Systems and methods for projecting hierarchical storage management functions

• US 8,874,628 B1
• Filed: 10/15/2009
• Issued: 10/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Veritas Technologies, LLC (Whitehouse Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Symantec Corporation (NortonLifeLock Inc.)
• Inventors: Lanzatella, Thomas, Gunda, Laxmikant, Jones, Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): CHANNAVAJJALA, SRIRAMA T
• Application Number:
  US12/579,526
• Time in Patent Office: 1,839 Days
• Field of Search: 707694-696, 707822-823, 707827-829, 707/831, 707/609, 707/651, 707/665, 707/786, 707/792, 707/805, 707/821, 715/779, 715/209, 709/203, 709/206, 709220-225, 711/117, 711/118, 711161-162, 714/6.13, 714 621- 622
• US Class Current: 707/829
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/185 Hierarchical storage management [HSM] systems, e.g. file migration or policies thereof details of archiving G06F16/11
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0607 by facilitating the process of upgrading existing storage systems, e.g. for improving compatibility between host and storage device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0649 Lifecycle management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0685 Hybrid storage combining heterogeneous device types, e.g. hierarchical storage, hybrid arrays

Abstract

A computer-implemented method for projecting hierarchical storage management functions may include enumerating objects stored on an endpoint system via an agent on the endpoint system. The computer-implemented method may also include transmitting, via a web service, information relating to the enumeration to a server. The computer-implemented method may further include receiving, via the web service, a hierarchical storage management policy from the server. The computer-implemented method may additionally include enacting the hierarchical storage management policy via the agent. Various other methods and systems are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for projecting hierarchical storage management functions, at least a portion of the method being performed by an endpoint system comprising at least one processor, the method comprising:

identifying a hierarchical storage management policy from a hierarchical storage management server, the hierarchical storage management policy comprising a decision-making scheme relating to the disposition of objects stored on the endpoint system;

determining, using an agent installed on the endpoint system, that the hierarchical storage management server lacks the native ability to communicate information pertaining to hierarchical storage management tasks associated with the hierarchical storage management policy to the endpoint system, the hierarchical storage management server lacking the native ability due to employing a file system that is incompatible with a file system employed by the endpoint system;

facilitating interoperability between the hierarchical storage management server and the endpoint system to allow the endpoint system to enact the hierarchical storage management tasks by;

enumerating, using the agent installed on the endpoint system, the objects stored on the endpoint system;

formatting, using an endpoint web service module installed on the endpoint system, information relating to the enumeration of the objects stored on the endpoint system into a machine-parsable text and inserting the machine-parsable text into an open protocol message that is natively understood by the hierarchical storage management server;

transmitting, via the endpoint web service module, the open protocol message to the hierarchical storage management server;

receiving, via the endpoint web service module, an additional open protocol message that is natively understood by the endpoint system, the additional open protocol message including the hierarchical storage management tasks, wherein the hierarchical storage management tasks have been formatted, by a server-side web service module, into additional machine-parsable text and inserted into the additional open protocol message;

enacting the hierarchical storage management tasks associated with the hierarchical storage management policy via the agent installed on the endpoint system.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein enumerating the objects stored on the endpoint system comprises creating at least one of:

a list of the objects stored on the endpoint system;

a count of the objects stored on the endpoint system;

a catalogue of the objects stored on the endpoint system.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein enumerating the objects stored on the endpoint system comprises at least one of:

gathering metadata related to the objects stored on the endpoint system;

classifying the objects stored on the endpoint system;

ranking the objects stored on the endpoint system.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein gathering the metadata related to the objects stored on the endpoint system comprises gathering at least one of:

sizes of the objects stored on the endpoint system;

creation times of the objects stored on the endpoint system;

most recent read times of the objects stored on the endpoint system;

most recent write times of the objects stored on the endpoint system;

permissions associated with the objects stored on the endpoint system;

ownerships of the objects stored on the endpoint system;

numbers of links to the objects stored on the endpoint system;

regular attributes of the objects stored on the endpoint system;

extended attributes of the objects stored on the endpoint system;

forks of the objects stored on the endpoint system.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein ranking the objects stored on the endpoint system comprises at least one of:

prioritizing the objects stored on the endpoint system for migration to a repository;

prioritizing the objects stored on the endpoint system for keeping present on the endpoint system;

prioritizing the objects stored on the endpoint system for recovery after a failure on the endpoint system.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the open protocol message and the additional open protocol message each comprise an XML message that follows a Simple Object Access Protocol.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the endpoint web service module transmits the open protocol message via HTTP.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein enacting the hierarchical storage management tasks associated with the hierarchical storage management policy via the agent installed on the endpoint system comprises at least one of:

migrating at least one file from the endpoint system to a repository;

restoring at least one file from the repository to the endpoint system.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein migrating the file from the endpoint system to the repository comprises creating a stub for the file via the agent installed on the endpoint system.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the open protocol message to the hierarchical storage management server comprises exposing to the hierarchical storage management server, via the agent installed on the endpoint system, an HTTP browser interface for selecting the objects stored on the endpoint system.

11. A computer-implemented method for projecting hierarchical storage management functions, at least a portion of the method being performed by a hierarchical storage management server comprising at least one processor, the method comprising:

identifying a hierarchical storage management policy from the hierarchical storage management server, the hierarchical storage management policy comprising a decision-making scheme relating to the disposition of objects stored on an endpoint system of a hierarchical storage management system;

determining that the endpoint system lacks the native ability to communicate information pertaining to hierarchical storage management tasks associated with the hierarchical storage management policy to the hierarchical storage management server, the endpoint system lacking the native ability due to employing a file system that is incompatible with a file system employed by the hierarchical storage management server;

facilitating interoperability between the hierarchical storage management server and the endpoint system to allow the endpoint system to communicate information pertaining to the hierarchical storage management tasks by;

receiving from a client-side web service module installed on the endpoint system, via a server-side web service module installed on the hierarchical storage management server, an open protocol message that is natively understood by the hierarchical storage management server, the open protocol message comprising information relating to an enumeration of objects stored on the endpoint system that are capable of being manipulated by the hierarchical storage management tasks, wherein the information has been formatted, by the client-side web service module, into machine-parsable text and inserted into the open protocol message;

formatting, using the server-side web service module, the hierarchical storage management tasks associated with the hierarchical storage management policy into additional machine-parsable text and inserting the additional machine-parsable text into an additional open protocol message that is natively understood by the endpoint system;

transmitting, via the server-side web service module, the additional open protocol message to the endpoint system.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein receiving the open protocol message comprises receiving at least one of:

a list of the objects stored on the endpoint system;

a count of the objects stored on the endpoint system;

a catalogue of the objects stored on the endpoint system.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein receiving the open protocol message comprises receiving at least one of:

metadata related to the objects stored on the endpoint system;

a classification of the objects stored on the endpoint system;

a ranking of the objects stored on the endpoint system.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein receiving the metadata related to the objects stored on the endpoint system comprises receiving at least one of:

sizes of the objects stored on the endpoint system;

creation times of the objects stored on the endpoint system;

most recent read times of the objects stored on the endpoint system;

most recent write times of the objects stored on the endpoint system;

permissions associated with the objects stored on the endpoint system;

ownerships of the objects stored on the endpoint system;

numbers of links to the objects stored on the endpoint system;

regular attributes of the objects stored on the endpoint system;

extended attributes of the objects stored on the endpoint system;

forks of the objects stored on the endpoint system.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein receiving the ranking of the objects stored on the endpoint system comprises receiving at least one of:

a prioritization for migrating the objects stored on the endpoint system to a repository;

a prioritization for keeping the objects stored on the endpoint system present on the endpoint system;

a prioritization for recovering the objects stored on the endpoint system after a failure on the endpoint system.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the open protocol message and the additional open protocol message each comprise an XML message that follows a Simple Object Access Protocol.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the server-side web service module transmits the additional open protocol message via HTTP.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, further comprising at least one of:

migrating at least one file from the endpoint system to a repository;

restoring at least one file from the repository to the endpoint system.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein receiving the open protocol message comprises receiving the open protocol message via an HTTP browser interface.

20. An endpoint system capable of facilitating communication of information pertaining to hierarchical storage management tasks associated with a hierarchical storage management policy, the endpoint system comprising:

an agent programmed to identify a hierarchical storage management server that lacks the native ability to communicate the information pertaining to the hierarchical storage management tasks associated with the hierarchical storage management policy, the hierarchical storage management policy comprising a decision making scheme relating to the disposition of objects stored on the endpoint system, to the endpoint system due to employing a file system that is incompatible with a file system employed by the endpoint system, wherein the agent is programmed to facilitate interoperability between the endpoint system and the hierarchical storage management server to allow the endpoint system to enact the hierarchical storage management tasks by;

enumerating, using an enumeration module, the objects stored on the endpoint system;

formatting, using an endpoint web service module installed on the endpoint system, information relating to the enumeration of the objects stored on the endpoint system into a machine-parsable text and inserting the machine-parsable text into an open protocol message that is natively understood by the hierarchical storage management server;

transmitting, via the endpoint web service module, the open protocol message to the hierarchical storage management server;

receiving, via the endpoint web service module, an additional open protocol message that is natively understood by the endpoint system, the additional open protocol message including the hierarchical storage management tasks, wherein the hierarchical storage management tasks have been formatted, by a server-side web service module, into additional machine-parsable text and inserted into the additional open protocol message;

enacting, using an enactment module, the hierarchical storage management tasks associated with the hierarchical storage management policy via the agent installed on the endpoint system;

at least one processor configured to execute the enumeration module, the endpoint web service module, and the enactment module.