Using recent activity information to select backup versions of storage objects for restoration

• US 7,657,582 B1
• Filed: 08/04/2005
• Issued: 02/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Veritas Technologies, LLC (Whitehouse Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Symantec Operating Corporation (NortonLifeLock Inc.)
• Inventors: Breidbach, Stephen Andrew, Greene, Brian, Cram, Paul, Orling, Anthony T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham; Hung Q
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHEUNG, HUBERT G
• Application Number:
  US11/197,694
• Time in Patent Office: 1,643 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 707/640
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1435 using file system or storage system metadata
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1451 by selection of backup contents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1453 using de-duplication of the data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1458 Management of the backup or restore process
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1469 Backup restoration techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2071 using a plurality of controllers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2079 Bidirectional techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/84 Using snapshots, i.e. a logical point-in-time copy of the data

Abstract

A system for using recent activity information to select backup versions of storage objects for restoration comprises a processor and memory coupled to the processor, where the memory stores program instructions computer-executable by the processor to implement a backup manager. The backup manager is configured to maintain one or more backup versions of a plurality of storage objects and a plurality of access history records, where each access history record is associated with a particular backup version. Each access history record includes information indicative of an access to the corresponding storage object by a user. The backup manager may be configured to select a particular backup version as a restoration candidate using at least the contents of the access history record associated with the backup version.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

one or more processors; and

memory coupled to the one or more processors, wherein the memory stores program instructions executable by the one or more processors to implement a backup manager configured to;

maintain a plurality of backup versions of each of a plurality of storage objects;

maintain a plurality of access history records, wherein each access history record is associated with a backup version from the plurality of backup versions of a corresponding storage object from the plurality of storage objects, and wherein each access history record includes information indicative of an access by a user that results in a modification to the backup version from the plurality of backup versions of the corresponding storage object from the plurality of storage objects, wherein the information indicative of the access by the user includes a modification time of the associated backup version from the plurality of backup versions;

receive a search request that specifies a particular time range of interest;

in response to receiving the search request that specifies the particular time range of interest, identify at least one access history record from the plurality of access history records, wherein the associated backup version of the identified at least one access history record having the modification time within the particular time range of interest; and

display a listing of the identified at least one access history record as restoration candidates on a user interface.

2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the search request does not include a name of the restoration candidates.

3. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein each access history record further includes an identification of the user that performed the access that resulted in the modification to the backup version from the plurality of backup versions of the corresponding storage object, and wherein the search request specifies one or more specific users, and wherein the backup manager is further configured to determine whether the identification of the user that performed the access that resulted in the modification to the backup version from the plurality of backup version for each access history record from the plurality of access history records is among the one or more specific users specified in the search request.

4. The system as recited in claim 3, wherein the backup manager is further configured to receive a restore request initiated by a particular user that identifies any one of the restoration candidates for restoration.

5. The system as recited in claim 4, wherein the backup manager is further configured to restore the identified one of the restoration candidates in response to receiving the restore request initiated by the particular user.

6. The system as recited in claim 5, wherein the particular user does not have administrative privileges, and wherein the backup manager is further configured to validate that the particular user is authorized to access the identified one of the restoration candidates.

7. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the backup manager is further configured to:

provide a search interface on the user interface to generate the search request to identify the restoration candidates, wherein the search interface includes a selection mechanism to select a particular named group of backup versions from among a plurality of named groups of backup versions, wherein a name of each named group from among the plurality of named groups of backup versions is indicative of a respective modification time period;

receive the search request via the search interface, wherein the search request identifies the particular time range of interest based on the respective modification time period selected by the user from the plurality of named groups of backup versions; and

use at least the identified particular time range of interest to select the restoration candidates for display on the listing.

8. A method, comprising:

using one or more computer systems to perform;

maintaining a plurality of backup versions of each of a plurality of storage objects;

maintaining a plurality of access history records, wherein each access history record is associated with a backup version from the plurality of backup versions of a corresponding storage object from the plurality of storage objects, and wherein each access history record includes information indicative of an access by a user that results in a modification to the backup version from the plurality of backup versions of the corresponding storage object from the plurality of storage objects, wherein the information indicative of the access by the user includes a modification time of the associated backup version from the plurality of backup versions;

receiving a search request that specifies a particular time range of interest;

in response to receiving the search request that specifies the particular time range of interest, identifying at least one access history record from the plurality of access history records where the associated backup version of the identified at least one access history having the modification time within the particular time range of interest; and

displaying a listing of the identified at least one access history record as restoration candidates on a user interface.

9. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the search request does not include a name of the restoration candidates.

10. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein each access history record further includes an identification of the user that performed the access that resulted in the modification to the backup version from the plurality of backup versions of the corresponding storage object, and wherein the search request specifies one or more specific users, and wherein the method further comprises determining whether the identification of the user that performed the access that resulted in the modification to the backup version from the plurality of backup version for each access history record from the plurality of access history records is among the one or more specific users specified in the search request.

11. The method as recited in claim 10, further comprising receiving a restore request initiated by a particular user that identifies any one of the restoration candidates for restoration.

12. The method as recited in claim 11, further comprising restoring the the identified one of the restoration candidates in response to receiving the restore request initiated by the particular user.

13. The method as recited in claim 8, further comprising:

providing a search interface on the user interface to generate the search request to identify the restoration candidates, wherein the search interface includes a selection mechanism to select a particular named group of backup versions from among a plurality of named groups of backup versions, wherein a name of each named group from among the plurality of named groups of backup versions is indicative of a respective modification time period;

receive the search request via the search interface, wherein the search request identifies the particular time range of interest based on the respective modification time period selected by the user from the plurality of named groups of backup versions; and

using at least the identified particular time range of interest to select the restoration candidates for display on the listing.

14. A computer readable storage medium storing program instructions, wherein the program instructions are executable to:

maintain a plurality of backup versions of each of a plurality of storage objects;

maintain a plurality of access history records, wherein each access history record is associated with a backup version from the plurality of backup versions of a corresponding storage object from the plurality of storage objects, and wherein each access history record includes information indicative of an access by a user that results in a modification to the backup version from the plurality of backup versions of the corresponding storage object from the plurality of storage objects, wherein the information indicative of the access by the user includes a modification time of the associated backup version from the plurality of backup versions;

receive a search request that specifies a particular time range of interest;

in response to receiving the search request that specifies the particular time range of interest, identify at least one access history record from the plurality of access history records, wherein the associated backup version of the identified at least one access history record having the modification time within the particular time range of interest; and

display a listing of the identified at least one access history record as restoration candidates on a user interface.

15. The computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 14, wherein the search request does not include a name of the restoration candidates.

16. The computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 14, wherein each access history record further includes an identification of the user that performed the access that resulted in the modification to the backup version from the plurality of backup versions of the corresponding storage object, and wherein the search request specifies one or more specific users, and wherein the program instructions are further executable to determine whether the identification of the user that performed the access that resulted in the modification to the backup version from the plurality of backup version for each access history record from the plurality of access history records is among the one or more specific users specified in the search request.

17. The computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 16, wherein the program instructions are further executable to receive a restore request initiated by a particular user that identifies any one of the restoration candidates for restoration.

18. The computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 17, wherein the program instructions are further executable to restore the identified one of the restoration candidates in response to receiving the restore request initiated by the particular user.

19. The computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 14, wherein the program instructions are further executable to:

provide a search interface on the user interface to generate the search request to identify the restoration candidates, wherein the search interface includes a selection mechanism to select a particular named group of backup versions from among a plurality of named groups of backup versions, wherein a name of each named group from among the plurality of named groups of backup versions is indicative of a respective modification time period;

receive the search request via the search interface, wherein the search request identifies the particular time range of interest based on the respective modification time period selected by the user from the plurality of named groups of backup versions; and

use at least the identified particular time range of interest to select the restoration candidates for display on the listing.