DATA STORAGE SYSTEM UTILIZING PROXY DEVICE FOR STORAGE OPERATIONS

• US 20140108351A1
• Filed: 12/19/2013
• Published: 04/17/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CommVault Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: CommVault Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Vijayan, Manoj Kumar, Nallathambi, Vimal Kumar
• Granted Patent: US 9,471,578 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/639
• 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 11/1464 for networked environments
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/128 Details of file system snapshots on the file-level, e.g. snapshot creation, administration, deletion use of snapshots for error detection or correction G06F11/14, G06F11/16
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/13 File access structures, e.g. distributed indices arrangements of input from, or output to, record carriers G06F3/06
• 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 16/22 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/44 Program or device authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/84 Using snapshots, i.e. a logical point-in-time copy of the data

Abstract

A data storage environment can include a secondary storage computing device that acts as a proxy for other secondary storage computing devices. For example, the secondary storage computing device receives a storage operation request from one or more of the other secondary storage computing devices, such as a request to create a snapshot of client data. The secondary storage computing device generally acts as an intermediary between the other secondary storage computing devices and the storage device to carry out the snapshots or other storage operations. The secondary storage computing device may further receive a notification upon completion of the storage operations, and transmit relevant data to the requesting secondary storage computing device regarding the storage operation.

Claims

1. A method for performing a storage operation using a proxy secondary storage computing device, the method comprising:

receiving at a first computing device a first request to perform a first snapshot operation, the first snapshot operation to be performed on a first data set associated with one or more software applications executing on a second computing device,

receiving at the first computing device a second request to perform a second snapshot operation, the second snapshot operation to be performed on a second data set associated with one or more software applications executing on a third computing device;

wherein the first, second, and third computing devices form part of a networked storage system comprising at least one storage device that is capable of performing snapshot operations;

forwarding, using the first computing device, the first request to the storage device, wherein the storage device performs the first snapshot operation on the first data set in response to receipt of the first request;

forwarding, using the first computing device, the second request to the storage device, wherein the storage device performs the second snapshot operation on the second data set in response to receipt of the second request;

receiving, at the first computing device, a first identifier associated with the snapshot operation;

receiving, at the first computing device, a second identifier associated with the second snapshot operation;

forwarding the first identifier to the second computing device; and

forwarding the second identifier to the third computing device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second computing device communicates directly with the storage device for a first set of one or more types of storage operations and communicates with the storage device via the first secondary storage device for a second set of one or more types of storage operations.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first set includes data read operations and the second set includes one or more snapshot operations.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second and third computing devices are not in direct communication with the storage device and are only in indirect communication with the storage device via the first computing device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the second and third computing devices do not have direct access to the storage device and only indirectly access the storage device via the first computing device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first computing device authenticates with the storage device prior to forwarding the first and second snapshot operation requests to the storage device.

7. A data storage system, comprising:

a storage device configured to perform snapshot operations;

a first computing device in communication with a second computing device, a third computing device, and the storage device, wherein the first computing device is configured to;

receive a first request to perform a first snapshot operation, the first snapshot operation to be performed on a first data set associated with one or more software applications executing on the second computing device,

receive a second request to perform a second snapshot operation, the second snapshot operation to be performed on a second data set associated with one or more software applications executing on the third computing device,

forward the first request to the storage device, wherein the storage device performs the first snapshot operation on the first data set in response to receipt of the first request,

forward the second request to the storage device, wherein the storage device performs the second snapshot operation on the second data set in response to receipt of the second request,

receive a first identifier associated with the first snapshot operation;

receive a second identifier associated with the second snapshot operation,

forward the first identifier to the second computing device, and

forward the second identifier to the third computing device.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the second computing device is configured to communicate directly with the storage device for a first set of one or more storage operations and communicate with the storage device via the first computing device for a second set of one or more storage operations.

9. The method of claim 10, wherein the first set includes reading data from the storage device and the second set includes one or more snapshot operations.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the second and third computing devices are not in direct communication with the storage device and are only in indirect communication with the storage device via the first computing device.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the second computing device does not have direct access to the storage device and only indirectly accesses the storage device via the first computing device.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the first computing device is further configured to receive snapshot operation requests from a plurality of other computing devices and forward the snapshot operation requests to the storage device.

13. The system of claim 7, wherein the first computing device authenticates with the storage device prior to forwarding the snapshot operation requests.