Backup media conversion via intelligent virtual appliance adapter

• US 9,239,840 B1
• Filed: 05/10/2011
• Issued: 01/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Swish Data Corp.
• Original Assignee: Swish Data Corp.
• Inventors: Acharya, Soubir
• Primary Examiner(s): Singh, Amresh
• Application Number:
  US13/104,179
• Time in Patent Office: 1,715 Days
• Field of Search: 707/653
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/13 File access structures, e.g. distributed indices arrangements of input from, or output to, record carriers G06F3/06
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/164 File meta data generation

Abstract

A system is provided for migrating, in an automated way, old backups created using older software to the current vendor. Generally, backup products are composed of a few broad sub-systems. The migration system organizes old backup data and can present the backup data to a new vendor'"'"'s system. The embodiments include a virtual appliance, which can include a client (e.g., a consumer of the XBSA API) to drive the legacy vendor with user selections to pull data from existing media and create a server personality that can be presented to the new backup software. The new backup system can then use existing means to discover, backup, and catalog data made available via the virtual appliance.

Claims

1. A method for copying backup data, the method comprising:

providing an appliance in communication with a legacy backup server and a second server, which also stores backup data, wherein the legacy backup server has a first type of interface and the second server has a second type of interface;

a processor of the appliance generating a virtualized directory representing the backup data in both the legacy backup server and the second server, wherein generating the virtualized directory includes;

scanning for one or more servers in communication with a network;

in response to the scanning, locating the legacy backup server;

sending a backup query to the located legacy backup server through the first type of interface;

receiving a response indicating that the legacy backup server has stored thereon a backup object;

mapping the one or more backup objects into the virtualized directory;

converting the backup object onto the second server;

eliminating access to the legacy backup server for the backup object;

the processor receiving a read request directed to the legacy backup server;

the processor intercepting the read request; and

the processor presenting the virtualized directory, wherein the virtualized directory represents at least one backup object stored in the legacy backup server.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a read request of a second backup object listed in the virtualized directory and stored in the legacy backup server;

redirecting the read request to a conversion module;

the conversion module retrieving the second backup object from the legacy backup server; and

providing the second backup object.

3. The method as defined in claim 2, further comprising:

before receiving a second read request, retrieving a third backup object from the backup server;

caching the third backup object; and

upon receiving the second read request, providing the third backup object from the cache.

4. The method as defined in claim 3, wherein the virtualized directory is created by a method comprising:

receiving a selection for backup;

issuing a query for the backup object of the legacy backup server;

storing an identifier returned in response to the query, wherein the identifier identifies an object stored in the legacy backup server; and

creating the virtualized directory, wherein information associated with the stored identifier identifying the backup object in virtualized directory.

5. The method as defined in claim 4, the method to create virtualized directory further comprising:

presenting the stored identifier to a user before creating the virtualized directory; and

receiving a selection from the user to backup the backup object associated with the stored identifier.

6. The method as defined in claim 5, the method to create virtualized directory further comprising:

determining if a second identifier is received in response to the query;

if a second identifier is received in response to the query, storing the second identifier; and

if a second identifier is not received in response to the query, presenting the stored identifier to the user before creating the virtualized directory.

7. The method as defined in claim 2, wherein conversion module retrieves the object from the legacy backup server through an XBSA interface that communicates with the legacy backup server, and wherein the XBSA interface issues a BSAGetObjecto command to retrieve the backup object.

8. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the query is sent through an XBSA interface that communicates with the legacy backup server.

9. The method as defined in claim 8, wherein the query is a BSAQueryObject( ) command.

10. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the virtualized directory is presented as a mount-point.

11. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions that cause a computing system to execute a method for creating a virtualized directory of a legacy backup server, the instructions comprising:

instructions to receive a selection for backup of at least a portion of data stored in the legacy backup server from a new vendor backup system, wherein the legacy backup server has a first interface that is different from a second interface associated with the new vendor backup system, wherein receiving a selection for backup includes;

instructions to scan for one or more servers in communication with a network;

in response to the scanning, instructions to locate the legacy backup server;

instructions to send a backup query to the located legacy backup server through the first type of interface;

instructions to receive a response indicating that the legacy backup server has stored thereon a backup object;

instructions to receive a selection for backup of at least a portion of data stored in a second server from the new vendor backup system;

instructions to issue a query for two or more backup objects stored in the legacy backup server;

instructions to store an identifier, for each of the backup objects, returned in response to the query, wherein the identifier identifies the backup object stored in the legacy backup server;

instructions to present the stored identifier to a user before creating the virtualized directory;

instructions to receive a selection from the user to backup at least one backup object associated with at least one stored identifier; and

instructions to create the virtualized directory from the at least one stored identifier, wherein the at least one stored identifier identifies the selected at least one backup object in the virtualized directory, and wherein at least one stored identifier, in the virtualized directory, identifies at least one backup object in the second server, and wherein at least one stored identifier, in the virtualized directory, identifies at least one backup object in the legacy backup server, wherein creating the virtualized directory includes;

mapping the at least one backup object into the virtualized directory;

converting the at least one backup object onto the second server;

eliminating access to the legacy backup server for the at least one backup object.

12. The computer readable medium as defined in claim 11, wherein the virtualized directory is presented to the new vendor backup system as a mount-point.

13. The computer readable medium as defined in claim 12, further comprising:

instructions to execute a new vendor agent to communicate with the new vendor system, wherein the new vendor agent is configured to;

receive a read request, from the new vendor backup system, directed to the mount point, wherein the read request is associated with a stored identifier in the virtualized directory;

redirect the read request to a conversion module;

instructions to execute the conversion module, the conversion module configured to;

retrieve the backup object from the legacy backup server associated with the stored identifier; and

provide the backup object to the new vendor agent to send to the new vendor backup system.

14. The computer readable medium as defined in claim 13, the conversion module further configured to:

before receiving a second read request, determine that the new vendor backup system is requesting backup objects associated with the mount point;

determine a next backup object to be requested by the new vendor backup system;

retrieving the next backup object from the legacy backup server;

caching the next backup object; and

upon receiving the second read request, providing the next backup object from the cache.

15. The computer readable medium as defined in claim 14, the conversion module executing multiple threads wherein each thread retrieves a separate backup object before a next read request is received.

16. A backup appliance, comprising:

a memory;

a processor in communication with the memory, the processor configured to execute;

a new vendor agent configured to communication with a new vendor backup system;

a backup conversion module in communication with the new vendor agent, the backup conversion module configured to;

communicate with an XBSA Interface, wherein the XBSA Interface communicates with a legacy backup server;

create a virtualized directory of two or more legacy backup objects in the legacy backup server and a backup object in a second server, wherein, in creating the virtualized directory, the backup conversion module is further configured to;

scan for one or more servers in communication with a network;

in response to the scan, locate the legacy backup server;

send a backup query to the located legacy backup server through the XBSA Interface;

receive a response indicating that the legacy backup server has stored thereon one or more backup objects;

map the one or more backup objects into the virtualized directory;

convert the backup object onto the second server;

eliminate access to the legacy backup server for the backup object;

present the virtualized directory to the new vendor agent, wherein the new vendor agent incorporates the virtualized directory into a composite directory of legacy backup objects and backup object store in the new vendor backup system;

receive a read request for a legacy backup object listed in the virtualized directory;

request the legacy backup object from the XBSA Interface;

receive the legacy backup object; and

provide the legacy backup object to the new vendor agent to send to the new vendor backup system.

17. A backup appliance as defined in claim 16, wherein the backup conversion module comprises a directory constructor module, the directory constructor module configured to:

traverse the legacy backup server to discover the two or more legacy backup objects, wherein the directory constructor module instructs the XBSA interface to issue a BSAQueryObject( ) function to find the two or more legacy backup objects;

receive information from the XBSA interface associated with the two or more legacy backup objects discovered by the BSAQueryObject( ) function; and

construct the virtualized directory with the information associated with the two or more legacy backup objects.

18. A backup appliance as defined in claim 17, wherein the backup conversion module comprises a user interface module, the user interface module configured to:

present the information from the XBSA interface associated with the two or more legacy backup objects discovered by the BSAQueryObject( ) function to a user interface;

receive a selection for at least one of the two or more legacy backup objects to be backed up; and

providing the selection to the directory constructor module to construct the virtualized directory.

19. A backup appliance as defined in claim 18, wherein the backup conversion module comprises a conversion engine, the conversion engine configured to:

intercept a copy request, directed to a legacy backup object stored in the legacy backup server, from the new vendor backup system;

reroute the copy request to the XBSA interface, wherein the XBSA interface retrieves the legacy backup object with a BSAGetData( ) function;

receive the legacy backup object from the XBSA interface; and

provide the legacy backup object to the new vendor backup system.

20. A backup appliance as defined in claim 19, wherein the conversion engine is further configured to provide the new vendor backup system with the virtualized directory, wherein the virtualized directory is presented as a mount point to in a file system.