Data Stream Filters And Plug-Ins For Storage Managers

• US 20080243979A1
• Filed: 03/26/2007
• Published: 10/02/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Cherkauer, Kevin J., Leffler, Jonathan
• Granted Patent: US 7,962,638 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 708/303
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/606 by securing the transmission between two devices or processes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0608 Saving storage space on storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0623 in relation to content
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0655 Vertical data movement, i.e. input-output transfer; data movement between one or more hosts and one or more storage devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00007 Time or data compression or expansion audio compression based on psychoacoustics G10L19/00; data processing for reproducing audio data at different playback speeds G10L21/04; video compression H04N19/00; data compression per se H03M7/30
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00086 Circuits for prevention of unauthorised reproduction or copying, e.g. piracy indicating unauthorised use of record carriers in general G11B23/28; scrambling for television signal recording H04N5/913; network architectures or network protocols for network security H04L63/00; cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for secret or secure communication H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/0021 involving encryption or decryption of contents recorded on or reproduced from a record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00492 wherein content or user data is encrypted

Abstract

A storage manager and related method and computer program product manages client data on a data storage resource and includes the ability to utilize many different types of data stream filters that are neither built into the storage manager nor require a custom programming effort. A storage manager user may readily implement filtering by simply identifying a data stream filter the user wishes the storage manager to use for filtering the user'"'"'s data. The filter can be an off-the-shelf program that is not part of the storage manager and which does not require client application or storage manager domain knowledge (e.g., knowledge of protocols or data types or formats used by the application or storage manager). The storage manager invokes the identified filter as part of a requested data stream operation and receives a data stream from a data stream source. The data stream is provided to the filter, which filters the data stream. Following filtering, the storage manager receives the data stream from the filter and sends it to a data stream destination.

Claims

1. In a storage manager adapted to manage client data on a data storage resource, a data filtering method, comprising:

receiving an identification of a data stream filter that is not part of said storage manager and does not require client application or storage manager domain knowledge;

invoking said filter as part of a requested data stream operation;

providing a data stream to said filter; and

sending the output of said filter to a data stream destination.

2. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein said filter identification is received as one of an attribute of a storage manager transaction request, a storage resource, an application, a host, a user, or a storage object category.

3. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein said filtering results in a transformation of said data stream and said filter is part of a filter pair comprising a write filter that performs a transformation on said data stream and a read filter that may or may not reverse said transformation.

4. A method in accordance with claim 3, wherein said filtering comprises one of compression/decompression filtering, encryption/decryption filtering or character set conversion filtering.

5. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein said filtering results in the generation of information about said data stream without transforming said data stream.

6. A method in accordance with claim 5, wherein said filtering comprises the generation of an audit trail.

7. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein said filter is invoked in its own execution context and said data stream is provided to and received from said filter via an interprocess communication mechanism.

8. A method in accordance with claim 7, wherein said interprocess communication mechanism comprises a first pipe for providing said data stream to said filter and a second pipe for receiving said data stream from said filter.

9. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein said filter is invoked with a filter argument that is passed to said filter if said filter is adapted to process said filter argument and suppressed if said filter is not adapted to process said filter argument.

10. A method in accordance with claim 9, wherein said filter is one of an encryption or decryption filter and said filter argument pertains to identification of an encryption key.

11. A storage manager system adapted to manage client data on a data storage resource, comprising:

a data processing core;

a first communication interface to an application;

a second communication interface to a data storage resource;

a filter identification interface adapted to receive an identification of a data stream filter that is not part of said storage manager and does not require application or storage manager domain knowledge;

a filter identification store adapted to maintain said identification of said filter;

a filter invocation subsystem adapted to invoke said filter as part of a requested data stream operation;

a data stream receiver adapted to receive a data stream from a data stream source representing one of said application or said data storage resource;

a filter writer adapted to provide said data stream to said filter;

a filter reader adapted to receive said data stream from said filter following filtering thereof; and

a data stream sender adapted to send said data stream to a data stream destination representing one of said application or said data storage resource that is not said data stream source.

12. A system in accordance with claim 11, wherein said filter identification comprises one of an attribute of a storage manager transaction request, a storage resource, an application, a host, a user, or a storage object category.

13. A system in accordance with claim 11, wherein said filter is adapted to transform said data stream and is part of a filter pair comprising a write filter that performs a transformation on said data stream and a read filter that may or may not reverse said transformation.

14. A system in accordance with claim 13, wherein said filter comprises one of a compression/decompression filter, an encryption/decryption filter or a character set conversion filter.

15. A system in accordance with claim 11, wherein said filter is adapted to generate information about said data stream without transforming said data stream.

16. A system in accordance with claim 15, wherein said filter is adapted to generate an audit trail.

17. A system in accordance with claim 11, wherein said filter invocation subsystem is adapted to invoke said filter in its own execution context and said data stream writer and reader are adapted to respectively provide and receive said data stream to and from said filter via an interprocess communication mechanism.

18. A system in accordance with claim 17, wherein said interprocess communication mechanism comprises a first pipe for providing said data stream to said filter and a second pipe for receiving said data stream from said filter.

19. A system in accordance with claim 11, wherein said filter invocation subsystem is adapted to invoke said filter with a filter argument that is passed to said filter if said filter is adapted to process said filter argument and suppressed if said filter is not adapted to process said filter argument.

20. A system in accordance with claim 19, wherein said filter is one of an encryption or decryption filter and said filter argument pertains to identification of an encryption key.

26. A computer program product in accordance with claim 15, wherein said filtering comprises the generation of an audit trail.

21. A computer program product, comprising:

one or more computer useable media;

means associated with said computer useable media for programming a data processing platform to implement a storage manager adapted to manage client data on a data storage resource, and to provide data filtering as by;

receiving an identification of a data stream filter that is not part of said storage manager and does not require client application or storage manager domain knowledge;

invoking said filter as part of a requested data stream operation;

providing a data stream to said filter; and

sending the output of said filter to a data stream destination.

22. A computer program product in accordance with claim 21, wherein said filter identification is received as one of an attribute of a storage manager transaction request, a storage resource, an application, a host, a user, or a storage object category.

23. A computer program product in accordance with claim 21, wherein said filtering results in a transformation of said data stream and said filter is part of a filter pair comprising a write filter that performs a transformation on said data stream and a read filter that may or may not reverse said transformation.

24. A computer program product in accordance with claim 23, wherein said filtering comprises one of compression/decompression filtering, encryption/decryption filtering or character set conversion filtering.

25. A computer program product in accordance with claim 21, wherein said filtering results in the generation of information about said data stream without transforming said data stream.

27. A computer program product in accordance with claim 21, wherein said filter is invoked in its own execution context and said data stream is provided to and received from said filter via an interprocess communication mechanism.

28. A computer program product in accordance with claim 27, wherein said interprocess communication mechanism comprises a first pipe for providing said data stream to said filter and a second pipe for receiving said data stream from said filter.

29. A computer program product in accordance with claim 21, wherein said filter is invoked with a filter argument that is passed to said filter if said filter is adapted to process said filter argument and suppressed if said filter is not adapted to process said filter argument.

30. A computer program product in accordance with claim 29, wherein said filter is one of an encryption or decryption filter and said filter argument pertains to identification of an encryption key.

31. A storage manager method for managing client data on a data storage resource with data stream filtering on behalf of a remote client, comprising:

implementing a storage manager system, comprising;

a data processing core;

a first communication interface to said remote client;

a second communication interface to a data storage resource;

one of a filter receiving interface or a filter identification interface respectively adapted to receive a data stream filter or an identification of a data stream filter that is not part of said storage manager and does not require client application or storage manager domain knowledge;

a filter invocation subsystem adapted to invoke said filter;

a data stream receiver adapted to receive a data stream from a data stream source;

a filter writer adapted to provide said data stream to said filter;

a filter reader adapted to receive said data stream from said filter following filtering thereof; and

a data stream sender adapted to send said data stream to a data stream destination;

implementing a filter store adapted to maintain said filter or an identification of said filter and which is accessible by said storage manager system; and

receiving said filter or an identification of said filter from said remote client or a location specified by said remote client;

receiving a data stream from a data stream source that is either an application associated with said remote client or said data storage resource;

providing said data stream to said filter; and

receiving said data stream from said filter following filtering thereof and sending said data stream to a data stream destination that is either said remote client application or said data storage resource.

32. A method in accordance with claim 31, wherein said filter is received from a trusted authority specified by said remote client.

33. A method in accordance with claim 31, wherein said filter is received from said remote client.

34. A method in accordance with claim 31, wherein said filter is identified by said remote client by selecting one of several filters maintained by said filter store.

35. A computer program product, comprising:

one or more computer useable media;

means associated with said computer useable media for programming a data processing platform to operate as by;

receiving an identification of a plug-in to be used in conjunction with a requested data processing operation;

invoking said plug-in;

receiving data from a data source;

providing said data to said plug-in;

providing an argument to said plug-in that pertains to how said data is to be processed;

receiving said data from said plug-in following processing thereof; and

sending said data to a data destination.