Storage management of data using an open-archive architecture, including streamlined access to primary data originally stored on network-attached storage and archived to secondary storage

• US 10,733,058 B2
• Filed: 02/08/2018
• Issued: 08/04/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CommVault Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: CommVault Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Kumarasamy, Paramasivam
• Primary Examiner(s): Robinson, Greta L
• Application Number:
  US15/891,914
• Publication Number:
  US 20180232285A1
• Time in Patent Office: 908 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1446 Point-in-time backing up or restoration of persistent data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1451 by selection of backup contents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/113 Details of archiving lifecycle management in storage systems G06F3/0649; backup systems G06F11/1446
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1824 implemented using Network-attached Storage [NAS] architecture distributed or networked storage systems G06F3/067; protocols for distributed storage of data in a network H04L67/1097
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/84 Using snapshots, i.e. a logical point-in-time copy of the data

Abstract

An illustrative “open archive” architecture relieves the immediate need to add network-attached storage (NAS) devices to a storage management system. The open archive architecture provides streamlined access to live production data, which originally was stored on a NAS device but which is archived to secondary storage to free up NAS space. An open-archive server coordinates with an open-archive layer that operates on the NAS device. The open-archive server identifies data sets on the NAS that meet archiving criteria, which are then automatically moved to an open archive in secondary storage. The open archive layer intercepts data-access calls coming into the NAS device, e.g., open calls, read calls, write calls. The intercepted calls are reported to the open-archive server for analysis. If the open-archive server determines that the data referenced in an intercepted call is stored in the open archive, the open-archive server initiates a restore job that recovers the data from secondary storage and stores it back on the NAS device. The intercepted call may now be served from the NAS. These operations occur automatically and do not involve users or their computing devices, and the computing devices operate without data agents for the NAS-based data.

Claims

1. A method for archiving primary data based on archiving criteria at a network-attached storage device and restoring archived data on demand, the method comprising:

in a data storage management system, executing a monitoring utility on a network-attached storage device that stores primary data that is accessible to a client computing device;

determining, by a server component of the data storage management system, that the primary data stored in the network-attached storage device satisfies an archiving criterion, wherein the server is in communication with the monitoring utility;

archiving the primary data as archived data to a secondary storage device in the data storage management system,

wherein the archiving operation removes the primary data from the network-attached storage device and stores the archived data offline relative to the client computing device;

storing one or more stubs to the network-attached storage device to represent the primary data that was archived;

detecting, by the monitoring utility, a first access call from the client computing device including one or more of an open call, a read call, and a write call;

based on the server determining that the first access call is directed to first data that was previously archived in the archived data, causing the first data to be restored to the network-attached storage device; and

serving the first access call to the client computing device from the restored first data on the network-attached storage device without intervention from a user.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

based on the server determining that the first access call is directed to the first data that is in the archived data, removing one or more stubs corresponding to the restored first data from the network-attached storage device.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

based on the server determining that a second access call from the client computing device is directed to second data that is on the network-attached storage device and not in the archived data, serving the second access call to the client computing device from the network-attached storage device without intervention from a user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the server communicates with the monitoring utility for determining that the first access call is directed to the first data that was previously archived in the archived data.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the server generates the one or more stubs stored to the network-attached storage device to represent the primary data that was archived.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the archiving of the primary data is performed in part by a media agent component of the data storage management system, and wherein the media agent is associated with the secondary storage device that stores the archived data.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the archiving of the primary data and the storing of the one or more stubs to the network-attached storage device are performed without intervention from or communications with the client computing device;

and

wherein the restoring of the first data to the network-attached storage device is also performed without intervention from or communication with the client computing device.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

intercepting, by the monitoring utility executing on the network-attached storage device, the first access call from the client computing device; and

reporting, by the monitoring utility, the first access call to the server.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

based on the server determining that the primary data stored in the network-attached storage device does not satisfy the archiving criterion, refraining from archiving the primary data at the present time.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the archiving of the primary data comprises archiving only a first portion of a file, such that the first portion of the file is archived to the secondary storage device and a second portion of the file remains unarchived in the network-attached storage device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the primary data that satisfies the archiving criterion is a subset of data that is accessible to the client computing device on the network-attached storage device.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining whether the primary data stored in the network-attached storage device satisfies the archiving criterion, which includes determining whether the primary data was accessed during a pre-determined period of time; and

when the primary data was not accessed during the pre-determined period of time, concluding that the primary data satisfies the archiving criterion.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the archiving criterion is based on metadata received from the monitoring utility executing on the network-attached storage device.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the client computing device comprises one or more processors and computer memory;

and

wherein the server, which is distinct from the client computing device, comprises one or more processors and computer memory.

15. A method for archiving primary data based on archiving criteria at a network-attached storage device and restoring archived data on demand, the method comprising:

in a data storage management system, executing a monitoring utility on a network-attached storage device that stores primary data that is accessible to a client computing device,

wherein the monitoring utility intercepts open, read, and write calls directed at the primary data, which are issued by the client computing device,

wherein the monitoring utility reports the intercepted open, read, and write calls to a server in communication with the network-attached storage device, and

wherein the server is distinct from and not in communication with the client computing device;

determining by the server, based at least in part on receiving metadata about the primary data from the monitoring utility, that the primary data stored in the network-attached storage device satisfies an archiving criterion;

causing by the server an archiving of the primary data as archived data to a secondary storage device in the data storage management system, which is distinct from the network-attached storage device,

wherein the archiving removes the primary data from the network-attached storage device and stores the archived data offline relative to the client computing device;

causing by the server a storing of one or more stubs to the network-attached storage device to represent the primary data that was archived;

intercepting by the monitoring utility a first access call from the client computing device comprising at least one of an open, a read, or a write call;

determining by the server, based at least in part on receiving from the monitoring utility reporting of an intercepted open, read, or write call directed at first data on the network-attached storage device, that the first data was previously archived in the archived data;

based on the determining that the first data was previously archived in the archived data, causing by the server a restoring of the first data to the network-attached storage device; and

serving the intercepted call to the client computing device using the restored first data on the network-attached storage device without intervention from a user.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the server initiates the archiving of the primary data.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein the server initiates the restoring of the first data.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein the archiving and the restoring operations are performed at least in part by a media agent component of the data storage management system, and

wherein the media agent, which is associated with the secondary storage device that stores the archived data, executes on a computing device comprising one or more processors and computer memory.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the client computing device comprises one or more processors and computer memory;

and

wherein the server, which is distinct from the client computing device, comprises one or more processors and computer memory.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the serving of the intercepted call is performed by the network-attached storage device.