Backup information management

• US 8,260,753 B2
• Filed: 03/18/2005
• Issued: 09/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: EMC Corporation (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Kushwah, Ajay Pratap Singh, Kaushik, Akhil, Xing, Jian, Joshi, Mayank, Kumar, Pashupati, Periyagaram, Subramaniam, Suryanarayanan, Rangarajan, Bijani, Yogita
• Primary Examiner(s): Radtke, Mark Andrew X
• Application Number:
  US11/084,179
• Publication Number:
  US 20060149793A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,727 Days
• Field of Search: 707/654, 711163-164
• US Class Current: 707/654
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1458 Management of the backup or restore process
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1471 involving logging of persistent data for recovery
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/10 File systems; File servers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/11 File system administration, e.g. details of archiving or snapshots file system backup G06F11/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/84 Using snapshots, i.e. a logical point-in-time copy of the data

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method for information management comprises monitoring output from an application, wherein the output is monitored substantially continuously; determining if the output is associated with a predetermined type of version; and saving data associated with the output if the output is associated with the predetermined type of version.

Claims

1. A method for information management comprising:

intercepting output from an application by continuously monitoring input/output (I/O) as the I/O traverses from the application to an operating system but prior to arrival at the operating system in order to trap file I/O before information is written to storage without modification to the operating system, wherein the output is directed towards protected data;

using a processor to analyze the intercepted output to determine whether a predetermined type of version of the protected data has been created;

in the event it is determined that the predetermined type of version of the protected data has been created at least in part because the analyzed intercepted output includes a save and a close, automatically backing up the protected data, including by storing at least some of the intercepted output as a backup version of the protected data, wherein the version backed up is the predetermined type of version; and

not backing up the protected data in the event it is determined that the predetermined type of version of the protected data has not been created.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising updating a storage metadata.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein data is saved in a medium external to a device on which the application resides.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether the output is associated with a milestone, wherein a milestone includes at least one of the following:

creating a file, deleting a file, or a scheduled backup event.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the milestone is a candidate for a backup.

6. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

storing a milestone marker and time and/or date information in the event it is determined the output is associated with a milestone; and

in the event a request associated with recovering the protected data is received;

locating one or more stored milestone markers; and

presenting the stored time and/or date information for the located milestone markers.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising using the processor to determine, based at least in part on the intercepted output, if the intercepted output is associated with an instruction for deleting a file.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

determining whether a policy permits deletion of the file if the intercepted output is associated with an instruction for deleting a file; and

saving at least one copy or version of the file if it is determined that the policy does not permit deletion of the file.

9. A system for information management comprising:

a processor configured to;

intercept output from an application by continuously monitoring input/output (I/O) as the I/O traverses from the application to an operating system but prior to arrival at the operating system in order to trap file I/O before information is written to storage without modification to the operating system, wherein the output is directed towards protected data;

analyze the intercepted output to determine whether a predetermined type of version of the protected data has been created;

in the event it is determined that the predetermined type of version of the protected data has been created at least in part because the analyzed intercepted output includes a save and a close, automatically back up the protected data, including by storing at least some of the intercepted output as a backup version of the protected data, wherein the version backed up is the predetermined type of version; and

not back up the protected data in the event it is determined that the predetermined type of version of the protected data has not been created; and

a memory coupled to the processor and configured to provide the processor with instructions.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the memory is one or more of the following:

remote from the processor, local to the processor, or coupled to the processor via a LAN.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to determine whether the output is associated with a milestone, wherein a milestone includes at least one of the following:

creating a file, deleting a file, or a scheduled backup event.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the milestone is a candidate for a backup.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein:

the memory is further configured to store a milestone marker and time and/or date information in the event it is determined the output is associated with a milestone; and

in the event a request associated with recovering the protected data is received, the processor is further configured to;

locating one or more stored milestone markers; and

presenting the stored time and/or date information for the located milestone markers.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to determine, based at least in part on the intercepted output, if the intercepted output is associated with an instruction for deleting a file.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine whether a policy permits deletion of the file if the intercepted output is associated with an instruction for deleting a file; and

save at least one copy or version of the file if it is determined that the policy does not permit deletion of the file.

16. A computer program product for information management, the computer program product being embodied in a computer readable storage medium and comprising computer instructions for:

intercepting output from an application by continuously monitoring input/output (I/O) as the I/O traverses from the application to an operating system but prior to arrival at the operating system in order to trap file I/O before information is written to storage without modification to the operating system, wherein the output is directed towards protected data;

analyzing the intercepted output to determine whether a predetermined type of version of the protected data has been created;

in the event it is determined that the predetermined type of version of the protected data has been created at least in part because the analyzed intercepted output includes a save and a close, automatically backing up the protected data, including by storing on the second device at least some of the intercepted output as a backup version of the protected data, wherein the version backed up is the predetermined type of version; and

not backing up the protected data in the event it is determined that the predetermined type of version of the protected data has not been created.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, further comprising computer instructions for determining whether the output is associated with a milestone, wherein a milestone includes at least one of the following:

creating a file, deleting a file, or a scheduled backup event.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the milestone is a candidate for a backup.

19. The computer program product of claim 17 further comprising computer instructions for:

storing a milestone marker and time and/or date information in the event it is determined the output is associated with a milestone; and

in the event a request associated with recovering the protected data is received;

locating one or more stored milestone markers; and

presenting the stored time and/or date information for the located milestone markers.

20. The computer program product of claim 16 further comprising computer instructions for determining, based at least in part on the intercepted output, if the intercepted output is associated with an instruction for deleting a file.

21. The computer program product of claim 20 further comprising computer instructions for:

determining whether a policy permits deletion of the file if the intercepted output is associated with an instruction for deleting a file; and

saving at least one copy or version of the file if it is determined that the policy does not permit deletion of the file.