Data lifecycle management within a cloud computing environment

• US 8,918,439 B2
• Filed: 06/17/2010
• Issued: 12/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Alatorre, Gabriel, Ayala, Richard, Chavda, Kavita, Singh, Aameek, Gopisetty, Sandeep
• Primary Examiner(s): Obisesan, Augustine K
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mitiku, Berhanu
• Application Number:
  US12/817,245
• Publication Number:
  US 20110314069A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,650 Days
• Field of Search: 707/609, 707/695, 707/722, 707/802, 707/827, 718/1, 709/223, 709/226
• US Class Current: 707/827
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/122 using management policies backup systems G06F11/1446; file migration policies for HSM systems G06F16/185

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide lifecycle storage management for data within a Cloud computing environment. Specifically, a set of policies can be defined that allow for automatic valuation of the data and migration of the data between a set of storage tiers. Before a policy set is deployed, it can be assessed to determine effects it will have on cost, performance, and data location. Based on data characteristics and access patterns, a set of policy recommendations can be provided that predict the value of the data over time, and offer an improved migration strategy for moving the data between the set of storage tiers as the value of the data changes.

Claims

1. A method for managing data storage within a Cloud computing environment, comprising:

accessing a set of policies for managing storage of data, the set of policies automating valuation of the data and migration of the data between a set of storage tiers of a particular cloud within the Cloud computing environment;

assessing the set of policies to determine effects of implementing the set of policies;

implementing the set of policies;

providing a set of recommendations based on the implementation of the set of policies, the set of recommendations comprising a visual summary depicting a prediction of a value of the data, as well as generating a migration strategy for dynamically moving the data between the set of storage tiers of the particular cloud over time as the prediction of the value of the data changes, the visual summary comprising at least one characteristic including cost, migrations, storage capacity, input/output (I/O) rate, latency, and throughput for at least one storage tier of the set of storage tiers; and

generating output based on the set of recommendations.

2. The method of claim 1, the set of policies modelling the value of data according to a plurality of factors.

3. The method of claim 2, the plurality of factors comprising a last access time, age of utilization, an input/output rate of the data, a cache percentage, data rate and a response time of the data.

4. The method of claim 1, the output depicting savings over time by migrating the data between the set of tiers.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising defining a configuration for the set of tiers.

6. The method of claim 1, the set of tiers each having a different cost for storing the data.

7. A system for managing data storage within a Cloud computing environment, comprising:

a bus;

a processor coupled to the bus; and

a memory medium coupled to the bus, the memory medium comprising instructions to;

access a set of policies for managing storage of data, the set of policies automating valuation of the data and migration of the data between a set of storage tiers of a particular cloud within the Cloud computing environment;

assess the set of policies to determine effects of implementing the set of policies;

implement the set of policies;

provide a set of recommendations based on the implementation of the set of policies, the set of recommendations comprising a visual summary depicting a prediction of a value of the data as well as generating a migration strategy for dynamically moving the data between the set of storage tiers of the particular cloud over time as the prediction of the value of the data changes, the visual summary comprising at least one characteristic including cost, migrations, storage capacity, input/output (I/O) rate, latency, and throughput for at least one storage tier of the set of storage tiers; and

generate output based on the set of recommendations.

8. The system of claim 7, the set of policies modelling the value of data along a plurality of factors.

9. The system of claim 8, the plurality of factors comprising a last access time, age of utilization, an input/output rate of the data, a cache percentage, data rate and a response time of the data.

10. The system of claim 7, the output depicting savings over time by migrating the data between the set of storage tiers.

11. The system of claim 7, the memory medium further comprising instructions to define a configuration for the set of storage tiers.

12. The system of claim 7, the set of storage tiers each having a different cost for storing the data.

13. A computer program product on a computer readable storage device for managing data storage within a Cloud computing environment and program instructions stored on the computer readable storage device, to:

access a set of policies for managing storage of data, the set of policies automating valuation of the data and migration of the data between a set of storage tiers of a particular cloud within the Cloud computing environment;

assess the set of policies to determine effects of implementing the set of policies;

implement the set of policies;

provide a set of recommendations based on the implementation of the set of policies, the set of recommendations comprising a visual summary depicting a prediction of a value of the data as well as generating a migration strategy for dynamically moving the data between the set of storage tiers of the particular cloud over time as the prediction of the value of the data changes, the visual summary comprising at least one characteristic including cost, migrations, storage capacity, input/output (I/O) rate, latency, and throughput for at least one storage tier of the set of storage tiers; and

generate output based on the set of recommendations.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, the set of policies modelling the value of data along a plurality of factors.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, the plurality of factors comprising a last access time, age of utilization, an input/output rate of the data, a cache percentage, data rate and a response time of the data.

16. The computer program product of claim 13, the output depicting savings over time by migrating the data between the set of storage tiers.

17. The computer program product of claim 13, further comprising program instructions stored on the computer readable storage device to:

define a configuration for the set of storage tiers.

18. The computer program product of claim 13, the set of storage tiers each having a different cost for storing the data.

19. A method for deploying a system for managing data storage within a Cloud computing environment, comprising:

providing a computer infrastructure having functionality to;

access a set of policies for managing storage of data, the set of policies automating valuation of the data and migration of the data between a set of storage tiers of a particular cloud within the Cloud computing environment;

assess the set of policies to determine effects of implementing the set of policies;

implement the set of policies;

provide a set of recommendations based on implementation of the set of policies, the set of recommendations comprising a visual summary depicting a prediction of a value of the data as well as generating a migration strategy for dynamically moving the data between the set of storage tiers of the particular cloud over time as the prediction of the value of the data changes, the visual summary comprising at least one characteristic including cost, migrations, storage capacity, input/output (I/O) rate, latency, and throughput for at least one storage tier of the set of storage tiers; and

generate output based on the set of recommendations.