COLLABORATIVE RESTORE IN A NETWORKED STORAGE SYSTEM

• US 20130346373A1
• Filed: 06/12/2013
• Published: 12/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CommVault Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: CommVault Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Muller, Marcus S., Ngo, David
• Granted Patent: US 9,218,374 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/679
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1415 at system level
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1448 Management of the data involved in backup or backup restore
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1451 by selection of backup contents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1453 using de-duplication of the data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1458 Management of the backup or restore process
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1464 for networked environments
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/119 Details of migration of file systems migration mechanisms in storage systems G06F3/0647
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/122 using management policies backup systems G06F11/1446; file migration policies for HSM systems G06F16/185
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/137 Hash-based content-based indexing of textual data G06F16/31
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/16 File or folder operations, e.g. details of user interfaces specifically adapted to file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1748 De-duplication implemented within the file system, e.g. based on file segments de-duplication techniques in storage systems for the management of data blocks G06F3/0641
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1752 based on file chunks
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/176 Support for shared access to files; File sharing support
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1847 specifically adapted to static storage, e.g. adapted to flash memory or SSD
• 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 16/217 Database tuning G06F16/2282 takes precedence; database performance monitoring G06F11/3409
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/22 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2379 Updates performed during online database operations; commit processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24 Querying
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/275 : Synchronous replication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/90 : Details of database functions independent of the retrieved data types
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/95 : Retrieval from the web
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/80 : Database-specific techniques

Abstract

A storage system according to certain embodiments includes a client-side signature repository that includes information representative of a set of data blocks stored in primary storage. During restore operations, the system can use the client-side signature repository to identify data blocks located in primary storage. The system can also use the client-side signature repository to identify multiple locations within primary storage where instances of some of the data blocks to be restored are located. Accordingly, during a restore operation of one client computing device, the system can source a data block to be restored to the client computing device from another client computing device that is in primary storage.

Claims

1. A method of restoring data to a first client computing device located in a primary storage subsystem using data blocks residing in a data store associated with a second client computing device located in the primary storage subsystem, the method comprising:

maintaining in a signature repository data block signatures corresponding to data blocks that form primary data, the primary data generated by one or more applications executing on a plurality of client computing devices located within a primary storage subsystem, the primary data for each respective client computing device of the plurality of client computing devices stored in a data store associated with the respective client computing device;

receiving a set of data block signatures corresponding to data blocks in a secondary copy of data maintained in a secondary storage subsystem, the secondary copy of corresponding to a previous version of the primary data of a first client computing device of the plurality of client computing devices;

querying, using one or more processors, the signature repository to identify at least a first group of data blocks corresponding to a first group of data block signatures of the received set of data block signatures, the first group of data blocks stored in the data store associated with a second client computing device of the plurality of client computing devices;

retrieving at least some of the first group of data blocks from the data store associated with the second client computing device; and

restoring the secondary copy to the data store associated with the first client computing device using at least the data blocks retrieved from the second client computing device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the signature repository further includes, for each copy of a data block referenced by a signature in the signature repository:

an indication as to which respective client computing device of the plurality of client computing devices stores the data block; and

location information indicating where the data block is located in the data store of the respective client computing device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the signature repository further includes, for each respective signature referenced in the signature repository, an indication as to the number of copies of the data block corresponding to the respective signature that are stored in the primary storage subsystem.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein copies of at least a first data block having a corresponding signature included signature repository reside in data stores associated with multiple ones of the plurality of client computing devices, and wherein the signature repository further includes a sourcing order indicator usable to determine which of the copies of the first data block is to be used in the restore of said secondary copy.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the secondary copy is accessible using an information management system that is configured to manage the creation of the secondary copies, and wherein the primary data is accessible by the applications executing on the client computing devices without use of the information management system.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the data block signatures are generated using a hash algorithm.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first group of data blocks correspond to data generated by one or more applications executing on the second computing device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the secondary storage subsystem contains deduplicated data.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the data store of the plurality of client computing devices comprises deduplicated data.

10. A storage system for restoring data to a primary storage subsystem using data blocks residing in the primary storage subsystem, the storage system comprising:

a signature repository including one or more data block signatures corresponding to data blocks that are generated by one or more applications executing on a plurality of client computing devices and that form primary data, the primary data for each respective client computing device of the plurality of client computing devices stored in a data store associated with the respective client computing device; and

a repository agent executing on a computing device that is separate from the plurality of client computing devices, the repository agent configured to;

maintain the signature repository in one or more storage devices;

receive a set of data block signatures corresponding to data blocks in a secondary copy of data maintained in a secondary storage subsystem, the secondary copy corresponding to a previous version of the primary data of a first client computing device of the plurality of client computing devices; and

query the signature repository to identify at least a first group of data blocks corresponding to a first group of data block signatures of the received set of data block signatures, the first group of data blocks stored in the data store associated with a second client computing device of the plurality of client computing devices,

wherein the secondary copy is restored to the data store associated with the first client computing device using at least some of the first group of data blocks that are retrieved from the data store associated with the second client computing device.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the signature repository further includes, for each data copy of a data block referenced in the signature repository:

an indication as to which respective client computing device of the plurality of client computing devices stores the data block; and

location information indicating where the data block is located in the data store of the respective client computing device.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the signature repository further includes, for each respective signature referenced in the signature repository, an indication as to the number of copies of the data block corresponding to the respective signature that are stored in the primary storage subsystem.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein copies of at least a first data block having a corresponding signature included signature repository reside in data stores associated with multiple ones of the plurality of client computing devices, and wherein the signature repository further includes a sourcing order indicator usable to determine which of the copies of the first data block is to be used in the restore of said secondary copy.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the secondary copy is a secondary copy that is accessible using an information management system that is configured to manage the creation of the secondary copies, and wherein the primary data is accessible by the applications executing on the client computing devices without use of the information management system.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the data block signatures are generated using a hash algorithm.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the first group of data blocks correspond to data generated by one or more applications executing on one or more production computing devices.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the secondary storage subsystem comprises deduplicated data.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein the data stores of the plurality of client computing devices comprise deduplicated data.

19. A computer-readable, non-transitory storage medium having one or more computer-executable modules for maintaining a signature repository accessible by multiple client computing devices in a data storage system, the one or more computer-executable modules comprising:

a first module in communication with a plurality of client computing devices, the plurality of client computing devices within a primary storage subsystem and having one or more applications executing thereon that generate primary data formed of a plurality of data blocks, the primary data for each respective client computing device of the plurality of client computing devices stored in a data store associated with the respective client computing device, wherein the first module is configured to;

maintain a signature repository including data block signatures corresponding to the plurality of data blocks that form the primary data,

receive a set of data block signatures corresponding to data blocks in a secondary copy of data maintained in a secondary storage subsystem, the secondary copy corresponding to a previous version of the primary data of a first client computing device of the plurality of client computing devices; and

query the signature repository to identify at least a first group of data blocks corresponding to a first group of data block signatures of the received set of data block signatures, the first group of data blocks stored in the data store associated with a second client computing device of the plurality of client computing devices,

wherein the secondary copy is restored to the data store associated with the first client computing device using at least some of the first group of data blocks that are retrieved from the data store associated with the second client computing device.