System and method for performing integrated storage operations

• US 7,734,578 B2
• Filed: 11/15/2004
• Issued: 06/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: CommVault Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: CommVault Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Zhou, Lixin, May, Andreas, Ngo, David, Prahlad, Anand
• Primary Examiner(s): Mofiz; Apu M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bibbee; Jared M
• Application Number:
  US10/989,893
• Publication Number:
  US 20060155712A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,031 Days
• Field of Search: 707/100, 707/200, 707/1
• US Class Current: 707/609
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1435 using file system or storage system metadata
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1448 Management of the data involved in backup or backup restore
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1451 by selection of backup contents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1464 for networked environments
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1469 Backup restoration techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/84 Using snapshots, i.e. a logical point-in-time copy of the data
• 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 3/065 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: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for performing integrated storage operations on an information store. The present invention comprises identifying a plurality disparate types of storage operations stored in a policy option table. A first storage operation is performed according to a first set of storage criteria stored in the policy option table and a second operation, disparate from the first storage operation, is performed according to a second set of storage criteria stored in the policy option table.

Claims

1. A method for performing integrated storage operations on an information store, the method comprising:

initiating a first type of storage operation to be performed on an information store, wherein initiating the first type of storage operation includes selecting the first type of storage operation based on a first set of storage preferences;

performing the first type of storage operation on the information store, wherein performing the first type of storage operation includes copying at least a first portion of the information store to one or more storage devices and generating first metadata which describes at least the copied first portion stored on the one or more storage devices, wherein the first metadata has a first format associated with the first type of storage operation;

initiating a second type of storage operation disparate from the first of storage operation to be performed on the information store, wherein initiating the second type of storage operation includes selecting the second type of storage operation based on a second set of storage preferences, wherein the second type of storage operation differs from the first type of storage operation; and

performing the second type of storage operation on the information store, wherein performing the second type of storage operation includes copying at least a second portion of the information store to one or more storage devices and generating second metadata which describes at least the copied second portion stored on the one or more storage devices, wherein the second metadata has a second format associated with the second type of storage operation, and wherein the second format of metadata is different from the first format of metadata;

wherein the first type of storage operation and the second type of storage operation are performed by one or more data agents that converts the first metadata having a first format associated with the first type of storage operation and the second metadata having a second format associated with the second of storage operation into a normalized metadata format.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the method includes identifying a plurality of disparate types of storage operations stored in a policy option table, wherein each type of storage operation copies at least a portion of the information store to one or more storage devices.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first type of storage operation is one of a full copy, snapshot, and serverless copy, and

wherein the second type of storage operation is a different one of a full copy, snapshot or serverless copy.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the first metadata includes the location of at least the copied first portion on the one or more storage devices and the second metadata includes the location of at least the copied second portion stored on the one or more storage devices.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the first type of storage operation is a full copy operation and the second type of storage operation is a snapshot operation.

4. A system for performing disparate types of storage operations on an information store, the system comprising:

an information store for storing data;

one or more data agents for performing disparate storage operations on the information store in conjunction with one or more media agents; and

one or more storage devices;

wherein the one or more data agents are configured to carry out, in conjunction with one or more media agents;

initiating a first type of storage operation to be performed on the information store, wherein initiating the first type of storage operation includes selecting the first type of storage operation based on a first set of storage preferences;

performing the first type of storage operation on the information store, wherein performing the first type of storage operation includes copying at least a first portion of the information store to one or more storage devices and generating first metadata which describes at least the copied first portion stored on the one or more storage devices, wherein the first metadata has a first format associated with the first type of storage operation;

initiating a second type of storage operation disparate from the first type of storage operation to be performed on the information store, wherein initiating the second type of storage operation includes selecting the second type of storage operation based on a second set of storage preferences; and

performing the second type of storage operation on the information store, wherein performing the second type of storage operation includes copying at least a second portion of the information store to one or more storage devices and generating second metadata which describes at least the copied second portion stored on the one or more storage devices, wherein the second metadata has a second format associated with the second type of storage operation, wherein the second format of metadata is different from the first format; and

,

converting the first metadata having a first format associated with the first type of storage operation and the second metadata having a second format associated with the second type of storage operation into a normalized metadata format.

5. The system of claim 4, further comprising:

a restoration component, wherein the restoration component is configured to identify data to be restored within at least the copied first and second portions of the data store based on a review of the metadata in the normalized metadata format.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein a single data agent in communication with the information store is configured to carry out the initiating and performing of the first storage operation, the initiating and performing of the second storage operation, and the converting of the first metadata and second metadata into a normalized metadata format.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein a first data agent is configured carry out the initiating and performing of the first storage operation, a second data agent is configured to carry out the initiating and performing of the second storage operation, and a third data agent, in communication with the first data agent and the second data agent, is configured to carry out the converting of the first metadata and the second metadata into a normalized metadata format.

8. A method of copying at least a portion of an information store, the method comprising:

performing a first type of storage operation to copy at least a first portion of an information store to one or more storage devices;

generating first metadata which describes at least the copied first portion stored on the one or more storage devices, wherein the first metadata has a first format associated with the first type of storage operation;

performing a second type of storage operation, disparate from the first type of storage operation, to copy at least a second portion of the information store to one or more storage devices;

generating second metadata which describes at least the copied second portion stored on the one or more storage devices, wherein the second metadata has a second format associated with the second type of storage operation, wherein the second format is incompatible with the first format; and

converting the first metadata having a first format associated with the first type of storage operation and the second metadata having the second format associated with the second type of storage operation into a normalized metadata format.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving a request to restore a portion of the information store; and

utilizing the normalized metadata to restore the requested portion of the information store from the one or more storage devices.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving a request to restore a single file from the information store;

utilizing the normalized metadata to restore the requested single file the information store from the one or more storage devices.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the first type of storage operation and the second type of storage operation are selected after reviewing a policy option table.