System and method for generating and managing quick recovery volumes

• US 8,055,625 B2
• Filed: 01/22/2008
• Issued: 11/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CommVault Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: CommVault Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Alexander, John, Pittaluga, Ivan, Schwartz, Jeremy A., May, Andreas, Prahlad, Anand
• Primary Examiner(s): AL HASHEMI, SANA A
• Application Number:
  US12/017,923
• Publication Number:
  US 20080183775A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,386 Days
• Field of Search: 707/639, 707/640, 707/645, 707/649
• US Class Current: 707/649
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1435 using file system or storage system metadata
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1446 Point-in-time backing up or restoration of persistent data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1466 to make the backup process non-disruptive
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/178 Techniques for file synchronisation in file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/84 Using snapshots, i.e. a logical point-in-time copy of the data
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

The invention relates to computer readable medium storing program code which when executed on a computer causes the computer to perform a method for creating a quick recovery volume of a primary data set used by a first computer in a backup storage system, which includes identifying a snapshot image of the primary data set generated by a snapshot application, creating the quick recovery volume of the primary data set from the snapshot image of the primary data set and controlling transfer of data from the first computer to an archival storage unit. In one embodiment, the invention provides a method for creating a quick recovery volume of a primary data set that includes creating a snapshot image of the primary data set and creating a quick recovery volume of the primary data set from the snapshot image of the primary data set. In another embodiment, the invention provides a user interface screen enabling browser style browsing and recovery of quick recovery volumes and snapshot images.

Claims

1. A computer readable medium storing programming code, which when executed causes a computer to present a snapshot manager that interfaces with a backup storage system, the snapshot manager enabling users to browse snapshot images and enabling users to recover snapshot images stored in the backup storage system, wherein the snapshot manager interfaces with a volume snapshot service for creating a snapshot image, wherein the snapshot image is an exact image of an original volume.

2. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the stored program code further comprises a snapshot requester program module that packages data for the snapshot image, the packaged data communicated to the volume snapshot service for creating the snapshot image.

3. The computer readable medium of claim 1, comprising a snapshot requester program module, and a snapshot writer program module directed by the snapshot requester program module to package data for the snapshot image, the writer program module packaging data for a specific application, the packaged data communicated to the volume snapshot service for creating the snapshot image.

4. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the snapshot manager program module indexes snapshot images, snapshot indexing enabling at least one of copying, deleting, displaying, browsing, changing properties, and recovering snapshot images.

5. The computer readable medium of claim 4, wherein the indexing comprises indexing in terms of objects native to particular applications.