Backing up and restoring security information for selected database objects

• US 8,060,474 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2008
• Issued: 11/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Veritas Technologies, LLC (Whitehouse Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Symantec Operating Corporation (NortonLifeLock Inc.)
• Inventors: Beatty, Louis, Saraf, Deepak, DeVos, Steven R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Woo; Isaac M
• Application Number:
  US12/242,136
• Publication Number:
  US 20100082552A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,141 Days
• Field of Search: 707600-831
• US Class Current: 707/640
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1448 Management of the data involved in backup or backup restore
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1451 by selection of backup contents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1469 Backup restoration techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/80 Database-specific techniques

Abstract

A mechanism to selectively restore portions of a monolithically backed up database, while maintaining security relationships associated with the restored portions of the database is provided. Embodiments of the present invention provide a method, system and computer-readable storage medium for receiving a request to restore a selected object from among a plurality of backed up objects in a database backup, accessing security-related information associated with the selected object in the database backup, restoring the selected object using the information associated with the selected object in a target area, and associating elements of the security-related information with the restored selected object.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a request to restore a selected object from a backup of a database comprising a plurality of objects, wherein

the plurality of objects comprises the selected object, and

associated security-related information is associated with the selected object in the backup of the database;

accessing the associated security-related information, wherein

the associated security-related information is gathered from the backup of the database,

the accessing comprises

locating security-related information using database table metadata,

the database table metadata is gathered from the backup of the database, and

the security-related information comprises the associated security-related information;

restoring the selected object as a restored selected object in a target database; and

associating one or more elements of the associated security-related information with the restored selected object.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the accessing the associated security-related information further comprises:

reading the security-related information, wherein

the database table metadata is gathered at the time the backup of the database is created.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

generating a security code associated with the selected object, wherein

the security code is generated using one or more of the elements of the associated security-related information.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the associating one or more elements of the associated security-related information with the restored selected object further comprises:

deriving the associated security-related information from the security code.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the associating the associated security-related information with the restored selected object further comprises:

storing the associated security-related information using an object model of an application associated with the selected object.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the object model comprises an application program interface (API).

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting the one or more elements of the associated security-related information for associating with the restored selected object.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the selecting the one or more elements of the associated security-related information comprises:

determining a level of a hierarchy of the target database in which the selected object is restored;

identifying security-related information associated with the level of the hierarchy; and

selecting the one or more elements of the associated security-related information corresponding to the security-related information associated with the level of the hierarchy.

9. A system comprising:

a processor;

a first storage object, accessible by the processor, wherein

the first storage object is configured to store a backup of a database, and

the backup of the database comprises

a plurality of objects, and

security-related information associated with the plurality of objects;

a second storage object, accessible by the processor, wherein

the second storage object comprises a target storage area, and

the target storage area is configured to store objects restored from the backup of the database; and

a memory, coupled to the processor, in which is encoded a set of instructions, executable by the processor and configured to

receive a request to restore a selected object from the backup of the database, wherein

the plurality of objects comprises the selected object, and

associated security-related information is associated with the selected object in the backup of the database;

access the associated security-related information, wherein

the associated security-related information is gathered from the backup of the database,

the instructions configured to access the associated security-related information comprise

 

instructions configured to

 

locate security-related information using database table metadata,

the database table metadata is gathered from the backup of the database, and

the security-related information comprises the associated security-related information;

restore the selected object to the second storage object as a restored selected object; and

associate one or more elements of the associated security-related information with the restored selected object.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the instructions configured to access the associated security-related information further comprise instructions configured to:

read the security-related information, wherein

the database table metadata is gathered at the time the backup of the database is created.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the memory further stores instructions configured to generate a security code associated with the selected object, wherein the security code is generated using one or more of the elements of the associated security-related information.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the instructions configured to associate one or more elements of the associated security-related information with the restored selected object further comprise instructions configured to:

derive the associated security-related information from the security code.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the memory stores instructions further configured to

select the one or more elements of the associated security-related information for associating with the restored selected object.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the instructions configured to select the one or more elements of the associated security-related information further comprise instructions configured to:

determine a level of a hierarchy of the target database in which the selected object is restored;

identify security-related information associated with the level of the hierarchy; and

select the one or more elements of the associated security-related information corresponding to the security-related information associated with the level of the hierarchy.

15. A computer-readable storage medium comprising:

a first set of instructions, executable by a processor, and configured to receive a request to restore a selected object from a backup of a database comprising

a plurality of objects, wherein

the plurality of objects comprises the selected object, and

associated security-related information is associated with the selected object in the backup of the database;

a second set of instructions, executable by the processor, and configured to access the associated security-related information, wherein

the associated security-related information is gathered from the backup of the database

the second set of instructions comprises

a first subset of instructions, executable by the processor, and configured to locate security-related information using database table metadata,

the database table metadata is gathered from the backup of the database, and

the security-related information comprises the associated security-related information;

a third set of instructions, executable by the processor, and configured to restore the selected object as a restored selected object in a target database; and

a fourth set of instructions, executable by the processor, and configured to associate one or more elements of the associated security-related information with the restored selected object.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the second set of instructions further comprises:

a second subset of instructions, executable by the processor, and configured to read the security-related information, wherein

the database table metadata is gathered at the time the backup of the database is created.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, further comprising:

a fifth set of instructions, executable by the processor, and configured to generate a security code associated with the selected object, wherein the security code is generated using one or more of the elements of the associated security-related information.

18. The computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the fourth set of instructions comprises:

a third subset set of instructions, executable by the processor, and configured to derive the associated security-related information from the security code.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, further comprising:

a fifth set of instructions, executable by the processor, and configured to select the one or more elements of the associated security-related information for associating with the restored selected object.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the fifth set of instructions further comprises:

a sixth set of instructions, executable by the processor, and configured to determine a level of a hierarchy of the target database in which the selected object is restored;

a seventh set of instructions, executable by the processor, and configured to identify security-related information associated with the level of the hierarchy; and

an eighth set of instructions, executable by the processor, and configured to select the one or more elements of the associated security-related information corresponding to the security-related information associated with the level of the hierarchy.