Management of redundant objects in storage systems

• US 8,131,669 B2
• Filed: 01/12/2011
• Issued: 03/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Cannon, David Maxwell, Dawson, Colin Scott, Edwards, Robert Clair Jr., Kaczmarski, Michael Allen, Zaremba, Christopher
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Shahid
• Assistant Examiner(s): LODHI, ANDALIB FT
• Application Number:
  US13/005,438
• Publication Number:
  US 20110113015A1
• Time in Patent Office: 419 Days
• Field of Search: 707/609, 707/621, 707/640, 707/802, 707/803
• US Class Current: 707/609
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1451 by selection of backup contents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1464 for networked environments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes

Abstract

Provided are a method, system, and article of manufacture wherein one client node is selected from a plurality of client nodes. A determination is made that an object corresponding to a client node has to be stored. A determination is made as to whether the object has already been stored in the server node by the one selected client node. The object is stored at the server node, in response to determining that the object has not already been stored in the server node by the one selected client node.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

maintaining a server node in a networked computing environment, wherein the server node is coupled to a plurality of client nodes via a network, and wherein storage is coupled to the server node within the networked computing environment;

selecting a model node that is a first client node of the plurality of client nodes, prior to receiving a request to backup an object corresponding to a second client node of the plurality of client nodes at the server node, wherein the model node is selected according to a criterion such that objects to be backed up from the plurality of client nodes to the storage coupled to the server node are more likely to have been backed up from the model node than from any other client node of the plurality of client nodes, wherein metadata corresponding to the objects is stored in a database, and wherein the model node is updated more frequently with latest updates in comparison to other client nodes of the plurality of client nodes; and

in response to selecting the model node, storing in the storage, by the server node, data backed up by the model node in a first storage medium that is accessible faster in comparison to a second storage medium in which data backed up by client nodes that are different from the model node are stored.

2. The method of claim 1,

wherein the first storage medium is a disk,

wherein the second storage medium comprises a plurality of tapes,

wherein the data backed up by the model node is stored in the disk, and

wherein the data backed by the client nodes that are different from the model node are stored in the plurality of tapes.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein each tape of the plurality of tapes store backup data corresponding to different client nodes of the plurality of nodes.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein:

the network comprises the Internet;

the server node and the plurality of client nodes are configurable to communicate in a client server environment and in a peer to peer environment in the networked computing environment; and

the server node and the plurality of client nodes comprise computational platforms.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing database entries corresponding to objects of the plurality of client nodes in the server node; and

including in the database entries references directed at those objects that are stored in the server node by the model node.

6. A system, comprising:

a memory; and

a processor coupled to the memory, wherein the processor performs operations, the operations comprising;

maintaining a server node in a networked computing environment, wherein the server node is coupled to a plurality of client nodes via a network, and wherein storage is coupled to the server node within the networked computing environment;

selecting a model node that is a first client node of the plurality of client nodes, prior to receiving a request to backup an object corresponding to a second client node of the plurality of client nodes at the server node, wherein the model node is selected according to a criterion such that objects to be backed up from the plurality of client nodes to the storage coupled to the server node are more likely to have been backed up from the model node than from any other client node of the plurality of client nodes, wherein metadata corresponding to the objects is stored in a database, and wherein the model node is updated more frequently with latest updates in comparison to other client nodes of the plurality of client nodes; and

in response to selecting the model node, storing in the storage, by the server node, data backed up by the model node in a first storage medium that is accessible faster in comparison to a second storage medium in which data backed up by client nodes that are different from the model node are stored.

7. The system of claim 6,

wherein the first storage medium is a disk,

wherein the second storage medium comprises a plurality of tapes,

wherein the data backed up by the model node is stored in the disk, and

wherein the data backed by the client nodes that are different from the model node are stored in the plurality of tapes.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein each tape of the plurality of tapes store backup data corresponding to different client nodes of the plurality of nodes.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein:

the network comprises the Internet;

the server node and the plurality of client nodes are configurable to communicate in a client server environment and in a peer to peer environment in the networked computing environment; and

the server node and the plurality of client nodes comprise computational platforms.

10. The system of claim 6, the operations further comprising:

storing database entries corresponding to objects of the plurality of client nodes in the server node; and

including in the database entries references directed at those objects that are stored in the server node by the model node.

11. A computer readable storage medium having computer-readable program code embodied therewith, and wherein the computer-readable program code when executed by a processor causes operations, the operations comprising:

maintaining a server node in a networked computing environment, wherein the server node is coupled to a plurality of client nodes via a network, and wherein storage is coupled to the server node within the networked computing environment;

selecting a model node that is a first client node of the plurality of client nodes, prior to receiving a request to backup an object corresponding to a second client node of the plurality of client nodes at the server node, wherein the model node is selected according to a criterion such that objects to be backed up from the plurality of client nodes to the storage coupled to the server node are more likely to have been backed up from the model node than from any other client node of the plurality of client nodes, wherein metadata corresponding to the objects is stored in a database, and wherein the model node is updated more frequently with latest updates in comparison to other client nodes of the plurality of client nodes; and

in response to selecting the model node, storing in the storage, by the server node, data backed up by the model node in a first storage medium that is accessible faster in comparison to a second storage medium in which data backed up by client nodes that are different from the model node are stored.

12. The computer readable storage medium of claim 11,

wherein the first storage medium is a disk,

wherein the second storage medium comprises a plurality of tapes,

wherein the data backed up by the model node is stored in the disk, and

wherein the data backed by the client nodes that are different from the model node are stored in the plurality of tapes.

13. The computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein each tape of the plurality of tapes store backup data corresponding to different client nodes of the plurality of nodes.

14. The computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein:

the network comprises the Internet;

the server node and the plurality of client nodes are configurable to communicate in a client server environment and in a peer to peer environment in the networked computing environment; and

the server node and the plurality of client nodes comprise computational platforms.

15. The computer readable storage medium of claim 11, the operations further comprising:

storing database entries corresponding to objects of the plurality of client nodes in the server node; and

including in the database entries references directed at those objects that are stored in the server node by the model node.

16. A method for deploying computing infrastructure, comprising integrating computer-readable code into a computing system, wherein the computer-readable code in combination with the computing system is capable of performing:

maintaining a server node in a networked computing environment, wherein the server node is coupled to a plurality of client nodes via a network, and wherein storage is coupled to the server node within the networked computing environment;

selecting a model node that is a first client node of the plurality of client nodes, prior to receiving a request to backup an object corresponding to a second client node of the plurality of client nodes at the server node, wherein the model node is selected according to a criterion such that objects to be backed up from the plurality of client nodes to the storage coupled to the server node are more likely to have been backed up from the model node than from any other client node of the plurality of client nodes, wherein metadata corresponding to the objects is stored in a database, and wherein the model node is updated more frequently with latest updates in comparison to other client nodes of the plurality of client nodes; and

in response to selecting the model node, storing in the storage, by the server node, data backed up by the model node in a first storage medium that is accessible faster in comparison to a second storage medium in which data backed up by client nodes that are different from the model node are stored.

17. The method for deploying computing infrastructure of claim 16,

wherein the first storage medium is a disk,

wherein the second storage medium comprises a plurality of tapes,

wherein the data backed up by the model node is stored in the disk, and

wherein the data backed by the client nodes that are different from the model node are stored in the plurality of tapes.

18. The method for deploying computing infrastructure of claim 17, wherein each tape of the plurality of tapes store backup data corresponding to different client nodes of the plurality of nodes.

19. The method for deploying computing infrastructure of claim 17, wherein:

the network comprises the Internet;

the server node and the plurality of client nodes are configurable to communicate in a client server environment and in a peer to peer environment in the networked computing environment; and

the server node and the plurality of client nodes comprise computational platforms.

20. The method for deploying computing infrastructure of claim 16, wherein the computer-readable code in combination with the computing system is further capable of performing:

storing database entries corresponding to objects of the plurality of client nodes in the server node; and

including in the database entries references directed at those objects that are stored in the server node by the model node.