DATA RECOVERY USING A CLOUD-BASED REMOTE DATA RECOVERY CENTER

• US 20140189432A1
• Filed: 03/06/2013
• Published: 07/03/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CommVault Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: CommVault Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Gokhale, Parag, Kripalani, Sanjay Harakhchand
• Granted Patent: US 10,346,259 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/41
• 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 11/1469 Backup restoration techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/26 Functional testing

Abstract

A Remote Metadata Center provides Distaster Recovery (DR) testing and metadata backup services to multiple business organizations. Metadata associated with local data backups performed at business organizations is transmitted to the Remote Metadata Center. Corresponding backup data is stored in a data storage system that is either stored locally at the business organization or at a data storage facility that is at a different location than the Remote Metadata Center and the business organization. DR testing can be staged from the Remote Data Center using the metadata received and optionally with assistance from an operator at the business organization and/or the data storage facility.

Claims

1. A computer program product comprising a computer-readable media having code stored thereon, the code when executed by a processor, causing the processor to assist in providing a cloud-based backup storage service to a computer network at a production data facility, the method comprising:

configuring, at the cloud-based backup storage facility, a cloud storage manager to communicatively couple to a local storage manager,

wherein the computer network includes the local storage manager but not the cloud storage manager;

wherein the local storage manager is configured to control a backup operation of data in the computer network and communicate storage metadata generated during the backup operation to the cloud storage manager;

receiving, without receiving actual data backed up during the backup operation, the storage metadata at the cloud storage manager;

processing the storage metadata to generate usage information; and

storing the storage metadata at a cloud metadata storage system.

2. The computer program product recited in claim 1, wherein the cloud storage manager and the computer network are in different communication sub-networks.

3. The computer program product recited in claim 1, wherein the cloud storage manager is on a different side of a firewall from the computer network, and wherein the computer network is a private network.

4. The computer program product recited in claim 1, wherein the processing the storage metadata to generate usage information includes:

checking whether the storage metadata complies with a service level agreement with the production facility, and when the storage metadata exceed the service level agreement, then generating an alert message; and

communicating the alert message to an operations support system that is configured to generate billing information based on the alert message.

5. The computer program product of claim 1 further comprising:

checking whether the storage metadata complies with a service level agreement with the production facility, and when the storage metadata exceed the service level agreement, then generating an alert message.

6. The computer program product of claim 1 further comprising:

providing graphical user interface (GUI) features at the local storage manager, the GUI features indicative of whether the local storage manager is operating in a local mode in which the local storage manager can control data storage and recover operations, and a remote mode in which the local storage manager is able to view, but not control, data storage and recovery operations.

7. The computer program product of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a data recovery test request from a local operator console in the computer network at the production facility;

retrieving, in response to the data recovery test request, metadata previously stored in the cloud metadata storage system; and

staging data recovery testing using the retrieved metadata.

8. The computer program product of claim 7 wherein the staging is performed under control of the cloud storage manager.

9. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the staging is performed under control of the local storage manager at the production facility.

10. The computer program product of claim 1, further comprising:

providing, at the cloud-based backup storage facility, another cloud storage manager that is communicatively coupled to another gateway server, the cloud storage manager being configured to provide metadata storage services to another production facility.

11. The computer program product of claim 1, further including:

providing rule-based isolation between metadata from the production facility and metadata from the another production facility.

12. A system for performing disaster recovery (DR) testing on backup data in a local computer network, comprising:

at least one processor;

memory coupled to the processor;

means for performing backup operations to copy production data from multiple computers communicatively coupled to the local computer network;

means for transmitting metadata generated during the backup operations, without transmitting the copied production data, to a remote metadata storage center;

means for receiving an operator command at a local administration server at the local computer network, to perform DR testing on the copied production data; and

means for sending a DR testing request to the remote metadata storage center;

means for permitting or passing control to the remote metadata storage center to perform the DR testing.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

means for operating a graphical user interface at the local administration server in a local mode in which the GUI displays status updates from the remote metadata storage center and disables command; and

means for providing assistance, during the DR testing, to the DR testing based on requests received from the remote metadata storage center.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising:

means for receiving service alert messages from the remote metadata storage center, wherein the service alert messages indicate that a service level agreement has been exceeded; and

means for providing the service alert messages on the GUI.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the providing assistance includes:

means for receiving data file restoration requests from the remote metadata storage center;

means for verifying availability of the requested data files via the copied production data, wherein the copied production data is stored on data storage coupled to the local computer network; and

means for communicating a result of the verification to the remote metadata storage center.

16. A method of performing disaster recovery (DR) testing on backup data in a first computer network, comprising:

performing a periodic, scheduled or on-demand backup operation to copy production data from a plurality of computers communicatively coupled to the first computer network;

transmitting metadata generated during the backup operation, without transmitting the copied production data, to a geographically remote metadata storage center, wherein the transmission is performed over a second network;

receiving an operator command at a remote administration server at the remote data center, to perform DR testing on the copied production data; and

executing the DR testing via the remote administration server, using the metadata, without control from a computer coupled to the local computer network.

17. A method of managing metadata for a first customer having a first production data site and a first data storage facility and a second customer, different from the first customer, having a second production data site and a second data storage facility, the method comprising:

receiving first metadata from the first customer, the first metadata being generated as a result of a first data backup operation in which a first backup data is stored at the first data storage facility;

generating, based on the received first metadata, a first data structure comprising first metadata restoration information;

receiving second metadata from the second customer, the second metadata being generated as a result of a second data backup operation in which a second backup data is stored at the second data storage facility;

wherein the first and second customers are two distinct corporate entities;

generating, based on the received second metadata, a second data structure comprising second metadata restoration information;

storing the first metadata and the second metadata in their respective secure data locations;

receiving a data recovery request from the first customer;

retrieving the first metadata using the first data structure; and

making available the retrieved first metadata to the first customer.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the first data storage facility and the second data storage facility are remotely located from each other.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the secure data location for the first metadata is available using a username/password based authentication scheme and wherein the secure data location for the second metadata is available using a digital certificate based authentication scheme.