Interface systems and methods for accessing stored data

• US 7,802,067 B2
• Filed: 07/13/2007
• Issued: 09/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: CommVault Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: CommVault Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: De Meno, Randy, Schwartz, Jeremy A., Prahlad, Anand, McGuigan, James J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chace; Christian P
• Assistant Examiner(s): Namazi; Mehdi
• Application Number:
  US11/777,823
• Publication Number:
  US 20080016027A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,166 Days
• Field of Search: 711/161, 711/162, 711/163, 711/61, 707/203, 707/204, 707/999.203, 707/999.204
• US Class Current: 711/162
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1458 Management of the backup or restore process
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/185 Hierarchical storage management [HSM] systems, e.g. file migration or policies thereof details of archiving G06F16/11
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/22 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24 Querying
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2477 Temporal data queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/026 using e-messaging for transporting management information, e.g. email, instant messaging or chat
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99954 Version management
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99955 Archiving or backup

Abstract

A modular data and storage management system. The system includes a time variance interface that provides for storage into a storage media of data that is received over time. The time variance interface of the modular data and storage management system provides for retrieval, from the storage media, of an indication of the data corresponding to a user specified date. The retrieved indication of the data provides a user with an option to access specific information relative to the data, such as content of files that are included in the data.

Claims

1. A method for accessing data corresponding to a state of a computer system on a user specified date, the method comprising:

storing, in storage media, data from an application program on a computer system via a scheme that provides a separate storage location for various versions of the data;

receiving a date on which to view a state of the computer system that existed after a first version of the data and prior to a second version of the data; and

retrieving, based on the date, the stored first version of the data that corresponds to the state of the computer system on the specified date, the retrieved data being displayed in a current version of the application program in a manner that is similar to a view of the state of the computer system at the specified date.

2. The method of claim 1, additionally comprising indexing the stored data according to the date the data was originally received.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said storing comprises:

storing in first storage media index information of the data; and

storing in second storage media substantive data that corresponds to the index information.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the retrieved data includes an option to retrieve the substantive data, if any, with respect to the retrieved data.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said receiving comprises receiving the selection of the date from a user through a graphical user interface.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said stored data corresponds to a plurality of e-mail messages.

7. The method of claim 6, additionally comprising providing through the graphical user interface a history of a selected one of said plurality of e-mail messages.

8. The method of claim 1, additionally comprising migrating the stored data from one subset of the storage media to another subset of the storage media according to at least one of:

a length of time the data has been stored, a type of data that has been stored, a user that has stored the data.

9. A system for managing the retrieval of stored data, the system comprising:

an interface that provides for retrieval, from storage media, different versions of data, wherein the interface receives a user-specified date that corresponds to a state of an application program existing after a first version of the data and prior to a second version of the data, and wherein the interface, based on the user-specified data, displays an indication of the first version of the data existing at the user-specified date in a current version of the application program,

wherein the retrieved indication of the first version of the data provides a user with an option to access specific information relative to the first version of the data, and wherein the retrieved indication of the first version of the data is similar to a view of an indication of the first version of the data in the application program at the user-specified date.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein a logical view of the retrieved first version of the data is provided such that only a portion of the first version of the data is retrieved until specifically requested by a user.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the storage media comprises a plurality of subsets of storage media to provide a separate location for the data during the time that it is stored.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising a manager module configured to migrate data from one subset to another subset according to at least one of:

a length of time the data has been stored, a type of data that has been stored, and a user that has stored the data.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein a first subset of the storage media is configured to store indexing information of the data, and wherein a second subset of the storage media is configured to store substantive data that corresponds to the indexing information.

14. The system of claim 9, further comprising a retrieval module in communication with the interface, the retrieval module being configured to access the stored data in the storage media.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the retrieval module includes a map that indicates a location of stored data on the storage media.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the interface further comprises:

a graphical user interface configured to receive the user-specified date;

and a retrieval interface configured to instruct the retrieval module to retrieve the indication of the data from the storage media.

17. The system of claim 9, wherein the interface comprises an e-mail browser.

18. A data retrieval system for accessing data corresponding to a state of a computer system on a user-specified date, the data retrieval system comprising:

means for storing, in storage media, data from an application program on a computer system via an organizational scheme that provides a separate storage location for different versions of the data;

means for receiving a date on which to view a state of the computer system that existed after a first version of the data and prior to a second version of the data; and

means for retrieving, based on the date, the first version of the data that corresponds to the state of the computer system on the selected date, the retrieved data being displayed in a current version of the application program in a manner that is similar to a view of the state of the computer system at the selected date.

19. The data retrieval system of claim 18, further comprising means for indexing the different versions of the stored data.

20. The data retrieval system of claim 18, further comprising means for displaying options to a user for selecting the date.