Lightweight mounting of a secondary copy of file system data

• US 9,483,478 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2015
• Issued: 11/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CommVault Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: CommVault Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Kumarasamy, Paramasivam
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, DEBBIE M
• Application Number:
  US14/675,543
• Publication Number:
  US 20150205807A1
• Time in Patent Office: 581 Days
• Field of Search: 707/654
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/113 Details of archiving lifecycle management in storage systems G06F3/0649; backup systems G06F11/1446
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/119 Details of migration of file systems migration mechanisms in storage systems G06F3/0647
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/14 Details of searching files based on file metadata
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/148 File search processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1844 Management specifically adapted to replicated file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0619 in relation to data integrity, e.g. data losses, bit errors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/065 Replication mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]

Abstract

A data storage system allows a user to search a secondary copy such as a back up, archive, or snapshot and receive an abbreviated version of the secondary copy of the file system as a result of the search. The abbreviated version of the secondary copy of the file system may include metadata such as a listing of secondary copy data that correspond with a search term or other filtering criteria provided by the user. An operating system of the user'"'"'s computing device may mount the abbreviated version so that it can be displayed within a view of the file system of the computing device. Once a user selects one or more desired data objects listed in the abbreviated version, the selected actual one or more data objects are retrieved from secondary storage.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a computing device configured to;

transmit filtering criteria from a primary storage subsystem to a secondary storage subsystem, the secondary storage subsystem including one or more secondary storage devices that contain a secondary copy of at least a portion of a file system;

receive at the primary storage subsystem, from the secondary storage subsystem, metadata corresponding to an abbreviated version of the secondary copy, wherein the abbreviated version of the secondary copy comprises an identification of one or more data objects in the secondary copy that satisfy the filtering criteria;

process the received metadata to display the abbreviated version of the secondary copy within a graphical user interface;

receive an indication of a selection of an identification of a first data object in the one or more data objects;

transmit, from the primary storage subsystem to the secondary storage subsystem, a request for a copy of the selected first data object; and

receive the copy of the selected first data object from the secondary storage subsystem.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing device is further configured to receive the copy of the selected first data object from the secondary storage subsystem via one of a local area network or a wide area network.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the filtering criteria comprises a search term comprising text and an identification of the secondary copy, the secondary copy comprising at least one of a back up copy, an archive copy, or a snapshot copy in which a search should be performed to identify data objects which include one or more instances of the text in metadata associated with the data objects, in content associated with the data objects, or both.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the abbreviated version of the secondary copy comprises an identification of one or more data objects including one or more instances of the text and an identification of one or more data objects not including one or more instances of the text, and wherein the identification of each data object including one or more instances of the text is identified differently than the identification of each data object not including one or more instances of the text.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein a file structure of the abbreviated version of the secondary copy is the same as a file structure of the secondary copy.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the data objects in the secondary copy comprise second data objects that correspond to unidentified data objects that do not match the filtering criteria and third data objects that correspond to the identified data objects that do match the filtering criteria.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the abbreviated version of the secondary copy comprises an identification of the identified data objects, wherein the listing does not include the unidentified data objects.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the identification of the one or more data objects is displayed within the graphical user interface such that the one or more data objects appear to be stored by the computing device in memory.

9. A method for searching a file system, the method comprising:

transmitting, by a computing device, filtering criteria to a secondary storage subsystem, the secondary storage subsystem including one or more secondary storage devices that contain a secondary copy of at least a portion of a file system comprising a plurality of files and directories;

receiving, from the secondary storage subsystem, metadata corresponding to a version of the secondary copy, wherein the version of the secondary copy comprises an identification of one or more of the files and directories in the secondary copy that satisfy the filtering criteria, and does not include all of the files and directories;

processing the received metadata to display the version of the secondary copy within a graphical user interface;

receiving an indication of a selection of an identification of a first file or directory of the plurality of files or directories;

transmitting, to the secondary storage subsystem, a request for a copy of the selected file or directory; and

receiving the copy of the selected first file or directory from the secondary storage subsystem.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein receiving the copy of the selected first file or directory comprises receiving the copy of the selected first file or directory from the secondary storage subsystem via one of a local area network or a wide area network.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the filtering criteria comprises a search term comprising text and an identification of the secondary copy, the secondary copy comprising at least one of a back up copy, an archive copy, or a snapshot copy in which a search should be performed to identify files or directories which include one or more instances of the text in metadata associated with the files or directories, in content associated with the files or directories, or both.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the version of the secondary copy comprises an identification of one or more of the files and directories in the secondary copy including one or more instances of the text and an identification of one or more of the files and directories in the secondary copy not including one or more instances of the text, and wherein the identification of each file and directory including one or more instances of the text is identified differently than the identification of each file and directory not including one or more instances of the text.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the identification of the one or more files and directories of the secondary copy is displayed within the graphical user interface such that the one or more of the files and directories appear to be stored by the computing device in memory.

14. Non-transitory physical computer storage comprising executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed in a processor, are configured to implement operations for searching a file system, the operations comprising:

transmitting filtering criteria from a primary storage subsystem to a secondary storage subsystem, the secondary storage subsystem including one or more secondary storage devices that contain a secondary copy of at least a portion of a file system;

receiving at the primary storage subsystem, from the secondary storage subsystem, metadata corresponding to a version of the secondary copy, wherein the version of the secondary copy comprises an identification of one or more data objects in the secondary copy that satisfy the filtering criteria;

processing the received metadata to display the version of the secondary copy within a graphical user interface;

receiving an indication of a selection of an identification of a first data object in the one or more data objects;

transmitting, from the primary storage subsystem to the secondary storage subsystem, a request for a copy of the selected first data object; and

receiving the copy of the selected first data object from the secondary storage subsystem.

15. A method for searching a file system, the method comprising:

receiving, by a secondary storage subsystem, filtering criteria, the secondary storage subsystem including one or more secondary storage devices that contain a secondary copy of at least a portion of a file system;

identifying data objects in the secondary copy that satisfy the filtering criteria;

generating an abbreviated version of the secondary copy based on the identified data objects, wherein the abbreviated version of the secondary copy comprises an identification of one or more data objects in the secondary copy that are identified by the secondary storage subsystem as satisfying the filtering criteria;

transmitting the abbreviated version of the secondary copy to a computing device for display by the computing device in a graphical user interface;

receiving a command from the computing device to retrieve a first data object in the one or more data objects selected by a user via the graphical user interface;

retrieving the first data object from the secondary storage in response to receiving the command; and

transmitting the retrieved first data object to the computing device.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein transmitting the retrieved first data object comprises transmitting the retrieved first data object to the computing device via one of a local area network or a wide area network.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the filtering criteria comprises a search term comprising text and an identification of the secondary copy, the secondary copy comprising at least one of a back up copy, an archive copy, or a snapshot copy in which a search should be performed to identify data objects which include one or more instances of the text in metadata associated with the data objects, in content associated with the data objects, or both.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the abbreviated version of the secondary copy comprises an identification of one or more data objects including one or more instances of the text and an identification of one or more data objects not including one or more instances of the text, and wherein the identification of each data object including one or more instances of the text is identified differently than the identification of each data object not including one or more instances of the text.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein generating an abbreviated version of the secondary copy comprises generating an identification of one or more data objects including one or more instances of the text and not data objects that do not include one or more instances of the text.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the secondary storage subsystem is configured to at least one of manage, coordinate, or facilitate transmission of data between the computing device and the secondary storage.