Snapshot storage and management system with indexing and user interface

• US 7,873,806 B2
• Filed: 07/27/2009
• Issued: 01/18/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CommVault Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: CommVault Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Zhou, Lixin, May, Andreas, Ngo, David, Prahlad, Anand, Lunde, Norman R., Kumar, Avinash
• Primary Examiner(s): Rutz; Jared I
• Application Number:
  US12/510,059
• Publication Number:
  US 20090307449A1
• Time in Patent Office: 540 Days
• Field of Search: 711/162, 707/639
• US Class Current: 711/162
• 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 11/1456 Hardware arrangements for backup
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1469 Backup restoration techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2003/0697 device management, e.g. handlers, drivers, I/O schedulers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/84 Using snapshots, i.e. a logical point-in-time copy of the data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0601 Interfaces specially adapted for storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0619 in relation to data integrity, e.g. data losses, bit errors
• 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 707/99953 Recoverability
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99955 Archiving or backup

Abstract

A system and method of managing stored data in a storage management system. The storage management system includes a storage manager, a media agent connected to the storage manager, and a primary volume connected to the media agent. A plurality of snapshots are taken of the primary volume. The snapshots are indexed by associating respective information with the snapshot. The indexed snapshots are copied to a recovery volume. In this way, browsing features are enabled for the user. The user may view the snapshots in a hierarchical format, and may even view snapshot data in association with the corresponding application. The resultant recovery volume may be used to replace a primary volume.

Claims

1. A method of creating a quick recovery volume from a primary volume of data stored in a storage management system, wherein the storage management system includes a primary volume storing data, the method comprising:

performing a snapshot operation, wherein performing the snapshot operation includes;

quiescing the primary volume of data;

creating a first snapshot of the primary volume of data;

after the first snapshot is taken, dequiescing the primary volume of data; and

indexing the first snapshot by associating respective information relating to individual files within the primary volume of data with the first snapshot; and

performing a copy operation, wherein the copy operation is performed after the primary volume is dequiesced and includes;

selecting the first snapshot as a source of data to copy to a quick recovery volume, wherein the quick recovery volume includes information about an application that created the data of the primary volume;

logically addressing the data to be copied to the quick recovery volume; and

,

performing a block-level copy of the logically addressed data of the selected first snapshot to the quick recovery volume.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

displaying the first snapshot to a user, wherein displaying the first snapshot includes displaying information associated with an application that created data tracked by the first snapshot, wherein displaying the first snapshot includes displaying at least one of a date of creation of the first snapshot, a persistence of the snapshot, and a location of the snapshot.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

displaying the first snapshot to a user, wherein displaying the first snapshot includes displaying information associated with an application that created data tracked by the first snapshot.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying the first snapshot to a user via a screen corresponding to the application that created the data of the primary volume.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

presenting a user one or more files created by the application that created the data of the primary volume;

receiving a selection from the user to restore the file;

suspending access to the quick recovery volume;

restoring the selected file via the quick recovery volume; and

reinstating access to the quick recovery volume.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

creating a second snapshot of the primary volume of data, wherein the second snapshot only tracks changes to the primary volume of data after the first snapshot was taken; and

selecting the second snapshot as the source of data changed after the first snapshot was taken to copy to the quick recovery volume.

7. A computer-readable storage medium storing computer executable code for managing stored data in a storage management system, the storage management system including a primary volume that stores data, the computer executable code enabling a method comprising:

creating a first snapshot of the primary volume in accordance with a predefined policy, the policy comprising one or more parameters for creating a corresponding quick recovery volume, and wherein the first snapshot tracks portions of data stored in the primary volume;

indexing the first snapshot by associating respective information with the first snapshot, wherein the indexing includes associating information relating to individual files within the primary volume of data to respective data portions tracked by the first snapshot;

creating a second snapshot after the first snapshot and in accordance with the predefined policy;

indexing the second snapshot by associating respective information with the second snapshot, wherein the indexing includes associating information relating to individual files within the primary volume of data to respective data portions tracked by the second snapshot;

performing a copy operation after creating the first and second snapshots, wherein performing the copy operation includes;

selecting the first or second snapshot for copying to a corresponding quick recovery volume, wherein the quick recovery volume includes information about one or more applications that created data stored in the primary volume;

logically addressing data to be copied to the quick recovery volume; and

,

performing a block-level copy of the selected snapshot to the corresponding quick recovery volume.

8. A method for producing a copy of data in a primary volume, the method comprising:

performing a first snapshot of data in a primary volume in accordance with a predefined policy, the first snapshot being a block level copy of the data in the primary volume and the policy comprising one or more parameters for creating a quick recovery volume,

wherein the quick recovery volume includes information about at least one application that created data in the primary volume;

storing the first snapshot;

in accordance with at least a second criteria specified in the policy, monitoring for a change in any one of the blocks stored in the first snapshot;

storing a copy of a particular block when the monitoring determines that there was a change in the particular block from the first snapshot;

producing a copy of the primary volume using the first snapshot and any copies of blocks that changed after the first snapshot, after at least one block has changed since the first snapshot;

selecting the first snapshot for copying to a corresponding quick recovery volume; and

,

performing a block-level copy of the selected snapshot to the corresponding quick recovery volume, wherein performing the block-level copy includes logically addressing data to be copied to the quick recovery volume.

9. A method of managing stored data in a storage management system, the storage management system including a storage manager, a media agent connected to the storage manager, and a primary volume connected to the media agent, the method comprising:

under direction of the storage manager, performing a snapshot of the primary volume wherein the snapshot tracks data blocks of the primary volume,

wherein the snapshot is performed based on one or more parameters for creating a quick recovery volume, and

wherein the quick recovery volume includes information about an application that created the data of the primary volume;

identifying characteristics associated with the data blocks tracked by the snapshot, wherein the data blocks are associated with individual files within the primary volume of data;

storing the characteristics in an index that associates the data blocks of the primary volume with portions of the snapshot that track the data blocks;

under direction of the media agent, copying the data blocks tracked by the snapshot to a destination volume via the snapshot; and

,

deleting the snapshot; and

storing the index to the destination volume.

10. The method of managing stored data in a storage management system of claim 9, wherein the one or more parameters for creating a quick recovery volume comprise a destination volume parameter of the quick recovery volume.

11. The method of managing stored data in a storage management system of claim 9, wherein the one or more parameters for creating a quick recovery volume comprise a persistence parameter provided in the policy.

12. The method of managing stored data in a storage management system of claim 9, wherein the one or more parameters for creating a quick recovery volume comprise a data pruning parameter provided in the policy.