Systems and methods for retrieving data in a computer network

• US 9,286,398 B2
• Filed: 04/25/2014
• Issued: 03/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: CommVault Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: CommVault Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Oshinsky, David Alan, Ignatius, Paul, Prahlad, Anand, May, Andreas
• Primary Examiner(s): ALAM, SHAHID AL
• Application Number:
  US14/262,313
• Publication Number:
  US 20140351219A1
• Time in Patent Office: 690 Days
• Field of Search: 707/802, 707/823, 707/736, 707/648, 707/770, 709/225
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1402 Saving, restoring, recovering or retrying
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1415 at system level
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1469 Backup restoration techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/148 File search processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/80 Database-specific techniques
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99955 Archiving or backup

Abstract

A data retrieval system comprising a first computing device communicatively coupled to a second computing device; the first computing device having a processor that supports operation of at least one software application that is used for retrieving data; the second computing device communicatively coupled to one or more storage media; the software application having a retrieval module for retrieving data from the one or more storage media; a storage and backup map that maps to the second computing device; and a data index stored on the second computing device that indicates to the retrieval module a particular location of the data that is to be retrieved by the retrieval module.

Claims

1. A data retrieval system comprising:

a first computing device having a processor that supports operation of a software application and an interface module for retrieving data for the software application;

at least a first media management device that identifies first storage locations of first migrated data moved from first storage media to second storage media, the first storage locations of the first migrated data stored in a first index associated with the first media management device;

at least a second media management device that identifies second storage locations of second migrated data moved from the first storage media to the second storage media the second storage locations of the second migrated data stored in a second index associated with the second media management device;

a backup map stored in computer memory that associates the first migrated data with the first media management device, the backup map further associates the second migrated data with the second media management device; and

a retrieval manager that executes in one or more computer processors, the retrieval manager communicatively coupled to the interface module of the first computing device and to at least the first and second media management devices; and

wherein in response to a request to retrieve the first and second migrated data, the retrieval manager identifies that the first migrated data is associated with the first media management device based on the backup map, and in response to the retrieval manager directing the first media management device to retrieve the first migrated data, the first media management device retrieves the first migrated data from the second storage media based on the first storage locations of the first migrated data stored in the first index associated with the first media management device; and

wherein the retrieval manager identifies that the second migrated data is associated with the second media management device based on the backup map, and in response to the retrieval manager directing the second media management device to retrieve the second migrated data, the second media management device retrieves the second migrated data based on the second storage locations of the second migrated data stored in the second index associated with the second media management device.

2. The data retrieval system of claim 1 wherein the backup map does not store the first storage locations of the first migrated data in the plurality of second storage media.

3. The data retrieval system of claim 1 wherein the backup map does not store the second storage locations of the second migrated data in the plurality of second storage media.

4. The data retrieval system of claim 1 wherein the backup map does not store the first storage locations of the first migrated data in the plurality of second storage media, and the backup map does not store the second storage locations of the second migrated data in the plurality of second storage media.

5. The data retrieval system of claim 1 wherein the backup map further comprises the first storage locations of the first migrated data.

6. The data retrieval system of claim 1 wherein the backup map further comprises the second storage locations of the second migrated data.

7. The data retrieval system of claim 1 wherein the first computing device further comprises a file browser that is dynamic and changes to reflect information regarding the first and second migrated data to be retrieved.

8. The data retrieval system of claim 1 wherein the file browser is configured to display information about the first and second migrated data without knowing the first and second storage locations of the first and second migrated data.

9. The data retrieval system of claim 1 wherein the file browser is configured to display information about the second storage media that stores the first and second migrated data without knowing the specific location of the first and second migrated data on the second storage media.

10. The data retrieval system of claim 1 wherein the first computing device is configured to initiate retrieval of the first and second migrated data without knowing the first and second storage locations of the first and second migrated data when the first and second migrated data are requested by the software application.

11. A method of retrieving data comprising:

migrating, with a first media management device comprising computer hardware having one or more computer processors, first migrated data from a plurality of first storage media to a plurality of second storage media;

associating the first migrated data with the first media management device in a backup map;

identifying first storage locations of the first migrated data stored on the second storage media, and storing the first storage locations of the first migrated data in at least a first index associated with the first media management device;

migrating, with a second media management device comprising computer hardware having one or more computer processors, second migrated data from the plurality of first storage media to the plurality of second storage media;

associating the second migrated data with the second media management device in the backup map;

identifying second storage locations of the second migrated data on the second storage media, and storing the second storage locations of the second migrated data in at least a second index associated with the second media management device;

in response to a request to retrieve the first and second migrated data, identifying that the first migrated data is associated with the first media management device based on the backup map, and directing the first media management device to retrieve the first migrated data;

retrieving with the first media management device, the first migrated data from the second storage media based on the first storage locations of the first migrated data stored in the first index associated with the first media management device; and

identifying that the second migrated data is associated with the second media management device based on the backup map, directing the second media management device to retrieve the second migrated data; and

retrieving with the second media management device, the second migrated data based on the second storage locations of the second migrated data stored in the second index associated with the second media management device.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the backup map does not store the first storage locations of the first migrated data in the plurality of second storage media.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the backup map does not store the second storage locations of the second migrated data in the plurality of second storage media.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein the backup map does not store the first storage locations of the first migrated data in the plurality of second storage media, and the backup map does not store the second storage locations of the second migrated data in the plurality of second storage media.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein the backup map further comprises the first storage locations of the first migrated data.

16. The method of claim 11 wherein the backup map further comprises the second storage locations of the second migrated data.

17. The method of claim 11 further comprising an interface that changes to reflect information regarding the first and second migrated data to be retrieved.

18. The method of claim 11 further comprising an interface that displays information about the first and second migrated data without knowing the first and second storage locations of the first and second migrated data.

19. The method of claim 11 further comprising an interface that displays information about the second storage media that stores the first and second migrated data without knowing the specific location of the first and second migrated data on the second storage media.

20. The method of claim 11 further comprising an interface that initiates retrieval of the first and second migrated data without knowing the first and second storage locations of the first and second migrated data when the first and second migrated data are requested by the software application.