SYSTEMS AND METHODS OF MEDIA MANAGEMENT, SUCH AS MANAGEMENT OF MEDIA TO AND FROM A MEDIA STORAGE LIBRARY

• US 20080243420A1
• Filed: 03/31/2008
• Published: 10/02/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CommVault Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: CommVault Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Gokhale, Parag, Kottomtharayil, Rajiv
• Granted Patent: US 8,484,165 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/127
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/004 Error avoidance G06F11/07 and subgroups take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/11 File system administration, e.g. details of archiving or snapshots file system backup G06F11/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0604 Improving or facilitating administration, e.g. storage management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0634 by changing the state or mode of one or more devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0686 Libraries, e.g. tape libraries, jukebox
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/41 Flat as opposed to hierarchical combination, e.g. library of tapes or discs, CD changer, or groups of record carriers that together store one title
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/002 Programmed access in sequence to a plurality of record carriers or indexed parts, e.g. tracks, thereof, e.g. for editing; transfer of record carriers from magazine G11B15/68, G11B17/10; G11B17/22

Abstract

A system and method for determining media to be exported out of a media library is described. In some examples, the system determines a media component to be exported, determines the media component is in the media library for a specific process, and exports the media component after the process is completed.

Claims

1. A computer-readable medium containing executable code that causes a computer system to perform a method of acquiring media components for a media storage facility, the method comprising:

obtaining information related to historical usage of at least one set of media components;

determining an amount of media components contained within the media storage facility;

predicting future usage of the at least one set of media components; and

when the predicted future usage requires an amount of media components greater than the determined amount contained within the media storage facility, acquiring additional medial components to satisfy the predicted future usage.

2. A computer-implemented method of obtaining data storage media for a data storage media library used in data storage operations, the method comprising:

identifying storage requirements for one or more future data storage operations;

determining an available storage capacity of available media within the media library;

comparing the identified storage requirements with the available storage capacity of available media within the media library; and

when the identified storage requirements are greater than the available storage capacity, automatically requesting for additional media for the media library.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the comparison includes comparing the identified storage requirements to a number of pieces of media within the media library.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the comparison includes comparing the identified storage requirements to a collective free capacity of media within the media library.

5. A system for predicting data storage media requirements for a media library associated with a data storage system, the system comprising:

a data storage prediction component, wherein the storage prediction component determines an estimated storage requirement for a future storage operation using the media library; and

a media acquisition component, in communication with the data storage prediction component, wherein the media acquisition component acquires media for the media library based at least in part on the determined estimated storage requirements received from the data storage prediction component.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the data storage prediction component identifies a trend in information associated with previous storage operations and estimates the storage requirement for the future storage operation based at least in part on the identified trend.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the data storage prediction component retrieves information related to types of media used in previous storage operations and estimates the storage requirement for the future storage operation based at least in part on the retrieved information.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein the data storage prediction component retrieves information related a total volume of media used in previous storage operations and estimates the storage requirement for the future storage operation based at least in part on the retrieved information.

9. The system of claim 5, wherein the data storage prediction component retrieves information related to user preferences during previous storage operations and estimates the storage requirement for the future storage operation based at least in part on the retrieved information.

10. The system of claim 5, wherein the data storage prediction component retrieves information related to storage operations not associated with the media library and related to other data storage systems and estimates the storage requirement for the future storage operation based at least in part on the retrieved information.

11. The system of claim 5, wherein the data storage prediction component retrieves information related to storage operations performed within a specified time period before the future storage operation, identifies a trend in the retrieved information, and estimates the storage requirement for the future storage operation based at least in part on the identified trend.

12. The system of claim 5, wherein the data storage prediction component retrieves information related to contents of the data to be stored by the future storage operation, identifies a capacity of media in the media library suitable for storing the contents of the data to be stored and estimates the storage requirement for the future storage operation based at least in part on the retrieved information and the identified capacity of media.

13. A method of obtaining an additional data storage article for a warehouse that contains data storage articles at a current time, the method comprising:

predicting a future deficit of data storage articles at a future time, wherein the prediction is based on a previous deficit of data storage articles that occurred at a previous time;

estimating, at the current time, an amount of data storage articles required to satisfy the predicted future deficit; and

retrieving a number of data storage articles equal to the estimated amount before the future time.