DATA PREVIEWING BEFORE RECALLING LARGE DATA FILES

• US 20130262410A1
• Filed: 03/13/2013
• Published: 10/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CommVault Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: CommVault Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Kumarasamy, Paramasivam, Varadharajan, Prakash, Liu, Yongtao
• Granted Patent: US 10,157,184 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/693
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/116 Details of conversion of file system types or formats

Abstract

Techniques for providing data preview before recalling large data files are disclosed. In one aspect, a data file is made accessible while being offline by converting the data file from a native format to a preview format, storing the data file in the preview format in a primary storage that is locally available and moving, after the conversion to the preview format, the data file in the native format to a secondary storage. When a viewing request is received for the data file, the data file in the preview format is displayed to fulfill the viewing request.

Claims

1. A method for providing to a user computer offline access to a data file, the method comprising:

converting the data file from a native format to a preview format,

wherein the preview format occupies less data storage capacity than the native format;

storing the data file in the preview format in a primary data storage device,

wherein the primary data storage device is accessible to the user computer via a network;

moving, after the conversion to the preview format, the data file in the native format to a secondary data storage device,

wherein the secondary data storage device is offline and not immediately accessible for providing data files in response to requests from the user computer;

receiving a request for the data file from the user computer; and

providing for display on the user computer the data file in the preview format to fulfill the request.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the preview format comprises a picture encoding format, and wherein the picture encoding format comprises one of a JPEG format, a bitmap format, a GIF format, a TIFF format and a PNG format.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the preview format comprises a picture encoding format.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a menu for accessing the data file in the native format, and

wherein the providing the menu includes providing the menu upon a right-click operation by a user.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising

providing a menu for accessing the data file in the native format.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

including a resource locator with the preview format; and

providing access to the data file using the resource locator.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

including a resource locator with the preview format.

8. An apparatus for providing offline access to a data file, the method comprising:

means for converting the data file from a native format to a preview format, wherein the preview format occupies less data storage capacity than the native format;

means for storing the data file in the preview format in a primary storage;

means for moving, after the conversion to the preview format, the data file in the native format to a secondary storage;

means for receiving a viewing request for the data file; and

means for providing for display the data file in the preview format to fulfill the viewing request.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the preview format comprises a picture encoding format.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the picture encoding format comprises one of a JPEG format, a bitmap format, a GIF format, a TIFF format and a PNG format.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising:

means for providing a menu for accessing the data file in the native format.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the means for providing the menu includes means for providing the menu upon a right-click operation by a user.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising:

means for including a resource locator with the preview format.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 further comprising:

means for providing access to the data file using the resource locator.

15. A computer program product comprising a computer-readable storage medium having code stored thereon, the code, when executed by a processor, causing the processor to manage storage capacity on a computer, comprising:

receiving a data file from a primary data storage device coupled to a computing device,

wherein the data file has a first format associated with a first application program;

creating a copy of the data file by converting the data file from the first format into a second format,

wherein the second format permits at least some content of the data file to be viewable using a viewer application;

moving the data file from the primary data storage device to a location in a secondary data storage device; and

,

storing, on the primary data storage device, the copy of the data file in the second format and information about the location of the data file on the secondary data storage device.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the step of creating the copy of the data file includes creating the copy of the data file by reducing a size of the data file, and wherein the viewer application comprises a web browser.

17. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein, when the data file includes a video, then the step of creating a copy of the data file includes creating a copy of the data file that includes periodic snapshots of video frames in the video.

18. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the second format is one of a JPEG format, a bitmap format, a GIF format, a TIFF format and a PNG format.

19. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising:

launching, responsive to a user interaction, the viewer application for viewing the copy of the data file, and wherein the viewer application is configured to view but not modify the content of the copy of the data file.

20. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising:

fetching, responsive to a user interaction, the data file from the secondary data storage; and

launching the first application program.