Business enterprise backup and recovery system and method

• US 7,899,885 B2
• Filed: 10/30/2003
• Issued: 03/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Aultman, Joseph L., Kittinger, Richard J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dollinger, Tonia L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fearer, Mark D
• Application Number:
  US10/698,060
• Publication Number:
  US 20050021869A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,679 Days
• Field of Search: 709/219, 709/217
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1464 for networked environments

Abstract

A data backup and recovery system that includes a backup and recovery (EBR) management network system. The EBR management network system includes an infrastructure for performing information storage, backup, and recovery operations for a business enterprise that is fully scalable and sharable. The EBR management network system includes the following modular backup and recovery models: (1) LAN network based backup and recovery models for applications requiring <200 GB; (2) LAN network based GigE backup and recovery model for applications requiring >500 GB and <1.5 TB; LAN-Free dedicated tape drive backup and recovery models; (3) LAN-Free shared tape drive backup and recovery models; (4) Server-Free backup and recovery models; and (5) application storage manager (ASM) backup and recovery models.

Claims

1. An enterprise data backup and recovery system comprising:

a first network and a second network in communication through a third network the first network comprising;

a first processing layer, wherein the first processor layer comprises;

a first media server;

a first application storage manager server in communication with the first media server via a first local area network; and

a first client in communication with the first media server via the first local area network;

wherein the information is transferred to the first media server and to the first storage layer, wherein the first local area network includes a routing switch in communication with a backup master server and multiple uplink connections from the routing switch to a plurality of port switches that provide connective points of a plurality of local area network clients, wherein each connection to the pairs of port switches comprises a secure connection to a first port switch and a non-secure connection to a second port switch, wherein both the secure and the non-secure connections terminate and originate with the backup master server which is security enabled;

a first storage area network layer in communication with the first processor layer;

a first storage layer in communication with the first process layer;

a first switching platform in communication with the first storage area network layer, wherein the first switching platform is in an interface to a first access circuit terminating at the first network;

the second network comprising;

a second processor layer;

a second storage area network layer in communication with the second processor layer;

a second storage layer in communication with the second storage area network layer;

a third storage layer in communication with the second storage area network and in communication with one or more application servers via a dedicated data connection;

a second switching platform in communication with the second storage area network layer, wherein the second switching platform is an interface to a second address circuit terminating at the second network; and

wherein, the first and second storage area layers are shared by the first and second networks via the third network; and

wherein information stored in the first storage layer is transferred to the second storage layer via the third network under the control of the first processor layer; and

wherein the first and second access circuits provide connectivity between components of the first and second networks via the first and second switching platforms.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the second processor layer further comprises:

a second media server;

a second application storage manager server in communication with the second media server via a second local area network; and

wherein the second storage layer further comprises;

a second disk storage array in communication with the second application storage manager server for storing information; and

a second backup library in communication with the second application storage manager server for storing the information;

wherein the second application storage manager server controls the movement of the information from the second disk storage array to the second backup library.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the second disk storage array is in communication with the second backup library via a fiber channel.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the second disk storage array is in communication with the second application storage manager server via a fiber channel.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the second backup library is in communication with the second application storage manager server via a fiber channel.

6. The system of claim 1 further comprising a second switch in communication with the second storage area network layer for receiving the information from the third network.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the first network is a network based backup and recovery network.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the first network is a network based gigabit Ethernet network.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the first network is a LAN-free dictated tape drive network.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the first network is a server-free network.

11. An automated storage manager server resident on a first storage area network, comprising a processor that:

transfers information from a first storage region resident on the first storage area network to a second storage region resident on the first storage area network, wherein the first storage region is in direct communication through a dedicated data connection to one or more application servers; and

transfers information from the second storage region to a third storage region resident on a second storage area network via the third network,

wherein the server is connected via uplink and downlink gigabit connections to a routing switch for providing bandwidth for backup and recovery, and wherein the server is a backup master server connected with the uplink connections from the routing switch to a plurality of port switches that provide connective points of a plurality of local area network clients, wherein each connection to the pairs of port switches comprises a secure connection to a first port switch and a non-secure connection to a second switch, wherein the secure and the non-secure connections terminate and originate with the backup master server which is security enabled.

12. The automated storage management server of claim 11, wherein the processor transfers information by communicating with a first disk storage array of the first storage region and a first backup library of the first storage region.

13. The automated storage management server of claim 11, wherein the processor communicates with the first disk storage area via a fiber channel.

14. The automated storage management server of claim 12, wherein the processor communicates with the first disk storage area via a fiber channel.

15. The automated storage management server of claim 11, wherein the processor transfers information from the second storage region to the third storage region via one or more switches.

16. The automated storage management server of claim 11, wherein the processor transfers information from the second storage region to the third storage region via an asynchronous transfer mode network.

17. The automated storage management server of claim 11, wherein the processor transfers information for the first storage region to the second storage region via a gigabit Ethernet network.