Backup policy migration and image duplication

• US 9,274,897 B2
• Filed: 05/25/2012
• Issued: 03/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Veritas Technologies, LLC (Whitehouse Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Symantec Corporation (NortonLifeLock Inc.)
• Inventors: Clifford, Thomas G., Schmokel, Shelley A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Li, Aimee
• Assistant Examiner(s): SIMONETTI, NICHOLAS J
• Application Number:
  US13/480,681
• Publication Number:
  US 20130318046A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,376 Days
• Field of Search: 711161-162
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1451 by selection of backup contents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1453 using de-duplication of the data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1461 Backup scheduling policy
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/349 for interfaces, buses

Abstract

Various systems and methods for seeding a storage device. For example, a method involves accessing a policy that identifies a number of clients. The method then involves selecting a most recent backup image for each of the clients and copying the most recent backup images from a source storage device to a target storage device. Once a most recent backup image has been copied from the source storage device to the target storage device for each of the clients, the method switches a destination value in the policy from the source storage device to the target storage device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

selecting a policy to migrate from a source storage device to a target storage device, wherein the policy comprises information identifying a plurality of clients;

selecting a most recent backup image for each client of the plurality of clients;

copying the most recent backup images from the source storage device to the target storage device, wherein said copying does not include backup images which are not the most recent backup images;

updating the policy in response to detecting that the most recent backup images have been copied to the target storage device, wherein the updating the policy comprises changing a destination value in the policy from the source storage device to the target storage device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting whether an additional backup image was created during the copying, wherein the additional backup image corresponds to a first client of the plurality of clients, the additional backup image is stored in the source storage device;

in response to the detecting that the additional backup image was created, replacing a duplicated backup image in the target storage device with the additional backup image, wherein

the duplicated backup image is associated with the first client.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein

each backup image of the most recent backup images comprises a deduplicated backup image.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein

the source storage device is deduplicated according to a first deduplication scheme, and

the target storage device is deduplicated according to a second deduplication scheme, wherein

the first deduplication scheme is different than the second deduplication scheme.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a full backup image of a first client of the plurality of clients;

detecting that the destination value identifies the target storage device; and

storing the full backup image in the target storage device in response to the detecting.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting that a duplication window has ended; and

suspending the copying in response to the detecting.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

resuming the copying at a same point at which the suspending occurred.

8. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing program instructions executable to:

select a policy to migrate from a source storage device to a target storage device, wherein the policy comprises information identifying a plurality of clients;

select a most recent backup image for each client of the plurality of clients;

copy the most recent backup images from the source storage device to the target storage device, wherein copying the most recent backup images does not include backup images which are not the most recent backup images;

update the policy in response to detecting that the most recent backup images for each client have been copied to the target storage device, wherein updating the policy comprises changing a destination value in the policy from the source storage device to the target storage device.

9. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the instructions are further executable to:

detect whether an additional backup image was created during the copying, wherein the additional backup image corresponds to a first client of the plurality of clients, the additional backup image is stored in the source storage device;

in response to detecting that the additional backup image was created, replace a duplicated backup image in the target storage device with the additional backup image, wherein

the duplicated backup image is associated with the first client.

10. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein

each backup image of the most recent backup images comprises a deduplicated backup image.

11. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein

the source storage device is deduplicated according to a first deduplication scheme, and the target storage device is deduplicated according to a second deduplication scheme,

wherein

the first deduplication scheme is different than the second deduplication scheme.

12. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the instructions are further executable to:

generate a full backup image of a first client of the plurality of clients;

detect that the destination value identifies the target storage device; and

store the full backup image in the target storage device in response to the detecting.

13. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the instructions are further executable to:

detect that a duplication window has ended; and

suspend the copying in response to detecting that the duplication window has ended.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the instructions are further executable to:

resume the copying at a same point at which the copying was suspended.

15. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

a memory coupled to the one or more processors, wherein the memory stores program instructions executable by the one or more processors to;

select a policy to migrate from a source storage device to a target storage device, wherein the policy comprises information identifying a plurality of clients;

select a most recent backup image for each client of the plurality of clients;

copy the most recent backup images from the source storage device to the target storage device, wherein copying the most recent backup images does not include backup images which are not the most recent backup images;

update the policy in response to detecting that the most recent backup images for each client have been copied to the target storage device, wherein updating the policy comprises changing a destination value in the policy from the source storage device to the target storage device.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the instructions are further executable to:

detect whether an additional backup image was created during the copying, wherein the additional backup image corresponds to a first client of the plurality of clients, the additional backup image is stored in the source storage device;

in response to detecting that the additional backup image was created, replace a duplicated backup image in the target storage device with the additional backup image, wherein

the duplicated backup image is associated with the first client.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein

each backup image of the most recent backup images comprises a deduplicated backup image.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein

the source storage device is deduplicated according to a first deduplication scheme, and

the target storage device is deduplicated according to a second deduplication scheme,

wherein

the first deduplication scheme is different than the second deduplication scheme.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the instructions are further executable to:

generate a full backup image of a first client of the plurality of clients;

detect that the destination value identifies the target storage device; and

store the full backup image in the target storage device in response to the detecting.