Integrated snapshot interface for a data storage system

• US 9,342,537 B2
• Filed: 03/06/2013
• Issued: 05/17/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CommVault Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: CommVault Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Kumarasamy, Paramasivam, Mitkar, Amit, Zakharkin, Dmitriy Borisovich
• Primary Examiner(s): Chau, Dung K
• Application Number:
  US13/787,643
• Publication Number:
  US 20130282662A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,168 Days
• Field of Search: 707/649, 707/672, 707/610, 707/641, 707/655, 707/999.2
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/14 Error detection or correction of the data by redundancy in operation G06F11/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1451 by selection of backup contents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2089 Redundant storage control functionality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2094 Redundant storage or storage space G06F11/2056 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2097 maintaining the standby controller/processing unit updated initialisation or re-synchronisation thereof G06F11/1658 and subgroups
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/21 Design, administration or maintenance of databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/84 Using snapshots, i.e. a logical point-in-time copy of the data
• 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 3/0683 Plurality of storage devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0689 Disk arrays, e.g. RAID, JBOD

Abstract

A data storage system includes a generic snapshot interface, allowing for integration with a wide variety of snapshot-capable storage devices. The generic interface can be a programming interface (e.g., an application programming interface [API]). Using the snapshot interface, storage device vendors can integrate their particular snapshot technology with the data storage system. For instance, the data storage system can access a shared library of functions (e.g., a dynamically linked library [DLL]) provided by the vendor (or another by appropriate entity) and that complies with the specifications of the common programming interface. And by invoking the appropriate functions in the library, the data storage system implements the snapshot operation on the storage device.

Claims

1. A data storage system, comprising:

a source system in communication with a destination system comprising a first storage device, the first storage device configured to perform snapshot operations;

at least one software application executing on the source system and generating production data;

a snapshot management module executing on one or more processors and configured to;

receive a request to perform a snapshot operation involving a stored version of at least a portion of the production data that resides on the first storage device;

determine that the first storage device is a first type of a plurality of types of storage devices, wherein each type of the plurality of types corresponds to a different vendor and/or a different product from a particular vendor;

determine that the source system does not include built-in support for the first storage device based at least in part on the determined first type;

communicate with the destination system to identify one or more functions for performing the requested snapshot operation and that are defined at least in part by a programming interface specification residing on the source systems; and

invoke instances of the one or more identified functions that are in compliance with the programming interface specification and are implemented specifically for storage devices of the first type,

wherein a snapshot engine residing on the first storage device is responsive to the invoking of the instances of the one or more identified functions to perform the requested snapshot operation,

wherein the snapshot management module includes pre-configured functionality for interacting with storage devices having at least a different type without using the programming interface specification to perform snapshot operations, and

wherein the pre-configured functionality includes one or more functions that are not in compliance with the programming interface specification residing on the source system.

2. The data storage system of claim 1, wherein the instances of the one or more identified functions are accessed from a shared library associated with the first type of storage device.

3. The data storage system of claim 2, wherein the shared library is accessed by the source system from the first storage device.

4. The data storage system of claim 1, wherein the first storage device is configured to perform hardware snapshots.

5. The data storage system of claim 1, wherein the requested snapshot operation includes one or more of a snapshot creation operation, a snapshot mount operation, and a snapshot revert operation.

6. The data storage system of claim 1, wherein the snapshot management module resides on the source system.

7. The data storage system of claim 1, wherein the source system is in communication with a second storage device of a second type and that is configured to perform snapshot operations, and wherein the snapshot management module is further configured to:

receive a request to perform a snapshot operation involving a stored version of at least a portion of the production data that resides on the second storage device;

process the request to identify one or more functions for performing the requested snapshot operation and that are defined at least in part by the programming interface specification; and

invoke instances of the one or more identified functions that are in compliance with the programming interface specification and are implemented specifically for storage devices of the second type,

wherein a snapshot engine residing on the second storage device is responsive to the invoking of the instances of the one or more identified functions to perform the requested snapshot operation.

8. The data storage system of claim 7, wherein the instances of the one or more identified functions that are implemented for the first type of storage device are provided by a first vendor and wherein the instances of the one or more identified functions that are implemented for the second type of storage device are provided by a second vendor.

9. The data storage system of claim 1, wherein the snapshot management module resides on one or more processors of the source system.

10. The data storage system of claim 1, wherein the snapshot management module resides on one or more processors of a proxy computing device that is separate from the source system.

11. A method of performing one or more snapshot operations on production data generated in a data storage system, the method comprising:

receiving a request to perform a snapshot operation involving a stored version of at least a portion of production data that resides on a first storage device of a destination system, the production data generated by at least one software application executing on a source system that is in communication with the first storage device, the first storage device configured to perform snapshot operations;

determining that the first storage device is a first type of a plurality of types of storage devices, wherein each type of the plurality of types corresponds to a different vendor and/or a different product from a particular vendor;

determining that the source system does not include built-in support for the first storage device based at least in part on the determined first type;

communicating with the destination system to identify one or more functions for performing the requested snapshot operation and that are defined at least in part by a programming interface specification residing on the source system; and

invoking, using one or more computer processors, instances of the one or more identified functions that are in compliance with the programming interface specification and are implemented specifically for storage devices of the first type,

wherein a snapshot engine residing on the first storage device is responsive to the invoking of the instances of the one or more identified functions to perform the requested snapshot operation,

wherein the source system includes pre-configured functionality for interacting with storage devices having at least a different type without using the programming interface specification to perform snapshot operations, and

wherein the pre-configured functionality includes one or more functions that are not in compliance with the programming interface specification residing on the source system.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising accessing the instances of the one or more identified functions from a shared library associated with the first type of storage device.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the shared library is accessed by the source system from the first storage device.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the first storage device is configured to perform hardware snapshots.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the requested snapshot operation includes one or more of a snapshot creation operation, a snapshot mount operation, and a snapshot revert operation.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the source system is in communication with a second storage device of a second type and that is configured to perform snapshot operations, the method further comprising:

receiving a request to perform a snapshot operation involving a stored version of at least a portion of the production data that resides on the second storage device;

processing the request to identify one or more functions for performing the requested snapshot operation and that are defined at least in part by the programming interface specification; and

invoking instances of the one or more identified functions that are in compliance with the programming interface specification and are implemented specifically for storage devices of the second type,

wherein a snapshot engine residing on the second storage device is responsive to the invoking of the instances of the one or more identified functions to perform the requested snapshot operation.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the instances of the one or more identified functions that are implemented for the first type of storage device are provided by a first vendor and wherein the instances of the one or more identified functions that are implemented for the second type of storage device are provided by a second vendor.