System and method for in-place data migration

• US 9,235,356 B2
• Filed: 10/03/2011
• Issued: 01/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Asperatus, LLC
• Original Assignee: Bruce R. Backa
• Inventors: Backa, Bruce R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Joo, Joshua
• Application Number:
  US13/251,693
• Publication Number:
  US 20120054193A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,562 Days
• Field of Search: 709203-204, 709/223
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0604 Improving or facilitating administration, e.g. storage management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0617 in relation to availability
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0643 Management of files
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0647 Migration mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]

Abstract

Methods and systems for the in-place or post-facto migration of data to a cloud-based data storage service or other virtual storage environment, include a Cloud Storage Import Utility (CSIU) device having a file selection module and configured to generate a user interface. The user interface allows a storage administrator to select one or more files, file folders, or shares to be published to the cloud and optionally migrated from a current storage device to another storage service, and for providing an indication of the selection. The CSIU is configured to capture metadata for the selected files or file folders. The CSIU also provides one or more commands understandable by the cloud-based data storage service, to migrate the metadata to the cloud-based data storage service independently of the files or file folders, so that they are usable by the cloud-based storage service without being moved to the cloud-based storage service.

Claims

1. A system for in-place-migration of data to a cloud-based data storage service, the system comprising:

a Cloud Storage Import Utility (CSIU) device including a file selection module and a network server comprising memory storing the CSIU device and having a processor configured to host the CSIU device, and configured to generate a user interface at a client device;

the user interface configured to allow a user at the client device to select one or more files or file folders associated with a primary shared storage device connected directly to the network, to be published to a remote cloud-based storage service for use with the cloud-based storage service, and for providing an indication of said selection, the primary shared storage device being separate from the client device;

the CSIU device being separate from the primary shared storage device and configured to capture metadata for the selected files or file folders;

the CSIU device configured to provide one or more commands understandable by the cloud-based data storage service, to cause the metadata to be copied to the cloud-based data storage service independently of the one or more files or file folders, wherein the files or file folders are usable by the cloud-based storage service without any need to move the files or file folders to the cloud-based storage service, wherein the CSIU device transmits the captured metadata to the cloud-based storage service via a wide area network.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the CSIU device is configured to insert the metadata into a metadata database of the cloud-based storage service.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the CSIU device is configured to generate an index of the selected files or file folders to permit content-based searching of the selected files or file folders.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the CSIU device is configured to insert the index into the cloud-based storage service.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the CSIU device is configured to enable the cloud-based storage service to index the files or file folders independently of any movement of the files or file folders to the cloud-based storage service.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the CSIU device is configured to enable movement of the selected files or file folders from the primary storage device to another primary storage device remote from the cloud-based storage service, wherein the files or file folders at the other primary storage device are usable by the cloud-based storage service independently of any movement of the files or file folders to the cloud-based storage service.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a user request device being communicably couplable to the CSIU device; and

said user request device configured to display the user interface to allow the user to select the one or more files or file folders associated with the primary storage device.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein said user interface is configured for allowing a user to select one or more files or file folders associated with a primary storage device to be published to a remote cloud-based storage service for use therewith, and for providing an indication of said selection in the form of a listing of said one or more files or file folders associated with the primary storage device.

9. The system of claim 1, comprising the primary shared storage device.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the primary shared storage device comprises a Network Attached Storage (NAS) device.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the primary shared storage device comprises a Storage Area Network (SAN) device.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the primary shared storage device comprises a direct attached storage (DAS) device.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is specifically configured to enable the CSIU to generate the user interface, capture metadata for the selected files or file folders, and provide the one or more commands understandable by the cloud-based data storage service.

14. A method for enabling in-place-migration of data to a cloud-based data storage service, the method comprising:

(a) configuring a network server-hosted Cloud Storage Import Utility (CSIU) device to include a file selection module and to generate a user interface at a client device;

(b) configuring the user interface to allow a user at the client device to select one or more files or file folders associated with a primary shared storage device connected directly to the network, to be published to a remote cloud-based storage service for use with the cloud-based storage service, and for providing an indication of said selection, the primary shared storage device being separate from the client device;

(c) configuring the CSIU device, which is separate from the primary shared storage device, to capture metadata for the selected files or file folders;

(d) configuring the CSIU device to provide one or more commands understandable by the cloud-based data storage service, to cause the metadata to be copied to the cloud-based data storage service independently of the one or more files or file folders, wherein the files or file folders are usable by the cloud-based storage service without first being moved to the cloud-based storage service; and

(e) configuring the CSIU device to transmit the captured metadata to the cloud-based storage service via a wide area network.

15. The method of claim 14, comprising configuring the CSIU device for being couplable to the primary storage device and the cloud-based storage service.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising configuring the indication to include a listing of the one or more files or file folders selected by the user.

17. A method for in-place-migration of data to a cloud-based data storage service, the method comprising:

(a) communicably coupling a user request client device to a primary shared storage device connected directly to a network, and to a network server-hosted Cloud Storage Import Utility (CSIU), the CSIU including a file selection module and being configured to generate a user interface at the client device, the primary shared storage device being separate from the client device, and the CSIU being separate from the primary shared storage device;

(b) selecting, with the user interface at the client device, one or more files or file folders associated with the primary shared storage device to be published to the cloud-based storage service for use with the cloud-based storage service, and for providing an indication of said selection;

(c) capturing, with the CSIU, metadata for the selected files or file folders;

(d) providing, with the CSIU, one or more commands understandable by the cloud-based data storage service, to cause the metadata to be copied to the cloud-based data storage service independently of the one or more files or file folders, wherein the files or file folders are usable by the cloud-based storage service without first being moved to the cloud-based storage service; and

(e) transmitting, by the CSIU device, the captured metadata to the cloud-based storage service via a wide area network.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising communicably coupling the CSIU to the primary storage device including at least one of a Network Attached Storage (NAS) device, a Storage Area Network (SAN) device, and a direct attached storage (DAS) device.