System and method for dynamically performing storage operations in a computer network

• US 7,246,207 B2
• Filed: 04/05/2004
• Issued: 07/17/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CommVault Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: CommVault Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Gokhale, Parag, Ngo, David, Vijayan Retnamma, Manoj Kumar, Prahlad, Anand, Kottomtharayil, Rajiv, Devassy, Varghese
• Primary Examiner(s): Elmore; Stephen C.
• Application Number:
  US10/818,749
• Publication Number:
  US 20050044114A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,198 Days
• Field of Search: 711/154, 711/4, 711/100, 711/111, 711/112, 707/204
• US Class Current: 711/154
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1448 Management of the data involved in backup or backup restore
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1464 for networked environments
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1469 Backup restoration techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2228 Indexing structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0617 in relation to availability
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0619 in relation to data integrity, e.g. data losses, bit errors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0635 by changing the path, e.g. traffic rerouting, path reconfiguration
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/065 Replication mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0655 Vertical data movement, i.e. input-output transfer; data movement between one or more hosts and one or more storage devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0689 Disk arrays, e.g. RAID, JBOD
• 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]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99955 Archiving or backup

Abstract

Methods and systems are described for performing storage operations on electronic data in a network. In response to the initiation of a storage operation and according to a first set of selection logic, a media management component is selected to manage the storage operation. In response to the initiation of a storage operation and according to a second set of selection logic, a network storage device to associate with the storage operation. The selected media management component and the selected network storage device perform the storage operation on the electronic data.

Claims

1. A method for performing a storage operation on data in a network, the method comprising:

selecting, in response to an initiation of a storage operation and according to a first selection logic, one of a plurality of media agent modules to manage the storage operation, each of the plurality of media agent modules being configured to communicate with a plurality of network storage devices and a plurality of client devices;

selecting, in response to the initiation of the storage operation and according to a second selection logic, at least one of the plurality of network storage devices to associate with the storage operation; and

using the selected media agent module and the selected at least one network storage device to perform the storage operation on data of at least one of the plurality of client devices.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting in response to the initiation of the storage operation comprises selecting in response to a backup storage operation.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting in response to the initiation of the storage operation comprises selecting in response to an archive storage operation.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting in response to the initiation of the storage operation comprises selecting in response to a restore storage operation.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting in response to the initiation of the storage operation comprises selecting in response to an auxiliary copy storage operation.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting according to a first selection logic comprises selecting according to a user preference.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting according to a first selection logic comprises selecting according to a storage policy.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting according to a first selection logic comprises selecting according to availability of a network component.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting according to a first selection logic comprises selecting according to a load of one or more network components.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting according to a first selection logic comprises selecting according to availability of a network path.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting according to a first selection logic comprises selecting according to ability to perform a LAN-free storage operation.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting according to a first selection logic comprises selecting according to ability to perform an auxiliary copy storage operation.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting according to a second selection logic comprises selecting according to a user preference.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting according to a second selection logic comprises selecting according to a storage policy.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting according to a second selection logic comprises selecting according to availability of a network component.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting according to a second selection logic comprises selecting according to a load of one or more network components.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting according to a second selection logic comprises selecting according to availability of a network path.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting according to a second selection logic comprises selecting according to ability to perform a LAN-free storage operation.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting according to a second selection logic comprises selecting according to ability to perform an auxiliary copy storage operation.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting at least one of the plurality of network storage devices comprises selecting a storage device from the group consisting of:

a tape media storage device, a magnetic media storage device, and an optical media storage device.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein performing the storage operation is performed according to one or more storage preferences.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein performing the storage operation according to one or more storage preferences comprises performing the storage operation according to a storage policy.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein performing the storage operation according to one or more storage preferences comprises performing the storage operation according to one or more user preferences.

24. A system for performing storage operations on electronic data in a computer network, the system comprising:

a plurality of media agent modules, each of the plurality of media agent modules being in communication with

a plurality of network storage devices and a plurality of client devices; and

a storage manager component programmed to;

select, in response to the initiation of a storage operation and according to a first selection logic, one of the plurality of media agent modules to manage the storage operation; and

select, in response to the initiation of a storage operation and according to a second selection logic, at least one of the plurality of network storage devices to associate with the storage operation.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the storage operation comprises a backup storage operation.

26. The system of claim 24, wherein the storage operation comprises an archive storage operation.

27. The system of claim 24, wherein the storage operation comprises a restore storage operation.

28. The system of claim 24, wherein the storage operation comprises an auxiliary copy storage operation.

29. The system of claim 24, wherein the first selection logic comprises a user preference.

30. The system of claim 24, wherein the first selection logic comprises a storage policy.

31. The system of claim 24, wherein the first selection logic comprises availability of a network component.

32. The system of claim 24, wherein the first selection logic comprises a load of one or more network components.

33. The system of claim 24, wherein the first selection logic comprises availability of a network path.

34. The system of claim 24, wherein the first selection logic comprises ability to perform a LAN-free storage operation.

35. The system of claim 24, wherein the first selection logic comprises ability to perform an auxiliary copy storage operation.

36. The system of claim 24, wherein the second selection logic comprises a user preference.

37. The system of claim 24, wherein the second selection logic comprises a storage policy.

38. The system of claim 24, wherein the second selection logic comprises availability of a network component.

39. The system of claim 24, wherein the second selection logic comprises a load of one or more network components.

40. The system of claim 24, wherein the second selection logic comprises availability of a network path.

41. The system of claim 24, wherein the second selection logic comprises ability to perform a LAN-free storage operation.

42. The system of claim 24, wherein the second selection logic comprises ability to perform an auxiliary copy storage operation.

43. The system of claim 24, wherein the plurality of network storage devices comprises a storage device from the group consisting of:

a tape media storage device, a magnetic media storage device, and an optical media storage device.

44. The system of claim 24, wherein the storage operation is performed according to one or more storage preferences.

45. The system of claim 44, wherein the one or more storage preferences comprises a storage policy.

46. The system of claim 44, wherein the one or more storage preferences comprises one or more user preferences.