METHOD FOR MANAGING RETENTION OF DATA ON WORM DISK MEDIA BASED ON EVENT NOTIFICATION

• US 20090125572A1
• Filed: 11/14/2007
• Published: 05/14/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Lebutsch, David, Marek, Toby L., Cannon, David M., Martin, Howard N., Haswell, Jonathan M.
• Application Number:
  US11/939,966
• Publication Number:
  US 20090125572A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/125 characterised by the use of retention policies retention policies for HSM systems G06F16/185
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/181 providing write once read many [WORM] semantics

Abstract

The present invention provides for a method and a computer system for managing the retention of data on WORM disk media employing an event-based scheme of retaining data. The protection of the files is accomplished by establishing a retention period for the WORM disk media file volume containing the data files, followed by a reclamation period. The retention and reclamation periods are managed by comparing the amount of reclaimable space on the file volume to a threshold value, and if the threshold is not exceeded, the retention period of the file volume is extended by a default retention extension value. If the threshold value is exceeded, the files are moved to another file volume, and the retention period of this target file volume is extended based on the longer of the default retention extension value and the latest expiration date of the file contained within the file volume.

Claims

1. A method in a computer system for managing retention of data on WORM disk media, comprising:

establishing a volume retention period for securely storing data on a file volume on the WORM disk media;

establishing a volume reclamation period to occur immediately after the volume retention period for reclaiming unexpired files within the file volume;

establishing a volume retention extension period for extending the volume retention period;

utilizing the file volume, including retaining files within the file volume for the duration of the volume retention period;

determining during the volume reclamation period whether the amount of reclaimable space on the file volume is greater than a predefined reclamation threshold value;

extending the volume retention period of the file volume by the volume retention extension period if the amount of reclaimable space on the file volume is not greater than the predefined reclamation threshold value; and

reclaiming the file volume if the amount of reclaimable space on the file volume is greater than the predefined reclamation threshold value, including moving each unexpired file contained within the file volume to a target file volume on the WORM disk media and extending the volume retention period of the target file volume to the longer of a remaining retention period of each unexpired file and the length of the retention extension period.

2. The method in a computer system for managing retention of data on WORM disk media as described in claim 1, wherein the WORM disk media is contained on a storage-management hardware application.

3. The method in a computer system for managing retention of data on WORM disk media as described in claim 1, wherein the retention of data is based on event notification.

4. A system, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory storing instructions operable with the at least one processor for managing retention of data on WORM disk media, the instructions being executed for;

establishing a volume retention period for securely storing data on a file volume on the WORM disk media;

establishing a volume reclamation period to occur immediately after the volume retention period for reclaiming unexpired files within the file volume;

establishing a volume retention extension period for extending the volume retention period;

utilizing the file volume, including retaining files within the file volume for the duration of the volume retention period;

determining during the volume reclamation period whether the amount of reclaimable space on the file volume is greater than a predefined reclamation threshold value;

extending the volume retention period of the file volume by the volume retention extension period if the amount of reclaimable space on the file volume is not greater than the predefined reclamation threshold value; and

reclaiming the file volume if the amount of reclaimable space on the file volume is greater than the predefined reclamation threshold value, including moving each unexpired file contained within the file volume to a target file volume on the WORM disk media and extending the volume retention period of the target file volume to the longer of a remaining retention period of each unexpired file and the length of the retention extension period.