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

• US 20100106909A1
• Filed: 12/29/2009
• Published: 04/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CommVault Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: CommVault Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Kottomtharayil, Rajiv, Vijayan Retnamma, Manoj K.
• Granted Patent: US 7,861,011 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/115
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1458 Management of the backup or restore process
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3051 Monitoring arrangements for monitoring the configuration of the computing system or of the computing system component, e.g. monitoring the presence of processing resources, peripherals, I/O links, software programs verification or detection of system hardware configuration G06F11/2247
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0604 Improving or facilitating administration, e.g. storage management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/065 Replication mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0676 Magnetic disk device
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

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 method of managing a removable storage device for storing data in a media management library, comprising:

generating an identifier for the removable storage device, wherein the removable storage device does not contain an electronic serial number provided by a manufacturer of the removable storage device or the electronic serial number is not used as an identifier for the removable storage device;

wherein the identifier for the removable storage device is not a digital picture of the removable storage device, and

wherein the identifier for the removable storage device is not fixed to packaging of the removable storage device;

associating the identifier with the removable storage device such that the device can be automatically recognized each time the removable storage device is used with the media management library; and

tracking the removable storage device as part of the media management library.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising performing authorization of the removable storage device before permitting read or write operations by accessing the generated identifier, determining access control information associated with the identifier, and applying the access control information to allow or deny the read or write operations.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein generating an identifier comprises automatically generating a unique identifier or tracking value, and receiving from a user a user-defined alphanumeric character string to be associated with the removable storage device.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the removable storage device is a universal serial bus (USB) disk drive or USB flash memory drive, and wherein the generated identifier is stored on the removable storage device.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the removable storage device is configured for repeated read and write operations.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the generated identifier is a tracking value for tracking each time at which and computer system on which the removable storage device is used.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising storing the generated identifier in a table containing information about multiple removable storage devices.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising performing authorization related to the removable storage device based on the generated identifier.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising copying data from the removable storage device based on a storage policy associated with the generated identifier.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising performing storage operations related to the removable storage device based on a storage policy associated with the generated identifier.

11. A method of generating identifiers for storage devices, the method comprising:

scanning the storage device for manufacturing defects;

identifying characteristics associated with the manufacturing defects;

automatically generating an identifier for the storage device based on the identified characteristics associated with the manufacturing defects; and

storing the generated identifier to identify the storage device,

wherein the storage device does not contain an electronic serial number when manufactured, or does contain an electronic serial number, but wherein the electronic serial number is not used as an identifier for the removable storage device.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the storage device is a magnetic disk drive, and wherein the identifying comprises identifying bad sectors or portions on the magnetic disk drive.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the storage device is a semiconductor memory drive, and wherein the identifying comprises identifying bad memory cells, enabled redundant memory cells, or both.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein the generating includes performing a hashing function.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein the generating includes algorithmically combining the identified locations or addresses for the defects with known data to generate the unique identifier or tracking value.

16. The method of claim 11 wherein the identifier is configured for use in tracking the storage device.

17. The method of claim 11 wherein the characteristics associated with the defects comprise the location of the defects.

18. The method of claim 11 wherein the characteristics associated with the defects comprise the quantity of the defects.

19. The method of claim 11 wherein the generated identifier is substantially unique.

20. A method of performing storage operations on a removable storage device, comprising:

identifying the removable storage device based on an identifier stored on the device,

wherein the removable storage device does not contain an electronic serial number when it leaves a manufacturer, or does contain an electronic serial number, but wherein the electronic serial number is not used as an identifier for the removable storage device;

determining the last time a storage operation was performed on the removable storage device based on the identifier; and

if a storage operation criteria is met, performing the storage operation on the removable storage device.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the storage operation criteria comprises determining the amount of data written to the removable storage device since the storage operation was last performed.

22. The method of claim 20 wherein the storage operation criteria comprises determining the capacity of the removable storage device.

23. The method of claim 20 wherein the storage operation criteria comprises determining access control information associated with the removable storage device.

24. The method of claim 20 wherein the storage operation is copying data from the removable storage device.