consequence includes performing an operation and the computer program product further includes computer instructions for performing the operation as a bulk operation with respect to the objects comprising the at least a subset of the set.

23. A computer program product as recited in claim 20, wherein the storage location associated with the set comprises a physical or logical storage location in which objects comprising the set are stored.