Method and apparatus for maintaining compliant storage

• US 8,028,135 B1
• Filed: 09/01/2004
• Issued: 09/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
• Original Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
• Inventors: Manley, Stephen, McGovern, William
• Primary Examiner(s): Rojas; Midys
• Application Number:
  US10/933,005
• Time in Patent Office: 2,582 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 711/161
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1448 Management of the data involved in backup or backup restore
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/84 Using snapshots, i.e. a logical point-in-time copy of the data

Abstract

According to an embodiment of the invention, a storage server is mirrored onto a mirroring server. The mirroring server maintains point-in-time images of data stored on the storage server. The point-in-time images have a retention period. During the retention period, the point-in-time images must be maintained to comply with 17 C.F.R. 240.17a-4 (the “Rule”). When a command to delete a point-in-time image is issued, the file system of the mirroring server references a table including a list of point-in-time images and their retention dates. If the current date is greater than the retention date, the point-in-time image is deleted. If the current date is less than the retention date, the point-in-time image cannot be deleted.

Claims

1. A method for complying with a data preservation regulation, the method comprising:

mirroring data of a non-compliant storage server by using a mirroring server to generate mirrored data;

generating a point-in-time image of the mirrored data according to a specified scheduling criterion;

assigning a retention period to the point-in-time image;

receiving a command to delete the point-in-time image; and

preventing deletion of the point-in-time image in response to the command to delete, when the retention period has not expired.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the point-in-time image comprises:

determining changes in blocks on the mirroring server; and

generating the point-in-time image including the changes.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the regulation comprises Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Rule 17a-4.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

choosing a three year retention period.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the point-in-time image is read-only.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising preventing modification of the point-in-time image until the retention period expires.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said mirroring is asynchronous mirroring.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the mirrored data is dynamically updated at the mirroring server in response to client initiated updates to the data of the non-compliant storage server.

9. A system to provide compliance with a data preservation regulation, the system comprising:

a first storage server to maintain data, the first storage server being non-compliant with the data preservation regulation; and

a mirroring storage server coupled to the first storage server, to provide compliance with the data preservation regulation by mirroring the data to generate mirrored data, generating a point-in-time image of the mirrored data according to a specified scheduling criterion, assigning a retention period to the point-in-time image, and responding to a command to delete the point-in-time image by preventing deletion of the point-in-time image when the retention period has not expired.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein generating the point-in-time image comprises:

determining changes in blocks on the mirroring server; and

generating the point-in-time image including the changes.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the data preservation regulation comprises Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Rule 17a-4.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the point-in-time image is read-only.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising preventing modification of the point-in-time image until the retention period expires.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the mirroring server uses asynchronous mirroring to mirror the data.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the mirrored data is dynamically updated at the mirroring server in response to client initiated updates to the data maintained by the first storage server.

16. A method for complying with a data preservation regulation, the method comprising:

mirroring data of a non-compliant storage server by using a mirroring server to generate mirrored data;

generating a read-only point-in-time image of the mirrored data according to a specified scheduling criterion;

assigning a retention period to the read-only point-in-time image;

receiving a command to delete the read-only point-in-time image; and

preventing deletion of the read-only point-in-time image in response to the command to delete, when the retention period has not expired.