SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PERFORMING TIME-FLEXIBLE CALENDRIC STORAGE OPERATIONS

• US 20090228894A1
• Filed: 05/18/2009
• Published: 09/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CommVault Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: CommVault Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Gokhale, Parag
• Granted Patent: US 7,890,718 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 718/105
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1461 Backup scheduling policy

Abstract

A system and method are provided for creating a non-standard calendar that may have customized attributes, such as number of days in a month, first day of a month, number of months in a year, first month of a year, number of years, or other customized attributes. Such non-standard calendars may be similar to non-standard calendars used by companies, enterprises or other organizations, such as a fiscal calendar, academic calendar, or other calendar. A storage management system manager may have a database of storage policies that include preferences and frequencies for performing storage operations, and associations with a non-standard calendar. The storage manager can initiate storage operations based on the storage policy using data that may be identified according to selection criteria, and determine a time to perform the storage operation according to a non-standard calendar.

Claims

1. A method for performing a storage operation, the method comprising:

storing a plurality of calendars, the calendars comprising at least a Gregorian calendar and a non-Gregorian calendar;

receiving a first storage policy, the first storage policy defining one or more storage operations to perform on one or more data items, the first storage policy associated with the Gregorian calendar;

performing with one or more computer processors the storage operations associated with first storage policy by using the Gregorian calendar;

receiving a second storage policy, the second storage policy defining one or more storage operations to perform on one or more data items, the second storage policy associated with the non-Gregorian calendar; and

performing with one or more computer processors the storage operations associated with the second storage policy by using the non-Gregorian calendar.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising transmitting an alert when a storage operation time comprises a time after a first term of the non-Gregorian calendar expires.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising predicting a second term of the non-Gregorian calendar, wherein a first term and a second term of the non-Gregorian calendar include at least one common time flexible preference.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more storage operations associated with non-Gregorian calendar of the second storage policy, comprises a selective copy operation.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more storage operations associated with the non-Gregorian calendar of the second storage policy comprises a retention operation.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the non-Gregorian calendar is defined by a user.

7. A method for scheduling a storage operation, the method comprising:

associating in a storage system a first storage policy with a standard calendar, the first storage policy comprising a first frequency for performing one or more storage operations;

associating in the storage system a second storage policy with a non-standard calendar, the second storage policy comprising a second frequency for performing one or more storage operations;

determining with one or more computer processors when to perform the first frequency of the storage operations associated with the first storage policy based on the standard calendar; and

determining with one or more computer processors when to perform the second frequency of the storage operations associated with the second storage policy based on the non-standard calendar.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising transmitting an alert when a storage operation time comprises a time after a first term of the non-standard calendar expires.

9. The method of claim 7 further comprising predicting a second term of the non-standard calendar, wherein a first term and a second term of the non-standard calendar include at least one common time flexible preference.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein the one or more storage operations associated with the non-standard calendar of the second storage policy, comprises a selective copy operation.

11. The method of claim 7 wherein the one or more storage operations associated with the non-standard calendar of the second storage policy comprises a retention operation.

12. The method of claim 7 wherein the non-standard calendar is defined by a user.

13. The method of claim 7 wherein the second frequency associated with the non-standard calendar is converted into a third frequency associated with the standard calendar.

14. A storage management system for scheduling a storage operation, the storage management system comprising:

a storage device configured to store a plurality of data items and a plurality of calendars, the plurality of calendars comprising at least a standard calendar and a non-standard calendar;

a first storage policy configured to define one or more storage operations to perform on one or more data items, the first storage policy associated with the standard calendar;

a second storage policy configured to define one or more storage operations to perform on one or more data items, the second storage policy associated with the non-standard calendar; and

a storage manager configured to determine with one or more computer processors a first time to perform the at least one storage operation according to the first storage policy, the first time relating to the standard calendar and wherein the storage manager is further configured to determine a second time to perform the least one storage operation according to the second storage policy, the second time relating to the non-standard calendar.

15. The storage management system of claim 14 wherein the storage manager is configured to transmit an alert when a storage operation time comprises a time after a first term of the non-standard calendar expires.

16. The storage management system of claim 14 wherein a first term and a second term of the non-standard calendar include at least one common time flexible preference.

17. The storage management system of claim 14 wherein the one or more storage operations associated with non-standard calendar of the second storage policy, comprises a selective copy operation.

18. The storage management system of claim 14 wherein the one or more storage operations associated with the non-standard calendar of the second storage policy comprises a retention operation.

19. The storage management system of claim 14 wherein the non-standard calendar is defined by a user.

20. The storage management system of claim 14 wherein the second time associated with the non-standard calendar is converted into a third time associated with the standard calendar.