Combined stream auxiliary copy system and method

• US 8,667,189 B2
• Filed: 01/18/2013
• Issued: 03/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: CommVault Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: CommVault Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Lu, Jun, Gokhale, Parag
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsai, Henry
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hassan, Aurangzeb
• Application Number:
  US13/745,207
• Publication Number:
  US 20130204844A1
• Time in Patent Office: 410 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 710/33
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1448 Management of the data involved in backup or backup restore
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0613 in relation to throughput
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/065 Replication mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0686 Libraries, e.g. tape libraries, jukebox
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/10 Digital recording or reproducing

Abstract

A system and method for transferring data in a library storage system. The library storage system comprises a management server including a storage policy. A media agent is connected to the management server. A plurality of storage media and a data source are connected to the media agent. The data source is divided into at least a first and a second portion of data. The portions of data are transferred from the data source to a first and second primary storage medium using a first and a second data stream respectively. The media agent then causes the first and second portion of data to be transferred from the first and second storage medium to a third auxiliary storage medium using a third combined data stream. Auxiliary copying is performed in chunks and multiple streams are copied in parallel.

Claims

1. A system for transferring data in a multi-tiered storage system, the system comprising:

a data source comprising primary data stored in at least a first storage device, wherein the primary data in the first storage device is divided into at least a first portion of data associated with a first application having a first file type, and at least a second portion associated with a second application having a second file type;

a media agent comprising computer hardware, the media agent configured to communicate with the data source;

the media agent is further configured to;

transfer the first portion of data in the first storage device to a second storage device with a first data stream and transfer the second portion of data in the first storage device to a third storage device with a second data stream respectively to create a first backup copy of the primary data stored in the first storage device;

identify the first and second file types associated with the first and second portions of data in the first backup copy;

determine based at least upon the first and second file types if the first portion of data and the second portion of data in the first backup copy can be combined;

if the first portion of data and the second portion of data can be combined, the media agent is configured to create a second backup copy of the first and second portions of data that is ordered for subsequent restoration wherein the media agent performs the second backup copy at least in part by being configured to;

order the first and second portions of data existing in the first backup copy based at least in part on the order of the first and second applications, and

create the second backup copy by storing the ordered first and second portions of data on a fourth storage device in the combined format,

wherein the first portion of data is restored to the data source by retrieving the first portion of data from the combined format of the second backup copy.

2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the order the first and second portions of data in the second backup copy is further based on job order.

3. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the order the first and second portions of data in the second backup copy is further based on an archive order.

4. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the order of the first and second portions of data in the second backup copy is further based on respective stream numbers of the first and second streams.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein a user is provided notification if the first portion of data and the second portion of data cannot be combined.

13. The system of claim 1, further comprising a management server which is in communication with the media agent and stores a storage policy, wherein the media agent is further configured to access the storage policy to determine if the first portion of data and the second portion of data are combinable.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the second and third storage devices have faster access times than the fourth storage device.

15. The system of claim 1, further comprising an archive module configured to store at least one storage policy, wherein the media agent is further configured to access the storage policy to determine if the first portion of data and the second portion of data are combinable, wherein the additional copies comprise one or more archive files.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the media agent is configured to determine that the first portion of data and the second portion of data are not combinable if one or more of the first portion of data and the second portion of data include SQL data or DB2 data.

5. A computer-implemented method for transferring data in a storage system, the method comprising:

as implemented by one or more hardware processors,

dividing with a media agent comprising computer hardware a data source comprising primary data stored in at least a first storage device, into at least a first portion of data associated with a first application having a first file type, and at least a second portion associated with a second application haying a second file type;

creating a first backup copy of the primary data by transferring with the media agent the first portion of data to a second storage device, and by transferring the second portion of data to a third storage device;

identify the first and second file types associated with the first and second portions of data in the first backup copy;

determining if the first portion of data and the second portion of data are combinable based upon the first and second files types contained in the first and second portions of data; and

creating with the media agent, a second backup copy of the first and second portions of data that is ordered for subsequent restoration wherein creating the second backup copy comprises;

ordering the first and second portions of data existing in the first backup copy based at least in part on the order of the first and second applications, and

creating the second backup copy by storing the ordered first and second portions of data on a third storage device in the combined format,

restoring the first portion of data by causing retrieval of the first portion of data from the combined format of the second backup copy.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, additionally comprising providing a user notification if the first portion of data and the second portion of data cannot be combined.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the order the first and second portions of data in the second backup copy is further based on job order.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, further comprising accessing a storage policy to determine if the first portion of data and the second portion of data are combinable.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the second and third storage devices have a faster access time than the fourth storage device.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the order the first and second portions of data in the second backup copy is further based on an archive order.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein said determining comprises determining that the first portion of data and the second portion of data are not combinable if one or more of the first portion of data and the second portion of data include SQL data or DB2 data.