SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PERFORMING STORAGE OPERATIONS USING NETWORK ATTACHED STORAGE

• US 20140025914A1
• Filed: 09/26/2013
• Published: 01/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CommVault Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: CommVault Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Prahlad, Anand, Schwartz, Jeremy Alan
• Granted Patent: US 9,104,340 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/162
• 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 16/185 Hierarchical storage management [HSM] systems, e.g. file migration or policies thereof details of archiving G06F16/11
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0607 by facilitating the process of upgrading existing storage systems, e.g. for improving compatibility between host and storage device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0619 in relation to data integrity, e.g. data losses, bit errors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0649 Lifecycle management
• 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]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0685 Hybrid storage combining heterogeneous device types, e.g. hierarchical storage, hybrid arrays
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99955 Archiving or backup

Abstract

Systems and methods for performing hierarchical storage operations on electronic data in a computer network are provided. In one embodiment, the present invention may store electronic data from a network device to a network attached storage (NAS) device pursuant to certain storage criteria. The data stored on the NAS may be migrated to a secondary storage and a stub file having a pointer pointing to the secondary storage may be put at the location the data was previously stored on the NAS. The stub file may redirect the network device to the secondary storage if a read request for the data is received from the network device.

Claims

1. A method for managing the storage of electronic data, the method comprising:

storing a first copy of files at a first storage location in a network storage device (“

NAS device”

), wherein the NAS device has an internal operating system and an internal file management system, and wherein the NAS device communicates with other devices via a network;

tracking the first copy of the files stored in the NAS device with a data migrator, wherein the data migrator executes on one or more computer processors that are externally located from the NAS device, the data migrator also has a different file management system than the NAS device, the data migrator maintains index data in a location external to the NAS device, the index cache comprises information about the first storage location of the first copy of the files on the NAS device;

processing at least one storage policy with the data migrator to determine when to copy the first copy of the files on the NAS device to one or more secondary storage devices;

using the index data maintained by the data migrator to identify that the first copy of the files is stored in the NAS device; and

migrating, with the data migrator, the first copy of the files stored in the NAS device to a secondary copy stored in the one or more secondary storage devices.