APPLICATION AWARE EXPORT TO OBJECT STORAGE OF LOW-REFERENCE DATA IN DEDUPLICATION REPOSITORIES

• US 20170277729A1
• Filed: 03/28/2016
• Published: 09/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: DAIN, Joseph W., KISHI, Gregory T., PAZ, Gil E., UGALDE AMEZCUA, Renan Jeshua
• Granted Patent: US 10,956,382 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1453 using de-duplication of the data
• 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 16/215 Improving data quality; Data cleansing, e.g. de-duplication, removing invalid entries or correcting typographical errors

Abstract

Various embodiments for managing data in a data deduplication repository in a computing storage environment, by a processor device, are provided. In one embodiment, a method comprises issuing an application programming interface (API) command to scan metadata of a subset of entities in a local deduplication repository for identifying candidate data to offload from the local deduplication repository to an object storage, offloading the candidate data to the object storage, and returning a status result using the API command.

Claims

1. A method for managing data in a data deduplication repository in a computing storage environment, by a processor device, comprising:

issuing an application programming interface (API) command to scan metadata of a subset of entities in a local deduplication repository for identifying candidate data to offload from the local deduplication repository to an object storage, offloading the candidate data to the object storage, and returning a status result using the API command.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the API command is one of integrated with an existing backup management application or performed by an end user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the candidate data is repository data developed on a candidate list and includes repository data having a reference count number below a predetermined reference count threshold, the reference count number associated with an overall system deduplication efficiency ratio.

4. The method of claim 2, further including excluding repository data from the candidate list based on at least one of a predetermined age threshold associated with an age of the repository data and repository data marked as excluded by the end user.

5. The method of claim 1, further including, when offloading the candidate data using a virtual tape library (VTL) system interface, performing:

moving a cartridge containing identified candidate data from a VTL drive slot to an import/export (I/E) slot;

migrating the identified candidate data from the cartridge to the object storage;

removing the cartridge from the I/E slot; and

communicating the status result of the migration using the API command.

6. The method of claim 1, further including, when offloading the candidate data using a file system interface, exporting a mount point that presents content of the object storage using at least one of a common internet file system (CIFS), a server message block (SMB), and a network file system (NFS) protocol.

7. The method of claim 1, further including offloading the candidate data when a repository capacity is greater than a predetermined repository capacity threshold.

8. The method of claim 1, further including maintaining a mapping of the offloaded candidate data between the local deduplication repository and the object storage by updating the local deduplication repository metadata.

9. A system for managing data in a data deduplication repository in a computing storage environment, the system comprising:

at least one processor device, wherein the at least one processor device;

issues an application programming interface (API) command to scan metadata of a subset of entities in a local deduplication repository for identifying candidate data to offload from the local deduplication repository to an object storage, offloads the candidate data to the object storage, and returns a status result using the API command.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the API command is one of integrated with an existing backup management application or performed by an end user.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the candidate data is repository data developed on a candidate list and includes repository data having a reference count number below a predetermined reference count threshold, the reference count number associated with an overall system deduplication efficiency ratio.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one processor device excludes repository data from the candidate list based on at least one of a predetermined age threshold associated with an age of the repository data and repository data marked as excluded by the end user.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the at least one processor device, when offloading the candidate data using a virtual tape library (VTL) system interface, performs:

moving a cartridge containing identified candidate data from a VTL drive slot to an import/export (I/E) slot;

migrating the identified candidate data from the cartridge to the object storage;

removing the cartridge from the I/E slot; and

communicating the status result of the migration using the API command.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the processor device, when offloading the candidate data using a file system interface, exports a mount point that presents content of the object storage using at least one of a common internet file system (CIFS), a server message block (SMB), and a network file system (NFS) protocol.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the at least one processor device offloads the candidate data when a repository capacity is greater than a predetermined repository capacity threshold.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein the at least one processor device maintains a mapping of the offloaded candidate data between the local deduplication repository and the object storage by updating the local deduplication repository metadata.

17. A computer program product for managing data in a data deduplication repository in a computing storage environment, by a processor device, the computer program product embodied on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code portions stored therein, the computer-readable program code portions comprising:

an executable portion that issues an application programming interface (API) command to scan metadata of a subset of entities in a local deduplication repository for identifying candidate data to offload from the local deduplication repository to an object storage, offloads the candidate data to the object storage, and returns a status result using the API command.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the API command is one of integrated with an existing backup management application or performed by an end user.

19. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the candidate data is repository data developed on a candidate list and includes repository data having a reference count number below a predetermined reference count threshold, the reference count number associated with an overall system deduplication efficiency ratio.

20. The computer program product of claim 18, further including an executable portion that excludes repository data from the candidate list based on at least one of a predetermined age threshold associated with an age of the repository data and repository data marked as excluded by the end user.

21. The computer program product of claim 17, further including an executable portion that, when offloading the candidate data using a virtual tape library (VTL) system interface, performs:

moving a cartridge containing identified candidate data from a VTL drive slot to an import/export (I/E) slot;

migrating the identified candidate data from the cartridge to the object storage;

removing the cartridge from the I/E slot; and

communicating the status result of the migration using the API command.

22. The computer program product of claim 17, further including an executable portion that, when offloading the candidate data using a file system interface, exports a mount point that presents content of the object storage using at least one of a common internet file system (CIFS), a server message block (SMB), and a network file system (NFS) protocol.

23. The computer program product of claim 17, further including an executable portion that offloads the candidate data when a repository capacity is greater than a predetermined repository capacity threshold.

24. The computer program product of claim 17, further including an executable portion that maintains a mapping of the offloaded candidate data between the local deduplication repository and the object storage by updating the local deduplication repository metadata.