Probe based group selection

• US 8,589,354 B1
• Filed: 12/31/2008
• Issued: 11/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: EMC Corporation (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Zak, Dorota, Roche, Michael, Kundzich, Olga, Protasov, Lena
• Primary Examiner(s): HO, BINH VAN
• Application Number:
  US12/347,936
• Time in Patent Office: 1,784 Days
• Field of Search: 707/650
• US Class Current: 707/650
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1451 by selection of backup contents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1461 Backup scheduling policy
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1464 for networked environments
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3089 Monitoring arrangements determined by the means or processing involved in sensing the monitored data, e.g. interfaces, connectors, sensors, probes, agents software debugging using additional hardware using a specific debug interface G06F11/3656; performance evaluation by tracing or monitoring G06F11/3466

Abstract

A method, article of manufacture, and apparatus for efficiently backing up information are disclosed. In an embodiment, this may comprise receiving information about a computer system from at least one probe, selecting data to be backed up, and backing up the selected data. Boolean and/or conditional logic may be applied to the information received from the probes, and data backed up based on the logic analysis. A probe frequency may be determined and used for polling probes, and the probe frequency may be adjusted based on factors such as the received information, server utilization, and network utilization. A modular approach may be used in which a probe determines whether a condition has been met, and transmits that determination to a backup server.

Claims

1. A method for backing up data comprising:

receiving at a probe manager a first information about a first client computer system from a first client probe residing on the first client computer system, wherein the first information comprises a first affirmative signal indicating a first condition has been met, wherein the first condition comprises a first level of activity on the first client computer;

receiving at the probe manager a second information about a second client computer system from a second client probe residing on the second client system, wherein the first client probe and the second client probe are in a client probe group, and wherein the second information comprises a second affirmative signal indicating a second condition has been met, wherein the second condition comprises a second level of activity on the second client computer;

receiving at the probe manager a third information about a backup server from a third probe, wherein the third probe is in a server probe group comprising a plurality of server-based probes, wherein the third information comprises a third affirmative signal indicating a third condition has been met, wherein the third condition includes detecting a requisite level of backup server bandwidth;

determining at the probe manager whether the first condition, the second condition, and the third are satisfied, wherein the determination is based on the first affirmative signal, the second affirmative signal, and the third affirmative signal;

selecting data based on the first information and the second information;

backing up the selected data to the backup server; and

wherein backing up the selected data includes backing up the select data in multiple locations.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein backing up the selected data includes backing up only the selected data.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the selected data is associated with the computer system.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the selected data is not associated with the computer system.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein selecting data includes selecting the data based on a classification of the data.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein selecting data includes selecting the data based on a priority of the data.

7. A system for processing data, comprising:

a backup server;

a storage device; and

a processor configured to;

receive at a probe manager a first information about a first client computer system from a first client probe residing on the first client computer system, wherein the first information comprises a first affirmative signal indicating a first condition has been met, wherein the first condition comprises a first level of activity on the first client computer;

receive at the probe manager a second information about a second client computer system from a second client probe residing on the second client system, wherein the first client probe and the second client probe are in a client probe group, and wherein the second information comprises a second affirmative signal indicating a second condition has been met, wherein the second condition comprises a second level of activity on the second client computer;

receive at the probe manager a third information about the backup server from a third probe, wherein the third probe is in a server probe group comprising a plurality of server-based probes, wherein the third information comprises a third affirmative signal indicating a third condition has been met, wherein the third condition includes detecting a requisite level of backup server bandwidth;

determine at the probe manager whether the first condition, the second condition, and the third are satisfied, wherein the determination is based on the first affirmative signal, the second affirmative signal, and the third affirmative signal;

select data based on the first information and the second information; and

back up the selected data to the backup server; and

wherein backing up the selected data includes backing up the select data in multiple locations.

8. A computer program product for saving data, comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium having program instructions embodied therein for:

receiving at a probe manager a first information about a first client computer system from a first client probe residing on the first client computer system, wherein the first information comprises a first affirmative signal indicating first condition has been met, wherein the first condition comprises a first level of activity on the first client computer;

receiving at the probe manager a second information about a second client computer system from a second client probe residing on the second client system, wherein the first client probe and the second client probe are in a client probe group, and wherein the second information comprises a second affirmative signal indicating a second condition has been met, wherein the second condition comprises a second level of activity on the second client computer;

receiving at the probe manager a third information about a backup server from a third probe, wherein the third probe is in a server probe group comprising a plurality of server-based probes, wherein the third information comprises a third affirmative signal indicating a third condition has been met, wherein the third condition includes detecting a requisite level of backup server bandwidth;

determining at the probe manager whether the first condition, the second condition, and the third are satisfied, wherein the determination is based on the first affirmative signal, the second affirmative signal, and the third affirmative signal;

selecting data based on the first information and the second information;

backing up the selected data to the backup server; and

wherein backing up the selected data includes backing up the select data in multiple locations.