SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR GRANULAR RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN A STORAGE NETWORK

• US 20180278689A1
• Filed: 02/15/2018
• Published: 09/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: CommVault Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: CommVault Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: KOTTOMTHARAYIL, Rajiv, GOKHALE, Parag, MULLER, Marcus S.
• Application Number:
  US15/897,939
• Publication Number:
  US 20180278689A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]

Abstract

In accordance with some aspects of the present invention, systems and methods are provided for dynamically and/or automatically selecting and/or modifying data path definitions that are used in performing storage operations on data. Alternate data paths may be specified or selected that use some or all resources that communicate with a particular destination to improve system reliability and performance. The system may also dynamically monitor and choose data path definitions to optimize system performance, conserve storage media and promote balanced load distribution.

Claims

1. (canceled)

2. A method for consolidating storage policies within a storage operation network, the method comprising:

accessing a first storage policy of a plurality of storage policies, the first storage policy comprising at least a first storage operation that transfers data from at least a first computer to a first storage device with a first storage operation path;

accessing a second storage policy of the plurality of storage policies, the second storage policy comprising at least a second storage operation that transfers data from the first client to the first storage device with a second storage operation path that is different than the first storage operation path;

automatically evaluating with one or more computer hardware processors, the first and second storage policies to determine that both the first and second storage policies use both the first and second storage operation paths to conduct data from the first client to the first storage device;

consolidating the first and second storage policies into one comprehensive storage policy, wherein the comprehensive storage policy associates at least the first and second storage operation paths to the first computer and the first storage device; and

automatically adding at least a third storage operation path to the comprehensive storage policy based on one or more network operating conditions predicted to occur, wherein the third storage operation path is an alternate data path that is different than the first and second storage operation paths.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein a first media agent transfers the data via the first storage operation path and a second media agent transfers the data via the second storage operation path.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the first computer comprises at least one sub client.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein the one or more network operating conditions comprise at least one of the group consisting of:

data transfer rate, network usage, load balancing, resource exhaustion, transmission congestion, or performance optimization.

6. The method of claim 2 wherein automatically evaluating the first and second storage policies is based at least in part whether the first and second storage policies share a common element.

7. The method of claim 2 wherein information about the first and second storage operation paths is obtained from an index cache.

8. The method of claim 2 wherein information about the first and second storage operation paths is obtained from a metabase.

9. The method of claim 2 wherein automatically evaluating the first and second storage policies is based at least in part on one of the group consisting of:

origination point, destination point, transmission resources scheduled to be involved, and a process-based netlist.

10. The method of claim 2 wherein automatically evaluating the first and second storage policies is based at least in part on which storage operation paths are likely to experience an adverse impact due to changing conditions.

11. The method of claim 2 wherein dynamically adding the third storage operation path is based at least in part on preventing a failover condition.

12. A storage operation system comprising:

a plurality of storage devices;

a plurality of storage policies, wherein a first storage policy comprises at least a first storage operation that transfers data from at least a first computer to a first storage device with a first storage operation path, and wherein a second storage policy comprises a second storage operation that transfers data from the first computer to the first storage device with a second storage operation path that is different than the first storage operation path; and

a storage management component executing in one or more computer hardware processors, the storage manager configured to;

automatically evaluate the first and second storage policies to determine that both the first and second storage policies use both the first and second storage operation paths to conduct data from the first client to the first storage device;

consolidate the first and second storage policies into one comprehensive storage policy, wherein the comprehensive storage policy associates at least the first and second storage paths to the first computer and the first storage device; and

automatically add at least a third storage operation path to the comprehensive storage policy based on one or more network operating conditions predicted to occur, wherein the third data path is an alternate data path that is different than the first and second storage operation paths.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the storage management component is configured to direct a first media agent to transfer the data via the first storage operation path and a second media agent to transfer the data via the second storage operation path.

14. The system of claim 12 wherein the first computer comprises at least one sub client.

15. The system of claim 12 wherein the one or more network operating conditions comprise at least one of the group consisting of:

data transfer rate, network usage, load balancing, resource exhaustion, transmission congestion, or performance optimization.

16. The system of claim 12 wherein the storage management component is configured to automatically evaluate the first and second storage policies based at least in part on whether the first and second storage policies share a common element.

17. The system of claim 12 wherein the storage management component is configured to obtain information about the first and second storage operation paths from an index cache.

18. The system of claim 12 wherein the management component is configured to obtain information about the first and second storage operation paths from a metabase.

19. The system of claim 12 wherein the storage management component is configured to automatically evaluate the first and second storage policies based at least in part one of the group consisting of:

origination point, destination point, transmission resources scheduled to be involved, and a process-based netlist.

20. The system of claim 12 wherein the management component is configured to automatically evaluate the first and second storage policies based at least in part on which storage operation paths are likely to experience an adverse impact due to changing conditions.

21. The system of claim 12 wherein the storage management component is configured to dynamically add the third storage operation path based at least in part on preventing a failover condition.