ASSET BROWSING AND RESTORATION OVER A NETWORK USING ON DEMAND STAGING

• US 20160259691A1
• Filed: 11/01/2013
• Published: 09/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Longsand Limited (Open Text Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Longsand Limited (Open Text Corporation)
• Inventors: Boucher, Mike, Ficara, Joseph S
• Granted Patent: US 10,474,535 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1451 by selection of backup contents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5072 Grid computing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46

Abstract

Example embodiments relate to asset browsing and restoration over a network using on demand staging. A method may include accessing, by a storage access system, a first portion of a compound asset in a storage system and restoring it as a staged asset in a staging area of the storage access system. The accessing and restoring of the first portion may be performed on demand in response to an indication from a client device to browse a portion of the compound asset. The method may further include accessing the internal structure of the staged asset to generate an asset directory. The asset directory may indicate discrete items within the compound asset. The method may further include providing the asset directory to the client device over a network, and receiving an indication from the client device of at least one of the discrete items to restore to the client device.

Claims

1. A method executed in a storage access system for browsing and restoring assets of a storage system, the method comprising:

accessing a first portion of a compound asset in a storage system and restoring it as a staged asset in a staging area of the storage access system, wherein the accessing and restoring of the first portion is performed on demand in response to an indication from a client device to browse a portion of the compound asset;

accessing the internal structure of the staged asset to generate an asset directory, wherein the asset directory indicates discrete items within the compound asset;

providing the asset directory to the client device over a network; and

receiving an indication from the client device of at least one of the discrete items to restore to the client device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the staged asset includes data sufficient to respond to the indication from the client device of the at least one of the discrete items to restore, the method further comprising:

accessing the internal structure of the staged asset to generate at least one restored item based on the indication from the client device of the at least one of the discrete items to restore; and

providing the at least one restored item to the client device over the network without providing all the data of the compound asset to the client device over the network.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

accessing a second portion of the compound asset in the storage system and restoring it as a part of the staged asset in the staging area, wherein the accessing and restoring of the second portion is performed on demand in response to the indication from the client device of the at least one of the discrete items to restore;

accessing the internal structure of the staged asset to generate at least one restored item; and

providing the at least one restored item to the client device over the network without providing all the data of the compound asset to the client device over the network.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising removing or deleting the staged asset from the storage access system.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the removing or deleting of the staged asset is based on a defined timeout period.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein restoring the first portion as the staged asset in the staging area includes saving the first portion of the compound asset to an asset stub in the staging area.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein restoring the staged asset in the staging area includes configuring multiple component pieces of data of the compound asset such that the staged asset is a contiguous, sequential chain of data.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the multiple component pieces of data of the compound asset are stored in the storage system across more than one storage device of the storage system or in a non-contiguous manner.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the accessing the internal structure of the staged asset to generate an asset directory is performed using an application programming interface (API).

10. A storage access system for asset browsing and restoration, the storage access system comprising:

an asset finder to retrieve a first portion of a compound asset from the storage system on demand in response to an indication from a client device to browse a portion of the compound asset; and

to retrieve a second portion of the compound asset from the storage system on demand in response to an indication from a client device of at least one discrete item of the compound asset to restore;

an asset stager to save the first portion as a staged asset that is a contiguous, sequential chain of data; and

to save the second portion as part of the staged asset;

a directory creator to access the internal structure of the staged asset to generate an asset directory, wherein the asset directory indicates discrete items within the compound asset including the at least one indicated discrete item; and

an item server to access the internal structure of the staged asset to generate at least one restored item.

11. The storage access system of claim 10, where the directory creator causes the asset directory to be sent to the client device over a network, and wherein the item server causes the at least one restored item to be sent to the client device over the network without sending all the data of the compound asset to the client device over the network.

12. A machine-readable storage medium encoded with instructions executable by a processor of a storage access system for asset browsing and restoration, the machine-readable storage medium comprising:

instructions to access a portion of a compound asset in a storage system and restore it as part of a staged asset in a staging area of the storage access system, wherein the access and restoration is performed on demand in response to an indication from a client device of at least one discrete item of the compound asset to restore;

instructions to access the internal structure of the staged asset to generate at least one restored item related to the indicated at least one discrete item; and

instructions to provide the at least one restored item to the client device over a network without providing all the data of the compound asset to the client device over the network.

13. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 12, further comprising instructions to determine the portion of the compound asset to access in the storage system by monitoring low level file system requests to the staging area, wherein the low level file system requests are attempted in response to the indication from the client device of the at least one discrete item of the compound asset to restore.

14. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 12, further comprising:

instructions to access a directory portion of the compound asset in a storage system and restore it as part of the staged asset in a staging area, wherein the access and restoration of the directory portion is performed on demand in response to an indication from the client device to browse a portion of the compound asset;

instructions to access the internal structure of the staged asset to generate an asset directory, wherein the asset directory indicates discrete items within the compound asset; and

instructions to provide the asset directory to the client device over a network.

15. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 14, further comprising instructions to create an asset stub in the staging area, wherein the asset stub has a file type that is the same as the at least one restored item, wherein restoring the directory portion of the compound asset to the staging area includes saving the directory portion starting at the asset stub.