SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PERFORMING STORAGE OPERATIONS USING NETWORK ATTACHED STORAGE

• US 20120059797A1
• Filed: 11/10/2011
• Published: 03/08/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CommVault Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: CommVault Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Prahlad, Anand, Schwartz, Jeremy
• Granted Patent: US 8,266,106 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/652
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1824 implemented using Network-attached Storage [NAS] architecture distributed or networked storage systems G06F3/067; protocols for distributed storage of data in a network H04L67/1097
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/185 Hierarchical storage management [HSM] systems, e.g. file migration or policies thereof details of archiving G06F16/11
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0607 by facilitating the process of upgrading existing storage systems, e.g. for improving compatibility between host and storage device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0619 in relation to data integrity, e.g. data losses, bit errors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0649 Lifecycle management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/065 Replication mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0685 Hybrid storage combining heterogeneous device types, e.g. hierarchical storage, hybrid arrays
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99955 Archiving or backup

Abstract

Systems and methods for performing hierarchical storage operations on electronic data in a computer network are provided. In one embodiment, the present invention may store electronic data from a network device to a network attached storage (NAS) device pursuant to certain storage criteria. The data stored on the NAS may be migrated to a secondary storage and a stub file having a pointer pointing to the secondary storage may be put at the location the data was previously stored on the NAS. The stub file may redirect the network device to the secondary storage if a read request for the data is received from the network device.

Claims

1. A method for managing the storage of electronic data, the method comprising:

storing a first copy of files at a first storage location in a network storage device (“

NAS device”

), wherein the NAS device has an internal operating system and an internal file management system, and wherein the NAS device communicates with other devices via a network;

tracking the first copy of the files stored in the NAS device with a data migrator, wherein the data migrator executes on one or more computer processors that are externally located from the NAS device, the data migrator also has a different file management system than the NAS device, the data migrator maintains an index cache in a location external to the NAS device, the index cache comprises information about the first storage location of the first copy of the files on the NAS device;

processing at least one storage policy with the data migrator to determine when to copy the first copy of the files on the NAS device to one or more secondary storage devices;

using the index cache maintained by the data migrator to identify that the first copy of the files is stored in the NAS device;

migrating, with the data migrator, the first copy of the files stored in the NAS device to a secondary copy stored in the one or more secondary storage devices; and

automatically replacing, with the data migrator, the first copy of the files stored in the NAS device with a stub that identifies the location of the secondary copy in the one or more secondary storage devices, wherein the data migrator externally directs the writing of the stub into the first storage location on the NAS device.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising storing edits to the files in the first storage location by replacing the stub with the edited data.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising storing edits made to the files in the one or more secondary files without transferring the edits to the first storage location while leaving the stub file intact.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising storing edits made to the files in the one or more secondary files and changing the stub file according to the edits.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising decompressing or otherwise decoding retrieved data from the one or more second storage locations.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein decompressing the retrieved data creates substantially the same format the retrieved data was in prior to storage in the one or more second storage locations.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the stub file includes a UNIX softlink.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein migrating the first copy of the files to the one or more secondary storage locations comprises determining if the one or more secondary storage locations is mounted and, if not mounted, mounting the secondary storage locations.

9. A system for managing the storage of electronic data, the system comprising:

a network storage device (“

NAS device”

) that stores a first copy of files at a first storage location, wherein the NAS device has an internal operating system and an internal file management system, and wherein the NAS device communicates with other devices via a network;

an index cache in a location external to the NAS device, the index cache comprises information about the first storage location of the first copy of the files stored on the NAS device;

a data migrator executing in one or more computer processors, wherein the data migrator is externally located from the NAS device also has a different file management system than the NAS device, wherein the data migrator maintains the information in the index cache, and wherein the data migrator is further configured to;

track the first copy of the files stored in the NAS device;

process at least one storage policy to determine when to copy the first copy of the files on the NAS device to one or more secondary storage devices;

use the index cache to identify that the first copy of the files is stored in the NAS device;

migrate the first copy of the files stored in the NAS device to a secondary copy stored in the one or more secondary storage devices; and

automatically replace the first copy of the files stored in the NAS device with a stub that identifies the location of the secondary copy in the one or more secondary storage devices, wherein the data migrator externally directs the writing of the stub into the first storage location on the NAS device.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the data migrator is further configured to store edits to the files in the first storage location by replacing the stub with the edited data.

11. The system of claim 9 wherein the data migrator is further configured to store edits made to the files in the one or more secondary files without transferring the edits to the first storage location while leaving the stub file intact.

12. The system of claim 9 wherein the data migrator is further configured to store edits made to the files in the one or more secondary files and change the stub file according to the edits.

13. The system of claim 9 wherein the data migrator is further configured to decompress or otherwise decode retrieved data from the one or more second storage locations.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein decompressing the retrieved data creates substantially the same format the retrieved data was in prior to storage in the one or more second storage locations.

15. The system of claim 9 wherein the stub file includes a UNIX softlink.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein migrating the first copy of the files to the one or more secondary storage locations comprises determining if the one or more secondary storage locations is mounted and, if not mounted, the data migrator is further configured to mount the secondary storage locations.