Managing copies of data
First Claim
1. A system for retrieving data, the system comprising:
- at least one processor;
memory coupled to the processor;
means for receiving a request identifying at least one data object to be accessed;
means for querying an index to locate two or more data copies that contain the identified at least one data object, wherein for each of the two or more data copies, the index contains an indication of an availability of the data copy relative to other data copies,wherein the two or more data copies are respectively stored on two or more different and separate data storage devices,wherein the data storage devices are coupled via a network,wherein a first indication of the availability of a first data copy includes a first indication related to a first time M for providing or accessing the at least one data object in response to an access request, andwherein a second indication of the availability of a second data copy includes a second indication related to a second time M+N for providing or accessing the at least one data object in response to the access request,where M and N are positive quantities of time;
means for automatically determining one of the two or more data copies to use to access the identified at least one data object,wherein the determination is made based at least in part on the indicated availability contained in the index for each of the two or more data copies; and
means for providing an access request for accessing the identified at least one data object using the determined one of the two or more data copies,wherein the access request is provided to one of the two or more different and separate data storage devices.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method in a computer system for retrieving data from one of multiple copies of the data is provided, referred to as the data management system. The data management system receives a request identifying at least one data object to be accessed. Then, the data management system queries a metabase to locate data copies that contain the identified at least one data object, wherein the data copies are created from similar source data, and wherein for each data copy the metabase contains an indication of the availability of the copy relative to other copies. Next, the data management system determines one of the located data copies to use to access the identified at least one data object, wherein the determination is made based on the indicated availability contained in the metabase for each of the located data copies. Then, the data management system accesses the identified at least one data object using the determined one of the located data copies.
190 Citations
25 Claims
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1. A system for retrieving data, the system comprising:
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at least one processor; memory coupled to the processor; means for receiving a request identifying at least one data object to be accessed; means for querying an index to locate two or more data copies that contain the identified at least one data object, wherein for each of the two or more data copies, the index contains an indication of an availability of the data copy relative to other data copies, wherein the two or more data copies are respectively stored on two or more different and separate data storage devices, wherein the data storage devices are coupled via a network, wherein a first indication of the availability of a first data copy includes a first indication related to a first time M for providing or accessing the at least one data object in response to an access request, and wherein a second indication of the availability of a second data copy includes a second indication related to a second time M+N for providing or accessing the at least one data object in response to the access request, where M and N are positive quantities of time; means for automatically determining one of the two or more data copies to use to access the identified at least one data object, wherein the determination is made based at least in part on the indicated availability contained in the index for each of the two or more data copies; and means for providing an access request for accessing the identified at least one data object using the determined one of the two or more data copies, wherein the access request is provided to one of the two or more different and separate data storage devices. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-implementable instructions to perform a method in a computer system for retrieving data, the method comprising:
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receiving a request identifying at least one data object to be accessed; identifying multiple copies of the data object that satisfy the request; wherein each of the multiple data copies are respectively stored on one of multiple different and separate data storage devices, wherein the multiple different and separate data storage devices are substantially permanent or non-volatile storage devices, and wherein the multiple data storage devices are coupled to the computer system via a network, and for each identified copy, determining an availability of the identified copy relative to the other identified copies, wherein a first availability of a first identified copy includes a first indication related to a first time M for accessing or providing the identified at least one data object in response to an access request, and wherein a second indication of the availability of a second identified copy includes a second indication related to a second time M+N for providing or accessing the identified at least one data object in response to the access request, where M and N are positive quantities of time; receiving a selection of one of the multiple identified copies to use for accessing the identified at least one data object, wherein the selection is based on the determined availability of the identified copies; and providing an access request for accessing the identified at least one data object using the selected copy, wherein the access request is provided to one of the multiple different and separate data storage devices. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A tangible computer-readable medium containing instructions for controlling a computer system to create copies of data, by a method comprising:
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identifying source data stored within a computer system; creating a primary copy of the data stored within the computer system; updating a database with information describing availability of the primary copy of the data stored within the computer system, wherein a subsequent data access request can determine a precedence with which to access copies of requested data based on the availability information, and wherein the availability information includes at least a type of media on which the primary copy of the data is stored or a location where the data copy is stored or types of data management operations that have been performed on the data copy; and performing a data management operation on the primary copy to create at least one secondary copy of the data stored within the computer system by accessing the primary copy and without accessing source data, wherein the data management operation is selected from the group consisting essentially of encryption, de-duplication, and content indexing; and receiving a request to access data and determine which of the primary and at least one secondary copy to use to access the data based at least in part on the availability information stored within the database.
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Specification