Systems and methods for performing data management operations using snapshots
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A system for analyzing a secondary copy of a set of data, the system comprising:
- a processor;
a memory;
a snapshot component configured to create a snapshot of a set of data at a specific point in time, wherein the set of data includes multiple data objects;
a copy component configured to copy the snapshot to a storage device, wherein copying the snapshot copies at least a portion of the set of data to the storage device;
an interface component configured to provide an interface to the snapshot stored on the storage device, wherein;
the interface provides access to copies of the multiple data objects stored on the storage device, andthe interface can be used to also access copies of data objects created as a result of storage operations other than storage operations that create snapshots;
a component configured to;
access at least some of the copies of the multiple data objects using the interface; and
perform at least one data management operation on the accessed copied data objects, wherein the at least one data management operation includes;
indexing content of the accessed copied data objects and adding information regarding the content to an index;
orassociating the accessed copied data objects with one or more classifications and storing the one or more classifications in a database of metadata;
oridentifying one or more data objects and tagging the identified one or more data objects with one or more attributes; and
an index component configured to create an index associated with the snapshot.wherein the index includes context information related to logical locations of the copies of multiple data objects referenced by the snapshot. andwherein the interface component utilizes the index to provide the interface to the snapshot stored on the storage device.
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Abstract
A system stores a snapshot and an associated data structure or index to storage media to create a secondary copy of a volume of data. In some cases, the associated index includes application specific data about a file system or other application that created the data to identify the location of the data. The associated index may include three entries, and may be used to facilitate the recovery of data via the snapshot. The snapshot may be used by ancillary applications to perform various functions, such as content indexing, data classification, deduplication, e-discovery, and other functions.
336 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A system for analyzing a secondary copy of a set of data, the system comprising:
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a processor; a memory; a snapshot component configured to create a snapshot of a set of data at a specific point in time, wherein the set of data includes multiple data objects; a copy component configured to copy the snapshot to a storage device, wherein copying the snapshot copies at least a portion of the set of data to the storage device; an interface component configured to provide an interface to the snapshot stored on the storage device, wherein; the interface provides access to copies of the multiple data objects stored on the storage device, and the interface can be used to also access copies of data objects created as a result of storage operations other than storage operations that create snapshots; a component configured to; access at least some of the copies of the multiple data objects using the interface; and perform at least one data management operation on the accessed copied data objects, wherein the at least one data management operation includes; indexing content of the accessed copied data objects and adding information regarding the content to an index;
orassociating the accessed copied data objects with one or more classifications and storing the one or more classifications in a database of metadata;
oridentifying one or more data objects and tagging the identified one or more data objects with one or more attributes; and an index component configured to create an index associated with the snapshot. wherein the index includes context information related to logical locations of the copies of multiple data objects referenced by the snapshot. and wherein the interface component utilizes the index to provide the interface to the snapshot stored on the storage device. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A method for analyzing a copy of a data set, wherein the method is performed by a computing device having a processor and memory, the method comprising:
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providing an interface to a snapshot of a set of data, wherein; the snapshot is stored on a storage device, the storage device is distinct from the computing device, the set of data includes multiple data objects, the interface provides access to copies of the multiple data objects stored on the storage device, and the interface can be used to access copies of data objects created as a result of storage operations other than storage operations that create snapshots; utilizing the interface, accessing at least some of the copies of the multiple data objects; performing, by the computing device, at least one data management operation on the accessed copied data objects, wherein the at least one data management operation includes either; indexing content of the accessed copied data objects and adding information regarding the content to an index;
orassociating the accessed copied data objects with one or more classifications and storing the one or more classifications in a database of metadata;
oridentifying one or more data objects and tagging the identified one or more data objects with one or more attributes; and creating an index associated with the snapshot, wherein the index includes context information related to logical locations of the copies of the multiple data objects referenced by the snapshot. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium whose contents cause a computing system to perform a method for analyzing a copy of a data set, the method comprising:
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providing an interface to a snapshot of a set of data, wherein; the snapshot is stored on a storage device, the set of data includes multiple data objects, the interface provides access to copies of the multiple data objects stored on the storage device, and the interface can be used to access copies of data objects created as a result of storage operations other than storage operations that create snapshots; utilizing the interface, accessing at least some of the copies of the multiple data objects; performing at least one data management operation on the accessed copied data objects, wherein the at least one data management operation includes either; indexing content of the accessed copied data objects and adding information regarding the content to an index;
orassociating the accessed copied data objects with one or more classifications and storing the one or more classifications in a database of metadata;
oridentifying one or more data objects and tagging the identified one or more data objects with one or more attributes; and creating an index associated with the snapshot, wherein the index includes context information related to logical locations of the copies of the multiple data objects referenced by the snapshot. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A system for analyzing a secondary copy of a set of data, the system comprising:
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a processor; a memory; means for storing data; means for providing an interface to a snapshot of a set of data, wherein; the snapshot is stored on the means for storing data, the set of data includes multiple data objects, the interface provides access to copies of the multiple data objects stored on the means for storing data, and the interface can be used to access copies of data objects created as a result of storage operations other than storage operations that create snapshots; and means for; accessing at least some of the copies of the multiple data objects using the interface; and performing at least one data management operation on the accessed copied data objects, wherein the at least one data management operation includes either; indexing content of the accessed copied data objects and adding information regarding the content to an index;
orassociating the accessed copied data objects with one or more classifications and storing the one or more classifications in a database of metadata;
oridentifying one or more data objects and tagging the identified one or more data objects with one or more attributes; and means for creating an index associated with the snapshot, wherein the index includes context information related to logical locations of the copies of the multiple data objects referenced by the snapshot, and wherein the means for providing the interface to the snapshot utilizes the index to provide the interface to the snapshot stored on the storage device.
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19. A method performed by a data storage system for performing a data management operation on a data object, wherein the data storage system includes a processor and memory, the method comprising:
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receiving a request to restore a data object; identifying a copy of the data object via a snapshot containing an image of the data object at a point in time; parsing an index logically associated with the snapshot to retrieve a location of the copy of the data object; accessing the copy of the data object using the retrieved location from the index logically associated with the snapshot; and performing at least one data management operation on the copy of the data object, wherein the at least one data management operation includes either; indexing content of the copy of the data object and adding information regarding the content to an index;
orassociating the copy of the data object with one or more classifications and storing the one or more classifications in a database of metadata;
ortagging the copy of the data object with one or more attributes. - View Dependent Claims (20)
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Specification