METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR LEVERAGING IDENTIFIED CHANGES TO A MAIL SERVER

• US 20100057870A1
• Filed: 08/27/2009
• Published: 03/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CommVault Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: CommVault Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Ahn, Jun H., Ngo, David
• Granted Patent: US 8,370,442 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1446 Point-in-time backing up or restoration of persistent data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2358 Change logging, detection, and notification replication G06F16/27
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/08 Annexed information, e.g. attachments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes

Abstract

A method and system for identifying changes to a data set, such as data within a mailbox, and performing actions based on the identified changes is discussed. In some examples, the system receives an indication of a change to a mailbox, creates a change journal entry for the change, and identifies data to be copied via the change journal entry. In some examples, the system leverages the change journal to associate messages with changes to a mailbox.

Claims

1. A system for performing a data storage operation for data stored on a mail server, the system comprising:

an identification component stored within a memory of the system, wherein the identification component is configured to identify one or more changes within a data store associated with a mailbox, wherein the one or more changes include movement of at least one electronic mail message from one folder to another folder within the mailbox, deletion of at least one electronic mail message from a folder within the mailbox, or reception of at least one electronic mail message at an inbox folder within the mailbox;

a log component configured to communicate with the identification component, wherein the log component is configured to generate one or more log entries, wherein each of the one or more log entries is associated with the one or more changes to the data store; and

a data transfer component configured to communicate with the log component and configured to perform copy operations for the data store associated with the mailbox, wherein the data transfer component is configured to access messages stored within the data store that are associated with the identified changes and associated with the generated one or more entries, and copy the accessed messages to a secondary copy of the data store.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more entries of the log component includes information associated with a path to the messages stored within the data store and information associated with a type of the messages stored within the data store.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the identification component identifies the one or more changes via an event sync component associated with the mail server, wherein the event sync component provides indications to the identification component of changes within the data store.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a query table component, wherein the query table component is configured to build a table based on the generated one or more entries and receive queries from the data transfer component in order to access the messages stored within the data store and associated with the identified changes and the generated one or more entries.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a content indexing component, wherein the content indexing component creates an index of content associated with the messages stored within the data store and associated with the identified changes.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a data classification component, wherein the data classification component classifies data associated with the messages stored within the data store and associated with the identified changes.

7. A computer-readable storage medium storing instructions for controlling a computer system to perform a method of transferring an email message to a secondary copy of a data store associated with a mailbox, the method comprising:

accessing an event sync file associated with a mailbox, wherein the event sync file includes indications of changes made to electronic mail messages within the mailbox;

creating a change journal to include entries associated with the changes made to the electronic mail messages within the mailbox; and

identifying the changes made to the electronic mail messages within the mailbox from information within the change journal entries; and

transferring the changes to the electronic mail messages within the mailbox to a secondary copy of data associated with the mailbox.

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the information within the change journal entries includes information indicating locations of the changes and information indicating types of the changes.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the information within the change journal entries includes a path to the changes.

10. A system for performing a backup of an email server, the method comprising:

means for accessing a change component associated with the email server, wherein the change component indicates changes within the email server; and

means for identifying email messages stored in a data store of the email server associated with the changes within the email server; and

means for performing a backup of the identified email messages.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

means for creating a log file from information in the change component, wherein the log file includes entries associated with the changes within the email server, each entry including information associated with a path to a change within the email server and information associated with a type of change within the email server.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the changes within the email server relate to received messages, moved messages, or deleted messages.

13. A method for displaying email messages to a user, the system comprising:

receiving an indication of a message received at a mailbox associated with the user;

generating a journal entry associated with the received message, wherein the journal entry includes a path to the received message;

extracting content associated with the received message;

identifying other messages contained in the mailbox having content similar to the extracted content; and

presenting the received message along with information associated with the identified other messages to the user.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein presenting the received message includes presenting at least one identified other message directly above or below the received message in a presented list of messages, wherein the at least one identified other message resides in a folder of the mailbox different from a folder of the mailbox that receives the received message.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein presenting the received message includes presenting a indication that other messages contain content similar to the content of the received message.

16. A method for transferring messages stored in an email system from a first folder to a second folder, the method comprising:

receiving an indication that a first message was transferred from a first folder to a second folder within the email system;

generating a log file to include an entry for the received indication of the transfer, wherein the entry includes path information to the first message;

accessing the first message in the second folder via the path information;

extracting content from the first message;

identifying a second message within the email system that includes content similar to the content extracted from the first message; and

transferring the second message to the second folder.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

requesting authorization from a user of the email system to transfer the second message to the second folder; and

transferring the second message to the second folder upon receiving authorization from the user.

18. A method for displaying email messages to a user of a mobile device, the system comprising:

receiving an indication of a message received at a mailbox associated with the mobile device;

extracting content associated with the received message;

identifying other messages contained in the mailbox having content similar to the extracted content; and

presenting the received message along with information associated with the identified other messages to the user via a display of the mobile device.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein presenting the received message includes presenting a symbol indicating that other messages contain content similar to the extracted content of the received message.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein presenting the received message includes:

transferring one or more other messages to the mobile device, wherein the one or more other messages contain content similar to the content of the extracted content of the received message; and

displaying the transferred one or more other messages to the user via the display of the mobile device.