Policy-based data protection

• US 7,509,468 B1
• Filed: 02/02/2006
• Issued: 03/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Veritas Technologies, LLC (Whitehouse Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Symantec Operating Corporation (NortonLifeLock Inc.)
• Inventors: Pendharkar, Niranjan S., Dalal, Chirag Deepak, Bezbaruah, Angshuman
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, THAN VINH
• Application Number:
  US11/346,108
• Time in Patent Office: 1,146 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 711/163
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1458 Management of the backup or restore process
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2094 Redundant storage or storage space G06F11/2056 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2097 maintaining the standby controller/processing unit updated initialisation or re-synchronisation thereof G06F11/1658 and subgroups
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/562 Static detection

Abstract

A method, system, computer system, and computer-readable medium to trigger protection of a set of data based upon the type or class of the data in the set and/or an amount of data that has changed since some prior point in time. Types of protection that can be triggered include full backup, incremental backup, switching to a different type of continuous replication, intermittent replication, and virus detection. Using the type of the data as a basis for triggering protection enables the operational significance of different sets of data to be taken into account when allocating protection resources. Data sets may be pre-classified, or an automated determination of the type of a data set may be determined by variables measured at run-time. The amount of the changed data in a set that triggers protection may vary in accordance with the type of the set of data.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining a first amount of data that has changed in a first set of data since a first point in time;

determining a second amount of data that has changed in a second set of data since a second point in time;

comparing the first amount of data to a first predetermined amount of data;

comparing the second amount of data to a second predetermined amount of data, wherein

the first predetermined amount of data does not equal the second predetermined amount of data; and

selecting one of a plurality of protection mechanisms for protecting the first set of data using a type of data in the first set of data and the first amount of data that has changed in the first set of data, if the comparing the first amount of data to the first predetermined amount of data indicates that the selecting should be performed.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining whether protection of the first set of data is needed using a type of data in the first set of data and the first amount of data that has changed.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein

the first amount of data that has changed is determined by multiplying a number of data blocks that contain changed data of the first set of data by sizes of the data blocks, respectively.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein

the first amount of data that has changed is determined as a percentage of bytes that contain a type of data in the first set of data.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein

the first amount of data that has changed is calculated as a percentage of total storage available to store the first set of data.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein

the plurality of protection mechanisms comprises:

making a copy of a first portion of the first set of data;

replicating a second portion of the first set of data from a first node to a second node;

disinfecting the first set of data if the first set of data is infected by a virus.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein

the first amount of data that has changed comprises a percentage of the first set of data that has changed since the first point in time.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein

a type of data in the first set of data is determined by a type of storage on which the first set of data is stored.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein

a type of data in the first set of data is specified by a user.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the first amount of data that has changed has reached a threshold of a capacity of available storage for storing a copy of the first set of data.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

if the first amount of data has reached the threshold, identifying a portion of the first set of first data to protect, wherein

the protection of the first set of data comprises protection of the portion of the first set of data.

12. A computer system comprising:

a processor configured to execute instructions; and

a memory coupled to the processor, wherein

the memory comprises the instructions, and

the instructions implement a method comprising

determining a first amount of data that has changed in a first set of data since a first point in time,

determining a second amount of data that has changed in a second set of data since a second point in time,

comparing the first amount of data to a first predetermined amount of data,

comparing the second amount of data to a second predetermined amount of data, wherein

the first predetermined amount of data does not equal the second predetermined amount of data, and

selecting one of a plurality of protection mechanisms for protecting the first set of data using a type of data in the first set of data and the first amount of data that has changed in the first set of data, if the comparing the first amount of data to the first predetermined amount of data indicates that the selecting should be performed.

13. A system comprising:

first determining means for determining a first amount of data that has changed in a first set of data since a first point in time;

second determining means for determining a second amount of data that has changed in a second set of data since a second point in time;

first comparing means for comparing the first amount of data to a first predetermined amount of data;

second comparing means for comparing the second amount of data to a second predetermined amount of data, wherein

the first predetermined amount of data does not equal the second predetermined amount of data; and

selecting means for selecting one of a plurality of protection mechanisms for protecting the first set of data using a type of data in the first set of data and the first amount of data that has changed in the first set of data, if the first comparing means indicates that the selecting means should select one of the plurality of protection mechanisms.

14. The system of claim 13 further comprising:

third determining means for determining whether protection of the first set of data is needed using a type of data in the first set of data and the first amount of data that has changed.

15. A computer-readable medium comprising:

instructions executable on a computer system, the instructions comprising

first determining instructions to determine a first amount of data that has changed in a first set of data since a first point in time,

second determining instructions to determine a second amount of data that has changed in a second set of data since a second point in time,

first comparing instructions to compare the first amount of data to a first predetermined amount of data,

second comparing instructions to compare the second amount of data to a second predetermined amount of data, wherein

the first predetermined amount of data does not equal the second predetermined amount of data, and

selecting instructions to select one of a plurality of protection mechanisms for protecting the first set of data using a type of data in the first set of data and the first amount of data that has changed in the first set of data, if the first comparing instructions indicate that the selecting instructions should be executed; and

computer readable storage media, wherein the instructions are encoded in the computer readable storage media.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15 wherein the instructions further comprise:

third determining instructions to determine whether protection of the first set of data is needed using a type of data in the first set of data and the first amount of data that has changed.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein

the plurality of protection mechanisms comprises:

making a copy of a first portion of the first set of data;

replicating a second portion of the first set of data from a first node to a second node;

disinfecting the first set of data if the first set of data is infected by a virus.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions further comprise:

determining instructions to determine whether the first amount of data that has changed has reached a threshold of a capacity of available storage for storing a copy of the first set of data.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions further comprise:

identifying instructions to identify a portion of the first set of first data to protect if the first amount of data has reached the threshold, wherein

the protection of the first set of data comprises protection of the portion of the first set of data.