Method for extracting and storing records of data backup activity from a plurality of backup devices

• US 8,407,227 B2
• Filed: 10/30/2008
• Issued: 03/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bocada LLC
• Original Assignee: Bocada Incorporated
• Inventors: Bear, Cory, Scanlan, Liam
• Primary Examiner(s): Corrielus, Jean M
• Application Number:
  US12/262,099
• Publication Number:
  US 20090055449A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,608 Days
• Field of Search: 707/644, 707/646, 707/647, 707/648, 707/645, 707/654, 714/13
• US Class Current: 707/740
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1458 Management of the backup or restore process
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/258 Data format conversion from or to a database
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99952 Coherency, e.g. same view to multiple users
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99955 Archiving or backup

Abstract

A method and system for requesting, cross-referencing, extracting and storing historical records of data backup activity by using a software component that interfaces to a plurality of data backup software devices is disclosed. In the first aspect, a method of storing automated request-for-historical records of data backup activity schedules is disclosed. In the second aspect, a method for invoking requests through a component that interfaces to a plurality of data backup software devices is disclosed. In the third aspect, a method for receiving historical records of data backup activity from said component is disclosed. In a fourth aspect, a method for making alterations to said historical records of data backup activity is disclosed. In a fifth aspect, a method for inserting said historical records of data backup activity into a data table located in an open, relational database is disclosed. In a sixth aspect, a method for inserting subsets of said historical records of data backup activity into tables related to said central data table is disclosed. In a seventh aspect, a method for removing completed historical records of data backup activity refresh requests is disclosed. Through the use of a system and method in accordance with the present invention, the aforementioned database can be made self-refreshing, requiring minimal ongoing intervention subsequent to initial configuration. In addition, the aforementioned data refreshes can be manually invoked at any time.

Claims

1. An automatic refresh request generation device for a data backup system having a plurality of data backup products, each data backup product connected to a computer network and each data backup product generating records relating to the data backup activity for the data backup product, the device comprising:

a backup engine plug-in that obtains records of data backup activity from the plurality of data backup products and consolidates the records in a database that allows cross-referencing between the records from the plurality of data backup products; and

a refresh request unit that operates in the background of the device, wherein the refresh periodically wakes up and determines if an hour of the current day has changed based on a string of values to determine if a refresh request is automatically initiated and stores a current time in a memory.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the refresh request unit wakes up every few seconds.

3. A system for automatic refresh requests for a data backup system having a plurality of data backup products, each data backup product connected to a computer network and each data backup product generating records relating to the data backup activity for the data backup product, the system comprising:

a computer network with data backup activity performed by a plurality of data backup products wherein each data backup product generates records relating to the data backup activity;

a host computer connected to the computer network that executes a backup device, wherein the backup device comprising a backup engine plug-in to obtain records of data backup activity from each data backup product and a refresh request unit that determines if an automatic refresh request is to be initiated, wherein the refresh request unit comprises an RT table having a request field, a requestor name field, a reference field, a backup product name field, a status field, a taskid field and a request date and time field.

4. A computer implemented method for an automatic refresh request for a plurality of data backup products connected to a computer network, each data backup product generating records relating to the data backup activity for the data backup product, the method comprising:

obtaining, by a backup engine plug-in, records of data backup activity from the plurality of data backup products;

consolidating the records in a database that allows cross-referencing between the records from the plurality of data backup products;

periodically waking a refresh request unit to determine if an hour of the current day has changed based on a string of values; and

determining, if the hour of the current day has changed, if a refresh request is automatically initiated.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising deleting, in a database, a record for a data backup product that has a status field in the database marked as finished when the refresh request unit periodically wakes up.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising initiating a refresh request for a data backup product that has the status field marked as waiting.