Self-disentangling data storage technique

• US 7,761,449 B2
• Filed: 08/09/2001
• Issued: 07/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Wilkes, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Breene; John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ly; Anh
• Application Number:
  US09/927,163
• Publication Number:
  US 20030033051A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,267 Days
• Field of Search: 707 1- 3, 707200-205, 707/10, 707/736, 707/758, 707/657, 717/161, 717/173, 717/184, 717/216, 717/114, 717/162, 717/165, 717/203, 365/49, 714/114, 714/162, 709/217, 709/328
• US Class Current: 707/736
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2003/0697 device management, e.g. handlers, drivers, I/O schedulers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0601 Interfaces specially adapted for storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0619 in relation to data integrity, e.g. data losses, bit errors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0638 Organizing or formatting or addressing of data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0661 Format or protocol conversion arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0674 Disk device

Abstract

A self-disentangling data storage technique. Machine-readable data is stored by a data storage media, such as a magnetic tape or floppy drive. A software program for interpreting the data and requests for access to the data is also stored on the data storage media. The program allows the data to be retrieved using multiple different request types and interpreted in accordance with multiple different data formats. The invention overcomes disadvantages of prior storage techniques since the data can be completely or partially reconstructed, as needed. Further, the invention isolates the data storage format from the application used to generate the data so as to minimize problems caused by outdated data storage formats.

Claims

1. A method of retrieving data from a data storage media comprising:

loading a program from the data storage medium into a computer system, the program including at least a first routine for responding to a first request type for access to data stored on the data storage medium and a second routine for responding to a second request type for access to the same data stored on the data storage medium, the data being stored in accordance with an archival format;

receiving a request for access to data stored on the data storage medium;

determining whether the request is of the first type or the second type;

calling the first routine for accessing the data when the request is of the first type and calling the second routine for accessing the data when the request is of the second type; and

presenting the requested data, wherein the requested data is presented by the second routine in the archival format, and the requested data is presented by the first routine in a file system format.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first routine implements a first set of operations and the second routine implements a second set of operations.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the first set of operations includes file system operations.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the second set of operations includes standardized archival operations.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the second set of operations includes operations selected from CPIO and TAR.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first request type includes a request for one or more files from a file system.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the second request type includes a request for one or more logical volumes.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein the second request type includes a request for an image copy of the data.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein said presenting includes reformatting, by the first routine, the requested data from the archival format to the file system format.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first request type is by a first target system type and the second request type is by a second target system type.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein said presenting the requested data includes formatting the data in accordance with the target system type.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the program includes information about the data.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the information about the data includes a file system directory.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein the data storage medium is removable.

15. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the first routine reformatting the requested data from the archival format to the file system format.

16. An article of manufacture comprising a computer usable medium having data stored thereon and having computer readable program code stored thereon, the computer readable program code executable by a computer and including a first routine for accessing the data in response to a first type of request for access to the data in an archival format and a second routine for accessing the data in response to a second type of request for access to the data in a file system format, wherein the data stored on the computer usable medium is in the archival format, and wherein the second routine is configured to reformat accessed data in the archival format to the file system format.

17. The article according to claim 16, wherein said second routine supports accessing the data as a logical volume.

18. The article according to claim 16, wherein said first routine supports accessing the data as an image copy.

19. The article according to claim 16, wherein the second routine supports accessing the data as at least one specified file of a file system.

20. The article according to claim 16, wherein the program code includes information about the data stored on the computer usable medium.

21. The article according to claim 20, wherein the information about the data includes a file system directory.

22. The article of manufacture according to claim 16, wherein the computer usable medium is removable.

23. An article of manufacture comprising a computer usable medium having data stored thereon and having computer readable program code stored thereon, the computer readable program code executable by a computer and including a first routine for accessing the data in response to a request from a first target system type and a second routine for accessing the data in response to a request from a second target system type, wherein the request from the first target system type is a request for archival backup data in archival format, and wherein the request from the second target system type is a request for a file of a file system, and wherein the data stored on the computer usable medium is in the archival format.

24. The article according to claim 23, wherein said program code is executable to present the requested data formatted in accordance with the target system type.

25. The article according to claim 24, wherein the data is stored on the computer usable medium as raw data blocks.

26. The article of manufacture according to claim 23, wherein the computer usable medium is removable.

27. The article of manufacture according to claim 23, wherein the second routine is configured to reformat accessed data from the archival format to the file system format.

28. An article of manufacture comprising a computer usable data storage medium having a data stored thereon and having computer readable program code stored on secondary storage associated with the data storage medium, the computer readable program code executable on a computer and including a first routine for accessing the data in response to a request of a first request type and a second routine for accessing the data in response to a request of a second request type, wherein the secondary storage is built into a cartridge for the data storage medium, wherein the data is stored on the data storage medium in an archival format, wherein the request of the first request type is for data in the archival format, and wherein the request of the second request type is for data in a file system format, and wherein the second routine is configured to reformat accessed data from the archival format to the file system format.

29. The article of manufacture according to claim 28, wherein the data storage medium is removable.

30. A method of retrieving data from a data storage media comprising:

loading a program from the data storage medium into a computer system, the program including at least a first routine for responding to a first request type for access to data stored on the data storage medium and a second routine for responding to a second request type for access to the same data stored on the data storage medium, the data being stored in accordance with an archival format;

receiving a request for access to data stored on the data storage medium;

determining whether the request is of the first type or the second type;

calling the first routine for accessing the data when the request is of the first type and calling the second routine for accessing the data when the request is of the second type; and

presenting the requested data, wherein the requested data is presented by the second routine in the archival format, and the requested data is presented by the first routine in a file system format,

wherein the data is stored on the data storage medium as one or more raw data blocks.

31. An article of manufacture comprising a computer usable medium having data stored thereon and having computer readable program code stored thereon, the computer readable program code executable by a computer and including a first routine for accessing the data in response to a first type of request for access to the data in an archival format and a second routine for accessing the data in response to a second type of request for access to the data in a file system format, wherein the data stored on the computer usable medium is in the archival format, and wherein the second routine is configured to reformat accessed data in the archival format to the file system format,

wherein said first routine supports accessing the data as one or more raw data blocks.