Data storage system utilizing proxy device for storage operations

• US 9,928,146 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2016
• Issued: 03/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CommVault Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: CommVault Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Nallathambi, Vimal Kumar, Vijayan, Manoj Kumar
• Primary Examiner(s): Chau, Dung K
• Application Number:
  US15/266,333
• Publication Number:
  US 20170068601A1
• Time in Patent Office: 558 Days
• Field of Search: 707649, 707640, 707692, 707705, 707736, 707822
• 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 11/1464 for networked environments
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/128 Details of file system snapshots on the file-level, e.g. snapshot creation, administration, deletion use of snapshots for error detection or correction G06F11/14, G06F11/16
• 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 16/1748 De-duplication implemented within the file system, e.g. based on file segments de-duplication techniques in storage systems for the management of data blocks G06F3/0641
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/22 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/44 Program or device authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/84 Using snapshots, i.e. a logical point-in-time copy of the data

Abstract

A data storage environment can include a secondary storage computing device that acts as a proxy for other secondary storage computing devices. For example, the secondary storage computing device receives a storage operation request from one or more of the other secondary storage computing devices, such as a request to create a snapshot of client data. The secondary storage computing device generally acts as an intermediary between the other secondary storage computing devices and the storage device to carry out the snapshots or other storage operations. The secondary storage computing device may further receive a notification upon completion of the storage operations, and transmit relevant data to the requesting secondary storage computing device regarding the storage operation.

Claims

1. A method for performing a storage operation using a proxy secondary storage computing device, the method comprising:

receiving at a first computing device a first request to perform a first snapshot operation, the first snapshot operation to be performed on a first data set associated with one or more software applications executing on a second computing device,

wherein the first computing device and the second computing device form part of a networked storage system comprising at least one storage device that is capable of performing snapshot operations;

forwarding, using the first computing device, the first request to the storage device, wherein the storage device performs the first snapshot operation on the first data set in response to receipt of the first request;

receiving, at the first computing device, a first identifier associated with the snapshot operation; and

forwarding the first identifier to the second computing device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second computing device communicates directly with the storage device for a first set of one or more types of storage operations and communicates with the storage device via the first computing device for a second set of one or more types of storage operations.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first set includes data read operations and the second set includes one or more snapshot operations.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second computing device is not in direct communication with the storage device and is only in indirect communication with the storage device via the first computing device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the second computing device does not have direct access to the storage device and only indirectly accesses the storage device via the first computing device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first computing device authenticates with the storage device prior to forwarding the first request to the storage device.

7. A data storage system, comprising:

a storage device configured to perform snapshot operations; and

a first computing device in communication with a second computing device and the storage device, wherein the first computing device is configured to;

receive a first request to perform a first snapshot operation, the first snapshot operation to be performed on a first data set associated with one or more software applications executing on the second computing device,

forward the first request to the storage device, wherein the storage device performs the first snapshot operation on the first data set in response to receipt of the first request,

receive a first identifier associated with the first snapshot operation, and

forward the first identifier to the second computing device.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the second computing device is configured to communicate directly with the storage device for a first set of one or more storage operations and communicate with the storage device via the first computing device for a second set of one or more storage operations.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the first set includes reading data from the storage device and the second set includes one or more snapshot operations.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the second computing device is not in direct communication with the storage device and is only in indirect communication with the storage device via the first computing device.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the second computing device does not have direct access to the storage device and only indirectly accesses the storage device via the first computing device.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the first computing device is further configured to receive snapshot operation requests from a plurality of other computing devices and forward the snapshot operation requests to the storage device.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the first computing device authenticates with the storage device prior to forwarding the snapshot operation requests.