Intra-data license for using data

• US 7,673,346 B1
• Filed: 06/22/2005
• Issued: 03/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Veritas Technologies, LLC (Whitehouse Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Symantec Corporation (NortonLifeLock Inc.)
• Inventors: Marsh, Russell, Whatcott, Roland D.
• Primary Examiner(s): CERVETTI, DAVID GARCIA
• Application Number:
  US11/158,807
• Time in Patent Office: 1,714 Days
• Field of Search: 726/1, 726/27, 726/28, 705/58, 705/59, 705/61
• US Class Current: 726/27
• 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 21/1082 Backup or restore
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6209 to a single file or object, e.g. in a secure envelope, encrypted and accessed using a key, or with access control rules appended to the object itself
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2541 Rights Management protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10; security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8355 involving usage data, e.g. number of copies or viewings allowed
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/83555 using a structured language for describing usage rules of the content, e.g. REL

Abstract

Mechanisms for enforcing permissions on stored data. Prior to storing the data, a data structure containing the data is accessed, and then modified to include a license that represents permission(s) for how the data should be used when the data structure is later accessed. The modified data structure is then stored, after perhaps some optional transformation. When the data structure is later accessed, the license is acquired from the data structure. The license is then used to determine whether or not to honor specific requests to use the data. This determination may be made based on license validation instructions executed from a removable media. Furthermore, the license may be the exclusive determining factor for the license validation instructions in determining whether or not to honor specific requests.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for enforcing permissions on stored data, the method comprising:

an act of storing a backup of a volume;

adding a license to the backup wherein the license represents one or more permissions for how the data should be used when the backup is later accessed;

an act of accessing the backup;

an act of accessing the license from within the backup;

an act of accessing a request to restore the data represented in the backup; and

an act of evaluating the license to determine whether the request to restore the data is permitted under the license, wherein the result of the evaluation depends exclusively on information within the license.

2. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the act of storing the backup comprises an act of storing the backup with the license.

3. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein adding the license to the backup comprises:

before the act of storing the backup, an act of accessing the backup without the license; and

an act of modifying the backup to include the license.

4. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the act of storing the backup comprises an act of providing the backup over a network to remote storage.

5. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the act of storing the backup comprises an act of providing the backup to a local storage device.

6. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the act of storing the backup and the act of accessing the backup are performed by different client machines.

7. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the request to restore the data comprises a request to restore the data to a client machine that performs the act of accessing the license from within the backup.

8. A method in accordance with claim 7, wherein the one or more permissions represented by the license are for restore options.

9. A method in accordance with claim 8, wherein the restore options comprise at least one of the following:

an option to restore to a client machine having a particular hardware configuration;

an option to restore to a client machine regardless of its hardware configuration;

an option to perform remote recovery; and

an option to restore to multiple client machines.

10. A method in accordance with claim 9, wherein the act of evaluating the license to determine whether the request to restore the data is permitted under the license comprises an act of executing computer-executable instructions from a removable storage media, wherein the act of evaluating is performed as a result of the act of executing the computer-executable instructions.

11. A computer program product comprising one or more computer-readable media having thereon computer-executable instructions that, when performed by one or more processors of a computing system, cause the computing system to perform a method for enforcing permissions on stored data, the method comprising:

an act of storing a backup of a volume;

adding a license to the backup wherein the license represents one or more permissions for how the data should be used when the backup is later accessed;

an act of accessing the backup;

an act of accessing the license from within the backup;

an act of accessing a request to restore the data represented in the backup; and

an act of evaluating the license to determine whether the request to restore the data is permitted under the license.

12. A computer program product in accordance with claim 11, wherein the one or more permissions represented by the license are for restore options.

13. A computer program product in accordance with claim 12, wherein the restore options comprise at least one of the following:

an option to restore to a client machine having a particular hardware configuration;

an option to restore to a client machine regardless of its hardware configuration; and

an option to restore to multiple client machines.