U.S. patent application number 13/786992 was filed with the patent office on 2014-01-23 for automated grouping of computing devices in a networked data storage system.
This patent application is currently assigned to COMMVAULT SYSTEMS, INC.. The applicant listed for this patent is COMMVAULT SYSTEMS, INC.. Invention is credited to Amey Vijaykumar Karandikar, Anand Vibhor.
Application Number | 20140025796 13/786992 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 49947498 |
Filed Date | 2014-01-23 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140025796 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Vibhor; Anand ; et
al. |
January 23, 2014 |
AUTOMATED GROUPING OF COMPUTING DEVICES IN A NETWORKED DATA STORAGE
SYSTEM
Abstract
According to certain aspects, systems and methods are provided
for grouping clients together in a networked data storage
environment. For instance, clients can be grouped together based on
the software installed on the client or the client type. Each
client group can be configured to maintain the configuration of
clients within the client group. For example, one client group can
be configured to ensure that a particular software suite remains
up-to-date. Another client group can be configured to ensure that
data within a particular directory or on a particular storage
device associated with each client of the client group is backed up
each night.
Inventors: |
Vibhor; Anand; (Eatontown,
NJ) ; Karandikar; Amey Vijaykumar; (Long Branch,
NJ) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
COMMVAULT SYSTEMS, INC. |
Oceanport |
NJ |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
COMMVAULT SYSTEMS, INC.
Oceanport
NJ
|
Family ID: |
49947498 |
Appl. No.: |
13/786992 |
Filed: |
March 6, 2013 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61673423 |
Jul 19, 2012 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
709/222 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04L 41/12 20130101;
H04L 41/22 20130101; H04L 67/1097 20130101; G06F 11/1458 20130101;
H04L 41/20 20130101; H04L 41/0889 20130101; G06F 2201/84 20130101;
H04L 41/0893 20130101; H04L 41/048 20130101; H04L 41/082 20130101;
H04W 4/50 20180201; G06F 11/1464 20130101; H04L 41/0803 20130101;
G06Q 10/06313 20130101; G06F 11/1461 20130101; H04L 67/34 20130101;
H04L 41/0806 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
709/222 |
International
Class: |
H04L 12/24 20060101
H04L012/24 |
Claims
1. A method of managing a set of client computing devices in a
networked data storage environment, the method comprising:
electronically accessing, from a data store, grouping criteria for
grouping a plurality of client computing devices that form a client
pool into one or more client groups, the client computing devices
each having at least one software application executing thereon
that generates production data, primary copies of the production
data stored in primary storage, secondary copies of the production
data stored in secondary storage separate from the primary storage;
comparing, by one or more processors, a set of characteristics
associated with a first client of the plurality of client computing
devices to the grouping criteria to obtain a first comparison
result; based on the first comparison result, assigning the first
client to a first client group of the one or more client groups;
electronically accessing, from a data store, a set of configuration
rules associated with the first client group; and automatically
initiating, by one or more processors, the configuration of the
first client according to the set of configuration rules.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the grouping criteria defines
that the first client is assigned to the first client group if the
first client has a data agent residing thereon that is used in the
creation of secondary copies of at least some of the production
data generated by the at least one software application executing
on the first client.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein the at least one software
application of the first client comprises a first software
application and a second software application, wherein the data
agent is used in the creation of secondary copies of the production
data generated by the first software application, and wherein a
different data agent is used in the creation of secondary copies of
the production data generated by the second software
application.
4. The method of claim 1, further comprising: in response to a
second client computing device being added to the pool, comparing,
by one or more processors, a set of characteristics associated with
the second client with the grouping criteria; based on the
comparison, assigning the second client to the first client group;
and initiating the configuration of the second client according to
the set of configuration rules.
5. The method of claim 1, further comprising, in response to a
modification in the set of configuration rules, initiating
re-configuration of the first client according to the modified
configuration rules.
6. The method of claim 1, further comprising: in response to a
change in the set of characteristics associated with the first
client, comparing, by one or more processors, the changed set of
characteristics associated with the first client to the grouping
criteria; and if the comparison of the changed set of
characteristics to the grouping criteria indicates that the client
should no longer be assigned to the first client group,
disassociating the first client from the first client group.
7. The method of claim 6, further comprising: assigning the client
to a second client group; electronically accessing from a data
store a set of configuration rules associated with the second
client group; and initiating the re-configuration of the first
client according to the set of configuration rules associated with
the second client group.
8. The method of claim 1, further comprising presenting a graphical
user interface (GUI) to a user enabling the user to define grouping
criteria rules
9. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more client groups are
organized in a hierarchy of parent client groups and child client
groups, each parent client group having a subset of the grouping
criteria included by a child client group of the parent client
group.
10. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving modified
grouping criteria for grouping the plurality of client computing
devices; and comparing, by one or more processors, the set of
characteristics associated with the first client of the plurality
of client computing devices to the modified grouping criteria to
obtain a second comparison result.
11. The method of claim 10, further comprising assigning the first
client to a client group of the one or more client groups based on
the second comparison result.
12. The method of claim 10, further comprising: presenting a
preview of the one or more client groups based on the second
comparison result, the preview indicating the clients to be
included by each client group of the one or more clients groups
upon receiving confirmation of the modified grouping criteria; and
in response to receiving the confirmation of the modified grouping
criteria, assigning the first client to the client group of the one
or more client groups based on the second comparison result,
wherein the preview indicates that the client group includes the
first client.
13. The method of claim 1, wherein the first comparison result
indicates that the first client satisfies only a subset of grouping
criteria associated with the first client group.
14. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of characteristics can
include one or more of the following: an installed software
application, a hardware component, a geographic location, a name, a
usage pattern, an associated user, a date, an installed agent, and
a device classification of a client computing device.
15. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuration rules can
include one or more of the following: installation of a software
application, installation of an agent, scheduling of a backup
operation, and scheduling of a deduplication operation.
16. A system for managing a set of client computing devices in a
networked data storage environment, the system comprising: data
storage configured to store grouping criteria for grouping a
plurality of client computing devices that form a client pool into
one or more client groups, the client computing devices each having
at least one software application executing thereon that generates
production data, primary copies of the production data stored in
primary storage, secondary copies of the production data stored in
secondary storage separate from the primary storage; the data
storage further configured to store configuration rules for
configuring client computing devices; one or more processors; a
client grouping module executing in the one or more processors and
configured to: electronically access the grouping criteria from the
data storage; compare a set of characteristics associated with a
first client of the plurality of client computing devices to the
grouping criteria to obtain a first comparison result; and based on
the first comparison result, assign the first client to a first
client group of the one or more client groups; and a configuration
manager executing in the one or more processors and configured to:
electronically access, from the data storage, a set of
configuration rules associated with the first client group; and
initiate the configuration of the first client according to the set
of configuration rules.
17. The system of claim 16, wherein the data storage comprises a
first data store and a second data store, the first data store
configured to store the grouping criteria and the second data store
configured to store the configuration rules.
18. The system of claim 16, wherein the grouping criteria defines
that the first client is assigned to the first client group if the
first client has a data agent residing thereon that is used in the
creation of secondary copies of at least some of the production
data generated by the at least one software application executing
on the first client.
19. The system of claim 18, wherein the at least one software
application of the first client comprises a first software
application and a second software application, wherein the data
agent is used in the creation of secondary copies of the production
data generated by the first software application, and wherein a
different data agent is used in the creation of secondary copies of
the production data generated by the second software
application.
20. The system of claim 16, wherein: the client grouping module is
further configured to compare a set of characteristics associated
with a second client with the grouping criteria in response to the
second client computing device being added to the pool; and the
configuration manager is further configured to: assign the second
client to the first client group based on the comparison; and
initiate the configuration of the second client according to the
set of configuration rules.
21. The system of claim 16, wherein the client grouping module is
further configured to: compare a changed set of characteristics
associated with the first client to the grouping criteria in
response to the change in the set of characteristics associated
with the first client; and if the comparison of the changed set of
characteristics to the grouping criteria indicates that the client
should no longer be assigned to the first client group,
disassociate the first client from the first client group.
22. The system of claim 21, wherein: the client grouping module is
further configured to assign the client to a second client group;
and the configuration module is further configured to:
electronically access from the data storage a set of configuration
rules associated with the second client group; and initiate the
re-configuration of the first client according to the set of
configuration rules associated with the second client group.
23. The system of claim 16, further comprising an interface module
configured to present a graphical user interface (GUI) to a user
enabling the user to define grouping criteria rules.
24. The system of claim 16, wherein the one or more client groups
are organized in a hierarchy of parent client groups and child
client groups, each parent client group having a subset of the
grouping criteria included by a child client group of the parent
client group.
25. The system of claim 16, wherein the client grouping module is
further configured to: receive modified grouping criteria for
grouping the plurality of client computing devices; and compare the
set of characteristics associated with the first client of the
plurality of client computing devices to the modified grouping
criteria to obtain a second comparison result.
26. The system of claim 25, wherein the client grouping module is
further configured to assign the first client to a client group of
the one or more client groups based on the second comparison
result.
27. The system of claim 25, further comprising an interface module
configured to present a preview of the one or more client groups
based on the second comparison result, the preview indicating the
clients to be included by each client group of the one or more
clients groups upon receiving confirmation of the modified grouping
criteria, wherein the client grouping module is further configured
to assign the first client to the client group of the one or more
client groups based on the second comparison result in response to
receiving the confirmation of the modified grouping criteria,
wherein the preview indicates that the client group includes the
first client.
28. The system of claim 16, wherein the first comparison result
indicates that the first client satisfies only a subset of grouping
criteria associated with the first client group.
29. The system of claim 16, wherein the set of characteristics can
include one or more of the following: an installed software
application, a hardware component, a geographic location, a name, a
usage pattern, an associated user, a date, an installed agent, and
a device classification of a client computing device.
30. The system of claim 16, wherein the configuration rules can
include one or more of the following: installation of a software
application, installation of an agent, scheduling of a backup
operation, and scheduling of a deduplication operation.
31. Non-transitory physical computer storage comprising
computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more
processors, direct a computing system to perform a method for
managing a set of client computing devices in a networked data
storage environment, the method comprising: electronically
accessing, from a data store, grouping criteria for grouping a
plurality of client computing devices that form a client pool into
one or more client groups, the client computing devices each having
at least one software application executing thereon that generates
production data, primary copies of the production data stored in
primary storage, secondary copies of the production data stored in
secondary storage separate from the primary storage; comparing, by
one or more processors, a set of characteristics associated with a
first client of the plurality of client computing devices to the
grouping criteria to obtain a first comparison result; based on the
first comparison result, assigning the first client to a first
client group of the one or more client groups; electronically
accessing, from a data store, a set of configuration rules
associated with the first client group; and automatically
initiating, by one or more processors, the configuration of the
first client according to the set of configuration rules.
32. A method of managing a set of components in a networked data
storage system, the method comprising: accessing, from a data
store, grouping criteria for grouping a plurality of components in
a networked data storage system into one or more component groups,
the components comprising computer hardware components, computer
software components, or both; comparing, by one or more processors,
a set of characteristics associated with a first component of the
plurality of components to the grouping criteria; based on the
comparison, assigning the first component to a first component
group of the one or more component groups.
33. A method of managing a set of computing devices, the method
comprising: receiving an identity of a characteristic associated
with at least one computing device from a set of computing devices;
identifying one or more computing devices associated with the
identified characteristic from the set of computing devices;
creating a device group associated with the identified
characteristic; and assigning the one or more computing devices to
the device group associated with the identified characteristic.
34. The method of claim 33, further comprising: receiving a set of
configuration rules for configuring a computing device; associating
the set of configuration rules with the device group; and
configuring, based on the set of configuration rules, the one or
more computing devices assigned to the device group.
Description
RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims the benefit of priority under 35
U.S.C. .sctn.119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No.
61/673,423, filed on Jul. 19, 2012, and entitled "AUTOMATED
GROUPING OF COMPUTING DEVICES IN A NETWORKED DATA STORAGE SYSTEM,"
the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its
entirety.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Businesses worldwide recognize the commercial value of their
data and seek reliable, cost-effective ways to protect the
information stored on their computer networks while minimizing
impact on productivity. Protecting information is often part of a
routine process that is performed within an organization.
[0003] A company might back up critical computing systems such as
databases, file servers, web servers, and so on as part of a daily,
weekly, or monthly maintenance schedule. The company may similarly
protect computing systems used by each of its employees, such as
those used by an accounting department, marketing department,
engineering department, and so forth.
[0004] Given the rapidly expanding volume of data under management,
companies also continue to seek innovative techniques for managing
data growth, in addition to protecting data. For instance,
companies often implement migration techniques for moving data to
lower cost storage over time and data reduction techniques for
reducing redundant data, pruning lower priority data, etc.
[0005] Enterprises also increasingly view their stored data as a
valuable asset. Along these lines, customers are looking for
solutions that not only protect and manage, but also leverage their
data. For instance, solutions providing data analysis capabilities,
improved data presentation and access features, and the like, are
in increasing demand.
[0006] Computers have become an integral part of business
operations such that many banks, insurance companies, brokerage
firms, financial service providers, and a variety of other
businesses rely on computer networks to store, manipulate, and
display information that is constantly subject to change.
Oftentimes, the success or failure of an important transaction may
turn on the availability of information that is both accurate and
current. Accordingly, businesses worldwide recognize the commercial
value of their data and seek reliable, cost-effective ways to
protect the information stored on their computer networks.
[0007] Part of ensuring availability of data includes ensuring that
the computers used within the corporate environments are properly
maintained and that software resources are kept up-to-date. In
addition, to help keep costs within budget, it is important to
prioritize the use of resources according to need and importance
among other factors. For example, a company may wish to limit the
resources used to back up data stored on the company's computers by
limiting the frequency of backup of lower priority systems.
Further, a company may wish to limit software expense by limiting
the number of computers that include a particular software
package.
SUMMARY
[0008] In view of the above, companies often look for ways to
reduce the use of resources, such as human resources, while keeping
computing resources up-to-date and running efficiently. As part of
this process, companies may restrict the software that can be
installed on certain computer systems and may limit the
installation of certain software resources to a subset of computer
systems. Further, companies may schedule backups of data from
different computers at different times or with varying frequency.
For example, members of the research and development department may
have their systems backed up more frequently than members of the
marketing department.
[0009] One method to keep track of computing resources and to help
ensure that the computing resources are configured correctly and
are up-to-date is to create groupings of computer systems that are
intended to have the same or similar configuration. The present
disclosure describes methods and systems for automatically
assigning client computers to a set of pre-defined client groups
according to a stored grouping criteria, and for automatically
configuring computers based on the client groups to which they are
assigned.
[0010] In some embodiments, a storage manager is capable of
identifying the attributes of a computer or client and grouping the
client with other clients that share at least some of the
attributes. The types of attributes that may be identified by the
storage manager are not limited and may include any attribute
relating to the software and/or hardware configuration of the
client. For example, the attributes may relate to software running
on the particular client computer, such as the installed email
client, the installed operating system, application-specific data
agents associated with the client, etc., or to hardware associated
with the particular client computer, such as the installed amount
of RAM, the processor, etc.
[0011] The identity of the clients that are grouped together may be
stored in a database as a client group along with a set of
configuration rules for the client group. The configuration rules
may relate to any type of client configuration. For example, the
configuration rules may be used to specify what software is
installed on a client, when a client is to be backed up, how
frequently to backup a client, the type of data to backup from a
client, etc. In some cases, the configuration rules may be
optional. Further, although clients may be grouped to facilitate
common configuration, in some cases, clients may be grouped for
tracking purposes without the system applying configuration
rules.
[0012] In some embodiments, a client that no longer shares the
attributes of its client group may be reconfigured so that the
client includes the attributes of its client group. Advantageously,
in some embodiments, by enabling the system to reconfigure clients
to match a set of attributes associated with a client group, the
amount of resources required to maintain a client's configuration
is reduced. For example, suppose that one attribute of the client
group is that all clients within the group have a license to a
particular software suite. If at some point in time the client no
longer includes the license, the system can automatically renew the
license, or, if the license file of the software suite has become
corrupted, reinstall the software suite.
[0013] In other embodiments, a client that no longer shares the
attributes of its client group may be disassociated from the client
group. Further, in some cases, the client can be associated with a
new client group. For example, suppose that a client is associated
with a client group that includes clients located on the East coast
of the United States. Now suppose that the client is relocated to
the West coast. If one attribute of the client group is that the
clients share the same time zone, the moved client may be
disassociated from the East coast client group and may be
associated with the West coast client group. Advantageously, in
some embodiments, the system can automatically reconfigure the
client based on its inclusion with the West coast client group. For
example, if clients on the East coast are configured to have their
data automatically backed up at midnight, and clients on the West
coast are configured to have their data automatically backed up at
3:00 am, the configuration of the client which switched client
groups may be updated to cause its data to be backed up at 3:00 am
instead of midnight.
[0014] Certain embodiments described herein include a method for
managing a set of client computing devices in a networked storage
environment. In some cases, this method includes electronically
accessing, from a data store, grouping criteria for grouping a
plurality of client computing devices that form a client pool into
one or more client groups. The client computing devices may each
have at least one software application executing thereon that
generates production data. Primary copies of the production data
can be stored in primary storage and secondary copies of the
production data can be stored in secondary storage that is separate
from the primary storage. Further, the method includes comparing,
by one or more processors, a set of characteristics associated with
a first client of the plurality of client computing devices to the
grouping criteria to obtain a first comparison result. Based on the
first comparison result, the method can include assigning the first
client to a first client group of the one or more client groups.
Moreover, the method can include electronically accessing, from a
data store, a set of configuration rules associated with the first
client group. In addition, the method can include automatically
initiating, by one or more processors, the configuration of the
first client according to the set of configuration rules.
[0015] In certain embodiments, a system for managing a set of
client computing devices in a networked data storage environment is
disclosed. The system can include data storage configured to store
grouping criteria for grouping a plurality of client computing
devices that form a client pool into one or more client groups. The
client computing devices may each have at least one software
application executing thereon that generates production data.
Primary copies of the production data may be stored in primary
storage and secondary copies of the production data may be stored
in secondary storage separate from the primary storage. The data
storage may be further configured to store configuration rules for
configuring client computing devices. In addition, the system may
include one or more processors and a client grouping module
executing in the one or more processors. The client grouping module
may be configured to electronically access the grouping criteria
from the data storage and to compare a set of characteristics
associated with a first client of the plurality of client computing
devices to the grouping criteria to obtain a first comparison
result. Based on the first comparison result, the client grouping
module may assign the first client to a first client group of the
one or more client groups. Furthermore, the system may include a
configuration manager executing in the one or more processors. This
configuration manager may be configured to electronically access,
from the data storage, a set of configuration rules associated with
the first client group and to initiate the configuration of the
first client according to the set of configuration rules.
[0016] Some embodiments of the present disclosure include a
non-transitory physical computer storage comprising
computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more
processors, direct a computing system to perform a method for
managing a set of client computing devices in a networked data
storage environment. This method can include electronically
accessing, from a data store, grouping criteria for grouping a
plurality of client computing devices that form a client pool into
one or more client groups, the client computing devices each having
at least one software application executing thereon that generates
production data. Primary copies of the production data may be
stored in primary storage and secondary copies of the production
data may be stored in secondary storage separate from the primary
storage. The method may further include comparing, by one or more
processors, a set of characteristics associated with a first client
of the plurality of client computing devices to the grouping
criteria to obtain a first comparison result. Based on the first
comparison result, the method can include assigning the first
client to a first client group of the one or more client groups.
Further, the method may include electronically accessing, from a
data store, a set of configuration rules associated with the first
client group and automatically initiating, by one or more
processors, the configuration of the first client according to the
set of configuration rules.
[0017] Some embodiments of the present disclosure can include a
method of managing a set of components in a networked data storage
system. This method can include accessing, from a data store,
grouping criteria for grouping a plurality of components in a
networked data storage system into one or more component groups.
The components can include computer hardware components, computer
software components, or both. Further, the method may include
comparing, by one or more processors, a set of characteristics
associated with a first component of the plurality of components to
the grouping criteria. Based on the comparison, the method can
include assigning the first component to a first component group of
the one or more component groups.
[0018] Certain embodiments of the present disclosure include a
method of managing a set of computing devices. This method can
include receiving an identity of a characteristic associated with
at least one computing device from a set of computing devices.
Further, the method may include identifying one or more computing
devices associated with the identified characteristic from the set
of computing devices. Additionally, the method may include creating
a device group associated with the identified characteristic and
assigning the one or more computing devices to the device group
associated with the identified characteristic.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0019] Throughout the drawings, reference numbers are re-used to
indicate correspondence between referenced elements. The drawings
are provided to illustrate embodiments of the inventive subject
matter described herein and not to limit the scope thereof.
[0020] FIG. 1A is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary
information management system.
[0021] FIG. 1B is a detailed view of a primary storage device, a
secondary storage device, and some examples of primary data and
secondary copy data.
[0022] FIG. 1C is a block diagram of an exemplary information
management system including a storage manager, one or more data
agents, and one or more media agents.
[0023] FIG. 1D is a block diagram illustrating a scalable
information management system.
[0024] FIG. 1E illustrates certain secondary copy operations
according to an exemplary storage policy.
[0025] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an example storage system
configured to implement client grouping in accordance with the
present disclosure.
[0026] FIG. 3 presents a flowchart of an example of a client group
creation process in accordance with the present disclosure.
[0027] FIG. 4 presents a flowchart of an example of a client
addition process in accordance with the present disclosure.
[0028] FIG. 5 presents a flowchart of an example of a client group
configuration update process in accordance with the present
disclosure.
[0029] FIG. 6 presents a flowchart of an example of a client
disassociation/reconfiguration process in accordance with the
present disclosure.
[0030] FIG. 7 presents an example of a user interface for creating
a client group in accordance with the present disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0031] Systems and methods are described herein for implementing
automated client grouping in a data storage system. Examples of
such systems and methods are discussed in further detail herein,
e.g., with respect to FIGS. 2-7. Automated client grouping may
additionally be implemented by information management systems such
as those that will now be described with respect to FIGS. 1A-1E.
And, as will be described, the componentry for implementing the
automated client grouping techniques described herein can be
incorporated into and implemented by such systems.
Information Management System Overview
[0032] With the increasing importance of protecting and leveraging
data, organizations simply cannot afford to take the risk of losing
critical data. Moreover, runaway data growth and other modern
realities make protecting and managing data an increasingly
difficult task. There is therefore a need for efficient, powerful,
and user-friendly solutions for protecting and managing data.
[0033] Depending on the size of the organization, there are
typically many data production sources which are under the purview
of tens, hundreds, or even thousands of employees or other
individuals. In the past, individual employees were sometimes
responsible for managing and protecting their data. A patchwork of
hardware and software point solutions have been applied in other
cases. These solutions were often provided by different vendors and
had limited or no interoperability.
[0034] Certain embodiments described herein provide systems and
methods capable of addressing these and other shortcomings of prior
approaches by implementing unified, organization-wide information
management. FIG. 1A shows one such information management system
100, which generally includes combinations of hardware and software
configured to protect and manage data and metadata generated and
used by the various computing devices in the information management
system 100.
[0035] The organization which employs the information management
system 100 may be a corporation or other business entity,
non-profit organization, educational institution, household,
governmental agency, or the like.
[0036] Generally, the systems and associated components described
herein may be compatible with and/or provide some or all of the
functionality of the systems and corresponding components described
in one or more of the following U.S. patents and patent application
publications assigned to CommVault Systems, Inc., each of which is
hereby incorporated in its entirety by reference herein: [0037]
U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2010-0332456, entitled "DATA OBJECT STORE AND
SERVER FOR A CLOUD STORAGE ENVIRONMENT, INCLUDING DATA
DEDUPLICATION AND DATA MANAGEMENT ACROSS MULTIPLE CLOUD STORAGE
SITES"; [0038] U.S. Pat. No. 7,035,880, entitled "MODULAR BACKUP
AND RETRIEVAL SYSTEM USED IN CONJUNCTION WITH A STORAGE AREA
NETWORK"; [0039] U.S. Pat. No. 7,343,453, entitled "HIERARCHICAL
SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PROVIDING A UNIFIED VIEW OF STORAGE
INFORMATION"; [0040] U.S. Pat. No. 7,395,282, entitled
"HIERARCHICAL BACKUP AND RETRIEVAL SYSTEM"; [0041] U.S. Pat. No.
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[0054] The illustrated information management system 100 includes
one or more client computing device 102 having at least one
application 110 executing thereon, and one or more primary storage
devices 104 storing primary data 112. The client computing
device(s) 102 and the primary storage devices 104 may generally be
referred to in some cases as a primary storage subsystem 117.
[0055] Depending on the context, the term "information management
system" can refer to generally all of the illustrated hardware and
software components. Or, in other instances, the term may refer to
only a subset of the illustrated components.
[0056] For instance, in some cases information management system
100 generally refers to a combination of specialized components
used to protect, move, manage, manipulate and/or process data and
metadata generated by the client computing devices 102. However,
the term may generally not refer to the underlying components that
generate and/or store the primary data 112, such as the client
computing devices 102 themselves, the applications 110 and
operating system residing on the client computing devices 102, and
the primary storage devices 104.
[0057] As an example, "information management system" may sometimes
refer only to one or more of the following components and
corresponding data structures: storage managers, data agents, and
media agents. These components will be described in further detail
below.
Client Computing Devices
[0058] There are typically a variety of sources in an organization
that produce data to be protected and managed. As just one
illustrative example, in a corporate environment such data sources
can be employee workstations and company servers such as a mail
server, a web server, or the like. In the information management
system 100, the data generation sources include the one or more
client computing devices 102.
[0059] The client computing devices 102 may include, without
limitation, one or more: workstations, personal computers, desktop
computers, or other types of generally fixed computing systems such
as mainframe computers and minicomputers.
[0060] The client computing devices 102 can also include mobile or
portable computing devices, such as one or more laptops, tablet
computers, personal data assistants, mobile phones (such as
smartphones), and other mobile or portable computing devices such
as embedded computers, set top boxes, vehicle-mounted devices,
wearable computers, etc.
[0061] In some cases, each client computing device 102 is
associated with one or more users and/or corresponding user
accounts, of employees or other individuals.
[0062] The term "client computing device" is used herein because
the information management system 100 generally "serves" the data
management and protection needs for the data generated by the
client computing devices 102. However, the use of this term does
not imply that the client computing devices 102 cannot be "servers"
in other respects. For instance, a particular client computing
device 102 may act as a server with respect to other devices, such
as other client computing devices 102. As just a few examples, the
client computing devices 102 can include mail servers, file
servers, database servers, and web servers.
[0063] The client computing devices 102 may additionally include
virtualized and/or cloud computing resources. For instance, one or
more virtual machines may be provided to the organization by a
third-party cloud service vendor. Or, in some embodiments, the
client computing devices 102 include one or more virtual machine(s)
running on a virtual machine host computing device operated by the
organization. As one example, the organization may use one virtual
machine as a database server and another virtual machine as a mail
server. A virtual machine manager (VMM) (e.g., a Hypervisor) may
manage the virtual machines, and reside and execute on the virtual
machine host computing device.
[0064] Each client computing device 102 may have one or more
applications 110 (e.g., software applications) executing thereon
which generate and manipulate the data that is to be protected from
loss.
[0065] The applications 110 generally facilitate the operations of
an organization (or multiple affiliated organizations), and can
include, without limitation, mail server applications (e.g.,
Microsoft Exchange Server), file server applications, mail client
applications (e.g., Microsoft Exchange Client), database
applications (e.g., SQL, Oracle, SAP, Lotus Notes Database), word
processing applications (e.g., Microsoft Word), spreadsheet
applications, financial applications, presentation applications,
browser applications, mobile applications, entertainment
applications, and so on.
[0066] The applications 110 can include at least one operating
system (e.g., Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, iOS, IBM z/OS, Linux,
other Unix-based operating systems, etc.), which may support one or
more file systems and host the other applications 110.
[0067] As shown, the client computing devices 102 and other
components in the information management system 100 can be
connected to one another via one or more communication pathways
114. The communication pathways 114 can include one or more
networks or other connection types including as any of following,
without limitation: the Internet, a wide area network (WAN), a
local area network (LAN), a Storage Area Network (SAN), a Fibre
Channel connection, a Small Computer System Interface (SCSI)
connection, a virtual private network (VPN), a token ring or TCP/IP
based network, an intranet network, a point-to-point link, a
cellular network, a wireless data transmission system, a two-way
cable system, an interactive kiosk network, a satellite network, a
broadband network, a baseband network, other appropriate wired,
wireless, or partially wired/wireless computer or
telecommunications networks, combinations of the same or the like.
The communication pathways 114 in some cases may also include
application programming interfaces (APIs) including, e.g., cloud
service provider APIs, virtual machine management APIs, and hosted
service provider APIs.
Primary Data and Exemplary Primary Storage Devices
[0068] Primary data 112 according to some embodiments is production
data or other "live" data generated by the operating system and
other applications 110 residing on a client computing device 102.
The primary data 112 is stored on the primary storage device(s) 104
and is organized via a file system supported by the client
computing device 102. For instance, the client computing device(s)
102 and corresponding applications 110 may create, access, modify,
write, delete, and otherwise use primary data 112.
[0069] Primary data 112 is generally in the native format of the
source application 110. According to certain aspects, primary data
112 is an initial or first (e.g., created before any other copies
or before at least one other copy) stored copy of data generated by
the source application 110. Primary data 112 in some cases is
created substantially directly from data generated by the
corresponding source applications 110.
[0070] The primary data 112 may sometimes be referred to as a
"primary copy" in the sense that it is a discrete set of data.
However, the use of this term does not necessarily imply that the
"primary copy" is a copy in the sense that it was copied or
otherwise derived from another stored version.
[0071] The primary storage devices 104 storing the primary data 112
may be relatively fast and/or expensive (e.g., a disk drive, a
hard-disk array, solid state memory, etc.). In addition, primary
data 112 may be intended for relatively short term retention (e.g.,
several hours, days, or weeks).
[0072] According to some embodiments, the client computing device
102 can access primary data 112 from the primary storage device 104
by making conventional file system calls via the operating system.
Primary data 112 representing files may include structured data
(e.g., database files), unstructured data (e.g., documents), and/or
semi-structured data. Some specific examples are described below
with respect to FIG. 1B.
[0073] It can be useful in performing certain tasks to break the
primary data 112 up into units of different granularities. In
general, primary data 112 can include files, directories, file
system volumes, data blocks, extents, or any other types or
granularities of data objects. As used herein, a "data object" can
refer to both (1) any file that is currently addressable by a file
system or that was previously addressable by the file system (e.g.,
an archive file) and (2) a subset of such a file.
[0074] As will be described in further detail, it can also be
useful in performing certain functions of the information
management system 100 to access and modify metadata within the
primary data 112. Metadata generally includes information about
data objects or characteristics associated with the data
objects.
[0075] Metadata can include, without limitation, one or more of the
following: the data owner (e.g., the client or user that generates
the data), the last modified time (e.g., the time of the most
recent modification of the data object), a data object name (e.g.,
a file name), a data object size (e.g., a number of bytes of data),
information about the content (e.g., an indication as to the
existence of a particular search term), to/from information for
email (e.g., an email sender, recipient, etc.), creation date, file
type (e.g., format or application type), last accessed time,
application type (e.g., type of application that generated the data
object), location/network (e.g., a current, past or future location
of the data object and network pathways to/from the data object),
frequency of change (e.g., a period in which the data object is
modified), business unit (e.g., a group or department that
generates, manages or is otherwise associated with the data
object), and aging information (e.g., a schedule, such as a time
period, in which the data object is migrated to secondary or long
term storage), boot sectors, partition layouts, file location
within a file folder directory structure, user permissions, owners,
groups, access control lists [ACLs]), system metadata (e.g.,
registry information), combinations of the same or the like.
[0076] In addition to metadata generated by or related to file
systems and operating systems, some of the applications 110
maintain indices of metadata for data objects, e.g., metadata
associated with individual email messages. Thus, each data object
may be associated with corresponding metadata. The use of metadata
to perform classification and other functions is described in
greater detail below.
[0077] Each of the client computing devices 102 are associated with
and/or in communication with one or more of the primary storage
devices 104 storing corresponding primary data 112. A client
computing device 102 may be considered to be "associated with" or
"in communication with" a primary storage device 104 if it is
capable of one or more of: storing data to the primary storage
device 104, retrieving data from the primary storage device 104,
and modifying data retrieved from a primary storage device 104.
[0078] The primary storage devices 104 can include, without
limitation, disk drives, hard-disk arrays, semiconductor memory
(e.g., solid state drives), and network attached storage (NAS)
devices. In some cases, the primary storage devices 104 form part
of a distributed file system. The primary storage devices 104 may
have relatively fast I/O times and/or are relatively expensive in
comparison to the secondary storage devices 108. For example, the
information management system 100 may generally regularly access
data and metadata stored on primary storage devices 104, whereas
data and metadata stored on the secondary storage devices 108 is
accessed relatively less frequently.
[0079] In some cases, each primary storage device 104 is dedicated
to an associated client computing devices 102. For instance, a
primary storage device 104 in one embodiment is a local disk drive
of a corresponding client computing device 102. In other cases, one
or more primary storage devices 104 can be shared by multiple
client computing devices 102. As one example, a primary storage
device 104 can be a disk array shared by a group of client
computing devices 102, such as one of the following types of disk
arrays: EMC Clariion, EMC Symmetrix, EMC Celerra, Dell EqualLogic,
IBM XIV, NetApp FAS, HP EVA, and HP 3PAR.
[0080] The information management system 100 may also include
hosted services (not shown), which may be hosted in some cases by
an entity other than the organization that employs the other
components of the information management system 100. For instance,
the hosted services may be provided by various online service
providers to the organization. Such service providers can provide
services including social networking services, hosted email
services, or hosted productivity applications or other hosted
applications).
[0081] Hosted services may include software-as-a-service (SaaS),
platform-as-a-service (PaaS), application service providers (ASPs),
cloud services, or other mechanisms for delivering functionality
via a network. As it provides services to users, each hosted
service may generate additional data and metadata under management
of the information management system 100, e.g., as primary data
112. In some cases, the hosted services may be accessed using one
of the applications 110. As an example, a hosted mail service may
be accessed via browser running on a client computing device
102.
Secondary Copies and Exemplary Secondary Storage Devices
[0082] The primary data 112 stored on the primary storage devices
104 may be compromised in some cases, such as when an employee
deliberately or accidentally deletes or overwrites primary data 112
during their normal course of work. Or the primary storage devices
104 can be damaged or otherwise corrupted.
[0083] For recovery and/or regulatory compliance purposes, it is
therefore useful to generate copies of the primary data 112.
Accordingly, the information management system 100 includes one or
more secondary storage computing devices 106 and one or more
secondary storage devices 108 configured to create and store one or
more secondary copies 116 of the primary data 112 and associated
metadata. The secondary storage computing devices 106 and the
secondary storage devices 108 may be referred to in some cases as a
secondary storage subsystem 118.
[0084] Creation of secondary copies 116 can help meet information
management goals, such as: restoring data and/or metadata if an
original version (e.g., of primary data 112) is lost (e.g., by
deletion, corruption, or disaster); allowing point-in-time
recovery; complying with regulatory data retention and electronic
discovery (e-discovery) requirements; reducing utilized storage
capacity; facilitating organization and search of data; improving
user access to data files across multiple computing devices and/or
hosted services; and implementing data retention policies.
[0085] Types of secondary copy operations can include, without
limitation, backup operations, archive operations, snapshot
operations, replication operations (e.g., continuous data
replication [CDR]), data retention policies such as information
lifecycle management and hierarchical storage management
operations, and the like. These specific types operations are
discussed in greater detail below.
[0086] Regardless of the type of secondary copy operation, the
client computing devices 102 access or receive primary data 112 and
communicate the data, e.g., over the communication pathways 114,
for storage in the secondary storage device(s) 108.
[0087] A secondary copy 116 can comprise a separate stored copy of
application data that is derived from one or more earlier created,
stored copies (e.g., derived from primary data 112 or another
secondary copy 116). Secondary copies 116 can include point-in-time
data, and may be intended for relatively long-term retention (e.g.,
weeks, months or years), before some or all of the data is moved to
other storage or is discarded.
[0088] In some cases, a secondary copy 116 is a copy of application
data created and stored subsequent to at least one other stored
instance (e.g., subsequent to corresponding primary data 112 or to
another secondary copy 116), in a different storage device than at
least one previous stored copy, and/or remotely from at least one
previous stored copy. Secondary copies 116 may be stored in
relatively slow and/or low cost storage (e.g., magnetic tape). A
secondary copy 116 may be stored in a backup or archive format, or
in some other format different than the native source application
format or other primary data format.
[0089] In some cases, secondary copies 116 are indexed so users can
browse and restore at another point in time. After creation of a
secondary copy 116 representative of certain primary data 112, a
pointer or other location indicia (e.g., a stub) may be placed in
primary data 112, or be otherwise associated with primary data 112
to indicate the current location on the secondary storage device(s)
108.
[0090] Since an instance a data object or metadata in primary data
112 may change over time as it is modified by an application 110
(or hosted service or the operating system), the information
management system 100 may create and manage multiple secondary
copies 116 of a particular data object or metadata, each
representing the state of the data object in primary data 112 at a
particular point in time. Moreover, since an instance of a data
object in primary data 112 may eventually be deleted from the
primary storage device 104 and the file system, the information
management system 100 may continue to manage point-in-time
representations of that data object, even though the instance in
primary data 112 no longer exists.
[0091] For virtualized computing devices the operating system and
other applications 110 of the client computing device(s) 102 may
execute within or under the management of virtualization software
(e.g., a VMM), and the primary storage device(s) 104 may comprise a
virtual disk created on a physical storage device. The information
management system 100 may create secondary copies 116 of the files
or other data objects in a virtual disk file and/or secondary
copies 116 of the entire virtual disk file itself (e.g., of an
entire .vmdk file).
[0092] Secondary copies 116 may be distinguished from corresponding
primary data 112 in a variety of ways, some of which will now be
described. First, as discussed, secondary copies 116 can be stored
in a different format (e.g., backup, archive, or other non-native
format) than primary data 112. For this or other reasons, secondary
copies 116 may not be directly useable by the applications 110 of
the client computing device 102, e.g., via standard system calls or
otherwise without modification, processing, or other intervention
by the information management system 100.
[0093] Secondary copies 116 are also often stored on a secondary
storage device 108 that is inaccessible to the applications 110
running on the client computing devices 102 (and/or hosted
services). Some secondary copies 116 may be "offline copies," in
that they are not readily available (e.g. not mounted to tape or
disk). Offline copies can include copies of data that the
information management system 100 can access without human
intervention (e.g. tapes within an automated tape library, but not
yet mounted in a drive), and copies that the information management
system 100 can access only with at least some human intervention
(e.g. tapes located at an offsite storage site).
[0094] The secondary storage devices 108 can include any suitable
type of storage device such as, without limitation, one or more
tape libraries, disk drives or other magnetic, non-tape storage
devices, optical media storage devices, solid state storage
devices, NAS devices, combinations of the same, and the like. In
some cases, the secondary storage devices 108 are provided in a
cloud (e.g. a private cloud or one operated by a third-party
vendor).
[0095] The secondary storage device(s) 108 in some cases comprises
a disk array or a portion thereof. In some cases, a single storage
device (e.g., a disk array) is used for storing both primary data
112 and at least some secondary copies 116. In one example, a disk
array capable of performing hardware snapshots stores primary data
112 and creates and stores hardware snapshots of the primary data
112 as secondary copies 116.
The Use of Intermediary Devices for Creating Secondary Copies
[0096] Creating secondary copies can be a challenging task. For
instance, there can be hundreds or thousands of client computing
devices 102 continually generating large volumes of primary data
112 to be protected. Also, there can be significant overhead
involved in the creation of secondary copies 116. Moreover,
secondary storage devices 108 may be special purpose components,
and interacting with them can require specialized intelligence.
[0097] In some cases, the client computing devices 102 interact
directly with the secondary storage device 108 to create the
secondary copies 116. However, in view of the factors described
above, this approach can negatively impact the ability of the
client computing devices 102 to serve the applications 110 and
produce primary data 112. Further, the client computing devices 102
may not be optimized for interaction with the secondary storage
devices 108.
[0098] Thus, in some embodiments, the information management system
100 includes one or more software and/or hardware components which
generally act as intermediaries between the client computing
devices 102 and the secondary storage devices 108. In addition to
off-loading certain responsibilities from the client computing
devices 102, these intermediary components can provide other
benefits. For instance, as discussed further below with respect to
FIG. 1D, distributing some of the work involved in creating
secondary copies 116 can enhance scalability.
[0099] The intermediary components can include one or more
secondary storage computing devices 106 as shown in FIG. 1A and/or
one or more media agents, which can be software modules residing on
corresponding secondary storage computing devices 106 (or other
appropriate devices). Media agents are discussed below (e.g., with
respect to FIGS. 1C-1E).
[0100] The secondary storage computing device(s) 106 can comprise
any appropriate type of computing device and can include, without
limitation, any of the types of fixed and portable computing
devices described above with respect to the client computing
devices 102. In some cases, the secondary storage computing
device(s) 106 include specialized hardware and/or software
componentry for interacting with the secondary storage devices
108.
[0101] To create a secondary copy 116, the client computing device
102 communicates the primary data 112 to be copied (or a processed
version thereof) to the designated secondary storage computing
device 106, via the communication pathway 114. The secondary
storage computing device 106 in turn conveys the received data (or
a processed version thereof) to the secondary storage device 108.
In some such configurations, the communication pathway 114 between
the client computing device 102 and the secondary storage computing
device 106 comprises a portion of a LAN, WAN or SAN. In other
cases, at least some client computing devices 102 communicate
directly with the secondary storage devices 108 (e.g., via Fibre
Channel or SCSI connections).
Exemplary Primary Data and an Exemplary Secondary Copy
[0102] FIG. 1B is a detailed view showing some specific examples of
primary data stored on the primary storage device(s) 104 and
secondary copy data stored on the secondary storage device(s) 108,
with other components in the system removed for the purposes of
illustration. Stored on the primary storage device(s) 104 are
primary data objects including word processing documents 119A-B,
spreadsheets 120, presentation documents 122, video files 124,
image files 126, email mailboxes 128 (and corresponding email
messages 129A-C), html/xml or other types of markup language files
130, databases 132 and corresponding tables 133A-133C).
[0103] Some or all primary data objects are associated with a
primary copy of object metadata (e.g., "Metal-11"), which may be
file system metadata and/or application specific metadata. Stored
on the secondary storage device(s) 108 are secondary copy objects
134A-C which may include copies of or otherwise represent
corresponding primary data objects and metadata.
[0104] As shown, the secondary copy objects 134A-C can individually
represent more than one primary data object. For example, secondary
copy data object 134A represents three separate primary data
objects 133C, 122 and 129C (represented as 133C', 122' and 129C',
respectively). Moreover, as indicated by the prime mark ('), a
secondary copy object may store a representation of a primary data
object or metadata differently than the original format, e.g., in a
compressed, encrypted, deduplicated, or other modified format.
Exemplary Information Management System Architecture
[0105] The information management system 100 can incorporate a
variety of different hardware and software components, which can in
turn be organized with respect to one another in many different
configurations, depending on the embodiment. There are critical
design choices involved in specifying the functional
responsibilities of the components and the role of each component
in the information management system 100. For instance, as will be
discussed, such design choices can impact performance as well as
the adaptability of the information management system 100 to data
growth or other changing circumstances.
[0106] FIG. 1C shows an information management system 100 designed
according to these considerations and which includes: a central
storage or information manager 140 configured to perform certain
control functions, one or more data agents 142 executing on the
client computing device(s) 102 configured to process primary data
112, and one or more media agents 144 executing on the one or more
secondary storage computing devices 106 for performing tasks
involving the secondary storage devices 108.
[0107] Storage Manager
[0108] As noted, the number of components in the information
management system 100 and the amount of data under management can
be quite large. Managing the components and data is therefore a
significant task, and a task that can grow in an often
unpredictable fashion as the quantity of components and data scale
to meet the needs of the organization.
[0109] For these and other reasons, according to certain
embodiments, responsibility for controlling the information
management system 100, or at least a significant portion of that
responsibility, is allocated to the storage manager 140.
[0110] By distributing control functionality in this manner, the
storage manager 140 can be adapted independently according to
changing circumstances. Moreover, a host computing device can be
selected to best suit the functions of the storage manager 140.
These and other advantages are described in further detail below
with respect to FIG. 1D.
[0111] The storage manager 140 may be a software module or other
application. The storage manager generally initiates, coordinates
and/or controls storage and other information management operations
performed by the information management system 100, e.g., to
protect and control the primary data 112 and secondary copies 116
of data and metadata.
[0112] As shown by the dashed, arrowed lines, the storage manager
140 may communicate with and/or control some or all elements of the
information management system 100, such as the data agents 142 and
media agents 144. Thus, in certain embodiments, control information
originates from the storage manager 140, whereas payload data and
metadata is generally communicated between the data agents 142 and
the media agents 144 (or otherwise between the client computing
device(s) 102 and the secondary storage computing device(s) 106),
e.g., at the direction of the storage manager 140. In other
embodiments, some information management operations are controlled
by other components in the information management system 100 (e.g.,
the media agent(s) 144 or data agent(s) 142), instead of or in
combination with the storage manager 140.
[0113] According to certain embodiments, the storage manager
provides one or more of the following functions: [0114] initiating
execution of secondary copy operations; [0115] managing secondary
storage devices 108 and inventory/capacity of the same; [0116]
allocating secondary storage devices 108 for secondary storage
operations; [0117] monitoring completion of and providing status
reporting related to secondary storage operations; [0118] tracking
age information relating to secondary copies 116, secondary storage
devices 108, and comparing the age information against retention
guidelines; [0119] tracking movement of data within the information
management system 100; [0120] tracking logical associations between
components in the information management system 100; [0121]
protecting metadata associated with the information management
system 100; and [0122] implementing operations management
functionality.
[0123] The storage manager 140 may maintain a database 146 of
management-related data and information management policies 148.
The database 146 may include a management index 150 or other data
structure that stores logical associations between components of
the system, user preferences and/or profiles (e.g., preferences
regarding encryption, compression, or deduplication of primary or
secondary copy data, preferences regarding the scheduling, type, or
other aspects of primary or secondary copy or other operations,
mappings of particular information management users or user
accounts to certain computing devices or other components, etc.),
management tasks, media containerization, or other useful data. For
example, the storage manager 140 may use the index 150 to track
logical associations between media agents 144 and secondary storage
devices 108 and/or movement of data from primary storage devices
104 to secondary storage devices 108.
[0124] Administrators and other employees may be able to manually
configure and initiate certain information management operations on
an individual basis. But while this may be acceptable for some
recovery operations or other relatively less frequent tasks, it is
often not workable for implementing on-going organization-wide data
protection and management.
[0125] Thus, the information management system 100 may utilize
information management policies 148 for specifying and executing
information management operations (e.g., on an automated basis).
Generally, an information management policy 148 can include a data
structure or other information source that specifies a set of
parameters (e.g., criteria and rules) associated with storage or
other information management operations.
[0126] The storage manager database 146 may maintain the
information management policies 148 and associated data, although
the information management policies 148 can be stored in any
appropriate location. For instance, a storage policy may be stored
as metadata in a media agent database 152 or in a secondary storage
device 108 (e.g., as an archive copy) for use in restore operations
or other information management operations, depending on the
embodiment. Information management policies 148 are described
further below.
[0127] According to certain embodiments, the storage manager
database 146 comprises a relational database (e.g., an SQL
database) for tracking metadata, such as metadata associated with
secondary copy operations (e.g., what client computing devices 102
and corresponding data were protected). This and other metadata may
additionally be stored in other locations, such as at the secondary
storage computing devices 106 or on the secondary storage devices
108, allowing data recovery without the use of the storage manager
140.
[0128] As shown, the storage manager 140 may include a jobs agent
156, a user interface 158, and a management agent 154, all of which
may be implemented as interconnected software modules or
application programs.
[0129] The jobs agent 156 in some embodiments initiates, controls,
and/or monitors the status of some or all storage or other
information management operations previously performed, currently
being performed, or scheduled to be performed by the information
management system 100. For instance, the jobs agent 156 may access
information management policies 148 to determine when and how to
initiate and control secondary copy and other information
management operations, as will be discussed further.
[0130] The user interface 158 may include information processing
and display software, such as a graphical user interface ("GUI"),
an application program interface ("API"), or other interactive
interface through which users and system processes can retrieve
information about the status of information management operations
(e.g., storage operations) or issue instructions to the information
management system 100 and its constituent components.
[0131] The storage manager 140 may also track information that
permits it to select, designate, or otherwise identify content
indices, deduplication databases, or similar databases or resources
or data sets within its information management cell (or another
cell) to be searched in response to certain queries. Such queries
may be entered by the user via interaction with the user interface
158.
[0132] Via the user interface 158, users may optionally issue
instructions to the components in the information management system
100 regarding performance of storage and recovery operations. For
example, a user may modify a schedule concerning the number of
pending secondary copy operations. As another example, a user may
employ the GUI to view the status of pending storage operations or
to monitor the status of certain components in the information
management system 100 (e.g., the amount of capacity left in a
storage device).
[0133] In general, the management agent 154 allows multiple
information management systems 100 to communicate with one another.
For example, the information management system 100 in some cases
may be one information management subsystem or "cell" of a network
of multiple cells adjacent to one another or otherwise logically
related in a WAN or LAN. With this arrangement, the cells may be
connected to one another through respective management agents
154.
[0134] For instance, the management agent 154 can provide the
storage manager 140 with the ability to communicate with other
components within the information management system 100 (and/or
other cells within a larger information management system) via
network protocols and application programming interfaces ("APIs")
including, e.g., HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, REST, virtualization software
APIs, cloud service provider APIs, and hosted service provider
APIs. Inter-cell communication and hierarchy is described in
greater detail in U.S. Pat. No. 7,035,880, which is incorporated by
reference herein.
[0135] Data Agents
[0136] As discussed, a variety of different types of applications
110 can reside on a given client computing device 102, including
operating systems, database applications, e-mail applications, and
virtual machines, just to name a few. And, as part of the as part
of the process of creating and restoring secondary copies 116, the
client computing devices 102 may be tasked with processing and
preparing the primary data 112 from these various different
applications 110. Moreover, the nature of the
processing/preparation can differ across clients and application
types, e.g., due to inherent structural and formatting differences
between applications 110.
[0137] The one or more data agent(s) 142 are therefore
advantageously configured in some embodiments to assist in the
performance of information management operations based on the type
of data that is being protected, at a client-specific and/or
application-specific level.
[0138] The data agent 142 may be a software module or component
that is generally responsible for managing, initiating, or
otherwise assisting in the performance of information management
operations. For instance, the data agent 142 may take part in
performing data storage operations such as the copying, archiving,
migrating, replicating of primary data 112 stored in the primary
storage device(s) 104. The data agent 142 may receive control
information from the storage manager 140, such as commands to
transfer copies of data objects, metadata, and other payload data
to the media agents 144.
[0139] In some embodiments, a data agent 142 may be distributed
between the client computing device 102 and storage manager 140
(and any other intermediate components) or may be deployed from a
remote location or its functions approximated by a remote process
that performs some or all of the functions of data agent 142. In
addition, a data agent 142 may perform some functions provided by a
media agent 144, e.g., encryption and deduplication.
[0140] As indicated, each data agent 142 may be specialized for a
particular application 110, and the system can employ multiple data
agents 142, each of which may backup, migrate, and recover data
associated with a different application 110. For instance,
different individual data agents 142 may be designed to handle
Microsoft Exchange data, Lotus Notes data, Microsoft Windows file
system data, Microsoft Active Directory Objects data, SQL Server
data, SharePoint data, Oracle database data, SAP database data,
virtual machines and/or associated data, and other types of
data.
[0141] A file system data agent, for example, may handle data files
and/or other file system information. If a client computing device
102 has two or more types of data, one data agent 142 may be used
for each data type to copy, archive, migrate, and restore the
client computing device 102 data. For example, to backup, migrate,
and restore all of the data on a Microsoft Exchange server, the
client computing device 102 may use one Microsoft Exchange Mailbox
data agent 142 to backup the Exchange mailboxes, one Microsoft
Exchange Database data agent 142 to backup the Exchange databases,
one Microsoft Exchange Public Folder data agent 142 to backup the
Exchange Public Folders, and one Microsoft Windows File System data
agent 142 to backup the file system of the client computing device
102. In such embodiments, these data agents 142 may be treated as
four separate data agents 142 even though they reside on the same
client computing device 102.
[0142] Other embodiments may employ one or more generic data agents
142 that can handle and process data from two or more different
applications 110, or that can handle and process multiple data
types, instead of or in addition to using specialized data agents
142. For example, one generic data agent 142 may be used to back
up, migrate and restore Microsoft Exchange Mailbox data and
Microsoft Exchange Database data while another generic data agent
may handle Microsoft Exchange Public Folder data and Microsoft
Windows File System data.
[0143] Each data agent 142 may be configured to access data and/or
metadata stored in the primary storage device(s) 104 associated
with the data agent 142 and process the data as appropriate. For
example, during a secondary copy operation, the data agent 142 may
arrange or assemble the data and metadata into one or more files
having a certain format (e.g., a particular backup or archive
format) before transferring the file(s) to a media agent 144 or
other component. The file(s) may include a list of files or other
metadata. Each data agent 142 can also assist in restoring data or
metadata to primary storage devices 104 from a secondary copy 116.
For instance, the data agent 142 may operate in conjunction with
the storage manager 140 and one or more of the media agents 144 to
restore data from secondary storage device(s) 108.
[0144] Media Agents
[0145] As indicated above with respect to FIG. 1A, off-loading
certain responsibilities from the client computing devices 102 to
intermediary components such as the media agent(s) 144 can provide
a number of benefits including improved client computing device 102
operation, faster secondary copy operation performance, and
enhanced scalability. As one specific example which will be
discussed below in further detail, the media agent 144 can act as a
local cache of copied data and/or metadata that it has stored to
the secondary storage device(s) 108, providing improved restore
capabilities.
[0146] Generally speaking, a media agent 144 may be implemented as
a software module that manages, coordinates, and facilitates the
transmission of data, as directed by the storage manager 140,
between a client computing device 102 and one or more secondary
storage devices 108. Whereas the storage manager 140 controls the
operation of the information management system 100, the media agent
144 generally provides a portal to secondary storage devices
108.
[0147] Media agents 144 can comprise logically and/or physically
separate nodes in the information management system 100 (e.g.,
separate from the client computing devices 102, storage manager
140, and/or secondary storage devices 108). In addition, each media
agent 144 may reside on a dedicated secondary storage computing
device 106 in some cases, while in other embodiments a plurality of
media agents 144 reside on the same secondary storage computing
device 106.
[0148] A media agent 144 (and corresponding media agent database
152) may be considered to be "associated with" a particular
secondary storage device 108 if that media agent 144 is capable of
one or more of: routing and/or storing data to the particular
secondary storage device 108, coordinating the routing and/or
storing of data to the particular secondary storage device 108,
retrieving data from the particular secondary storage device 108,
and coordinating the retrieval of data from a particular secondary
storage device 108.
[0149] While media agent(s) 144 are generally associated with one
or more secondary storage devices 108, the media agents 144 in
certain embodiments are physically separate from the secondary
storage devices 108. For instance, the media agents 144 may reside
on secondary storage computing devices 106 having different
housings or packages than the secondary storage devices 108. In one
example, a media agent 144 resides on a first server computer and
is in communication with a secondary storage device(s) 108 residing
in a separate, rack-mounted RAID-based system.
[0150] In operation, a media agent 144 associated with a particular
secondary storage device 108 may instruct the secondary storage
device 108 (e.g., a tape library) to use a robotic arm or other
retrieval means to load or eject a certain storage media, and to
subsequently archive, migrate, or retrieve data to or from that
media, e.g., for the purpose of restoring the data to a client
computing device 102. The media agent 144 may communicate with a
secondary storage device 108 via a suitable communications link,
such as a SCSI or Fiber Channel link.
[0151] As shown, each media agent 144 may maintain an associated
media agent database 152. The media agent database 152 may be
stored in a disk or other storage device (not shown) that is local
to the secondary storage computing device 106 on which the media
agent 144 resides. In other cases, the media agent database 152 is
stored remotely from the secondary storage computing device
106.
[0152] The media agent database 152 can include, among other
things, an index 153 including data generated during secondary copy
operations and other storage or information management operations.
The index 153 provides a media agent 144 or other component with a
fast and efficient mechanism for locating secondary copies 116 or
other data stored in the secondary storage devices 108. In one
configuration, a storage manager index 150 or other data structure
may store data associating a client computing device 102 with a
particular media agent 144 and/or secondary storage device 108, as
specified in a storage policy. A media agent index 153 or other
data structure associated with the particular media agent 144 may
in turn include information about the stored data.
[0153] For instance, for each secondary copy 116, the index 153 may
include metadata such as a list of the data objects (e.g.,
files/subdirectories, database objects, mailbox objects, etc.), a
path to the secondary copy 116 on the corresponding secondary
storage device 108, location information indicating where the data
objects are stored in the secondary storage device 108, when the
data objects were created or modified, etc. Thus, the index 153
includes metadata associated with the secondary copies 116 that is
readily available for use in storage operations and other
activities without having to be first retrieved from the secondary
storage device 108. In yet further embodiments, some or all of the
data in the index 153 may instead or additionally be stored along
with the data in a secondary storage device 108, e.g., with a copy
of the index 153.
[0154] Because the index 153 maintained in the database 152 may
operate as a cache, it can also be referred to as an index cache.
In such cases, information stored in the index cache 153 typically
comprises data that reflects certain particulars about storage
operations that have occurred relatively recently. After some
triggering event, such as after a certain period of time elapses,
or the index cache 153 reaches a particular size, the index cache
153 may be copied or migrated to a secondary storage device(s) 108.
This information may need to be retrieved and uploaded back into
the index cache 153 or otherwise restored to a media agent 144 to
facilitate retrieval of data from the secondary storage device(s)
108. In some embodiments, the cached information may include format
or containerization information related to archives or other files
stored on the storage device(s) 108. In this manner, the index
cache 153 allows for accelerated restores.
[0155] In some alternative embodiments the media agent 144
generally acts as a coordinator or facilitator of storage
operations between client computing devices 102 and corresponding
secondary storage devices 108, but does not actually write the data
to the secondary storage device 108. For instance, the storage
manager 140 (or the media agent 144) may instruct a client
computing device 102 and secondary storage device 108 to
communicate with one another directly. In such a case the client
computing device 102 transmits the data directly to the secondary
storage device 108 according to the received instructions, and vice
versa. In some such cases, the media agent 144 may still receive,
process, and/or maintain metadata related to the storage
operations. Moreover, in these embodiments, the payload data can
flow through the media agent 144 for the purposes of populating the
index cache 153 maintained in the media agent database 152, but not
for writing to the secondary storage device 108.
[0156] The media agent 144 and/or other components such as the
storage manager 140 may in some cases incorporate additional
functionality, such as data classification, content indexing,
deduplication, encryption, compression, and the like. Further
details regarding these and other functions are described
below.
[0157] Distributed, Scalable Architecture
[0158] As described, certain functions of the information
management system 100 can be distributed amongst various physical
and/or logical components in the system. For instance, one or more
of the storage manager 140, data agents 142, and media agents 144
may reside on computing devices that are physically separate from
one another. This architecture can provide a number of
benefits.
[0159] For instance, hardware and software design choices for each
distributed component can be targeted to suit its particular
function. The secondary computing devices 106 on which the media
agents 144 reside can be tailored for interaction with associated
secondary storage devices 108 and provide fast index cache
operation, among other specific tasks. Similarly, the client
computing device(s) 102 can be selected to effectively service the
applications 110 residing thereon, in order to efficiently produce
and store primary data 112.
[0160] Moreover, in some cases, one or more of the individual
components in the information management system 100 can be
distributed to multiple, separate computing devices. As one
example, for large file systems where the amount of data stored in
the storage management database 146 is relatively large, the
management database 146 may be migrated to or otherwise reside on a
specialized database server (e.g., an SQL server) separate from a
server that implements the other functions of the storage manager
140. This configuration can provide added protection because the
database 146 can be protected with standard database utilities
(e.g., SQL log shipping or database replication) independent from
other functions of the storage manager 140. The database 146 can be
efficiently replicated to a remote site for use in the event of a
disaster or other data loss incident at the primary site. Or the
database 146 can be replicated to another computing device within
the same site, such as to a higher performance machine in the event
that a storage manager host device can no longer service the needs
of a growing information management system 100.
[0161] The distributed architecture also provides both scalability
and efficient component utilization. FIG. 1D shows an embodiment of
the information management system 100 including a plurality of
client computing devices 102 and associated data agents 142 as well
as a plurality of secondary storage computing devices 106 and
associated media agents 144.
[0162] Additional components can be added or subtracted based on
the evolving needs of the information management system 100. For
instance, depending on where bottlenecks are identified,
administrators can add additional client computing devices 102,
secondary storage devices 106 (and corresponding media agents 144),
and/or secondary storage devices 108.
[0163] Moreover, each client computing device 102 in some
embodiments can communicate with any of the media agents 144, e.g.,
as directed by the storage manager 140. And each media agent 144
may be able to communicate with any of the secondary storage
devices 108, e.g., as directed by the storage manager 140. Thus,
operations can be routed to the secondary storage devices 108 in a
dynamic and highly flexible manner. Further examples of scalable
systems capable of dynamic storage operations are provided in U.S.
Pat. No. 7,246,207, which is incorporated by reference herein.
[0164] In alternative configurations, certain components are not
distributed and may instead reside and execute on the same
computing device. For example, in some embodiments one or more data
agents 142 and the storage manager 140 reside on the same client
computing device 102. In another embodiment, one or more data
agents 142 and one or more media agents 144 reside on a single
computing device.
Exemplary Types of Information Management Operations
[0165] In order to protect and leverage stored data, the
information management system 100 can be configured to perform a
variety of information management operations. As will be described,
these operations can generally include secondary copy and other
data movement operations, processing and data manipulation
operations, and management operations.
[0166] Data Movement Operations
[0167] Data movement operations according to certain embodiments
are generally operations that involve the copying or migration of
data (e.g., payload data) between different locations in the
information management system 100. For example, data movement
operations can include operations in which stored data is copied,
migrated, or otherwise transferred from primary storage device(s)
104 to secondary storage device(s) 108, from secondary storage
device(s) 108 to different secondary storage device(s) 108, or from
primary storage device(s) 104 to different primary storage
device(s) 104.
[0168] Data movement operations can include by way of example,
backup operations, archive operations, information lifecycle
management operations such as hierarchical storage management
operations, replication operations (e.g., continuous data
replication operations), snapshot operations, deduplication
operations, single-instancing operations, auxiliary copy
operations, and the like. As will be discussed, some of these
operations involve the copying, migration or other movement of
data, without actually creating multiple, distinct copies.
Nonetheless, some or all of these operations are referred to as
"copy" operations for simplicity.
[0169] Backup Operations
[0170] A backup operation creates a copy of primary data 112 at a
particular point in time. Each subsequent backup copy may be
maintained independently of the first. Further, a backup copy in
some embodiments is stored in a backup format. This can be in
contrast to the version in primary data 112 from which the backup
copy is derived, and which may instead be stored in a native format
of the source application(s) 110. In various cases, backup copies
can be stored in a format in which the data is compressed,
encrypted, deduplicated, and/or otherwise modified from the
original application format. For example, a backup copy may be
stored in a backup format that facilitates compression and/or
efficient long-term storage.
[0171] Backup copies can have relatively long retention periods as
compared to primary data 112, and may be stored on media with
slower retrieval times than primary data 112 and certain other
types of secondary copies 116. On the other hand, backups may have
relatively shorter retention periods than some other types of
secondary copies 116, such as archive copies (described below).
Backups may sometimes be stored at on offsite location.
[0172] Backup operations can include full, synthetic or incremental
backups. A full backup in some embodiments is generally a complete
image of the data to be protected. However, because full backup
copies can consume a relatively large amount of storage, it can be
useful to use a full backup copy as a baseline and only store
changes relative to the full backup copy for subsequent backup
copies.
[0173] For instance, a differential backup operation (or cumulative
incremental backup operation) tracks and stores changes that have
occurred since the last full backup. Differential backups can grow
quickly in size, but can provide relatively efficient restore times
because a restore can be completed in some cases using only the
full backup copy and the latest differential copy.
[0174] An incremental backup operation generally tracks and stores
changes since the most recent backup copy of any type, which can
greatly reduce storage utilization. In some cases, however, restore
times can be relatively long in comparison to full or differential
backups because completing a restore operation may involve
accessing a full backup in addition to multiple incremental
backups.
[0175] Any of the above types of backup operations can be at the
file-level, e.g., where the information management system 100
generally tracks changes to files at the file-level, and includes
copies of files in the backup copy. In other cases, block-level
backups are employed, where files are broken into constituent
blocks, and changes are tracked at the block-level. Upon restore,
the information management system 100 reassembles the blocks into
files in a transparent fashion.
[0176] Far less data may actually be transferred and copied to the
secondary storage devices 108 during a block-level copy than during
a file-level copy, resulting in faster execution times. However,
when restoring a block-level copy, the process of locating
constituent blocks can sometimes result in longer restore times as
compared to file-level backups. Similar to backup operations, the
other types of secondary copy operations described herein can also
be implemented at either the file-level or the block-level.
[0177] Archive Operations
[0178] Because backup operations generally involve maintaining a
version of the copied data in primary data 112 and also maintaining
backup copies in secondary storage device(s) 108, they can consume
significant storage capacity. To help reduce storage consumption,
an archive operation according to certain embodiments creates a
secondary copy 116 by both copying and removing source data. Or,
seen another way, archive operations can involve moving some or all
of the source data to the archive destination. Thus, data
satisfying criteria for removal (e.g., data of a threshold age or
size) from the source copy may be removed from source storage.
Archive copies are sometimes stored in an archive format or other
non-native application format. The source data may be primary data
112 or a secondary copy 116, depending on the situation. As with
backup copies, archive copies can be stored in a format in which
the data is compressed, encrypted, deduplicated, and/or otherwise
modified from the original application format.
[0179] In addition, archive copies may be retained for relatively
long periods of time (e.g., years) and, in some cases, are never
deleted. Archive copies are generally retained for longer periods
of time than backup copies, for example. In certain embodiments,
archive copies may be made and kept for extended periods in order
to meet compliance regulations.
[0180] Moreover, when primary data 112 is archived, in some cases
the archived primary data 112 or a portion thereof is deleted when
creating the archive copy. Thus, archiving can serve the purpose of
freeing up space in the primary storage device(s) 104. Similarly,
when a secondary copy 116 is archived, the secondary copy 116 may
be deleted, and an archive copy can therefore serve the purpose of
freeing up space in secondary storage device(s) 108. In contrast,
source copies often remain intact when creating backup copies.
[0181] Snapshot Operations
[0182] Snapshot operations can provide a relatively lightweight,
efficient mechanism for protecting data. From an end-user
viewpoint, a snapshot may be thought of as an "instant" image of
the primary data 112 at a given point in time. In one embodiment, a
snapshot may generally capture the directory structure of an object
in primary data 112 such as a file or volume or other data set at a
particular moment in time and may also preserve file attributes and
contents. A snapshot in some cases is created relatively quickly,
e.g., substantially instantly, using a minimum amount of file
space, but may still function as a conventional file system
backup.
[0183] A snapshot copy in many cases can be made quickly and
without significantly impacting primary computing resources because
large amounts of data need not be copied or moved. In some
embodiments, a snapshot may exist as a virtual file system,
parallel to the actual file system. Users in some cases gain
read-only access to the record of files and directories of the
snapshot. By electing to restore primary data 112 from a snapshot
taken at a given point in time, users may also return the current
file system to the state of the file system that existed when the
snapshot was taken.
[0184] Some types of snapshots do not actually create another
physical copy of all the data as it existed at the particular point
in time, but may simply create pointers that are able to map files
and directories to specific memory locations (e.g., disk blocks)
where the data resides, as it existed at the particular point in
time. For example, a snapshot copy may include a set of pointers
derived from the file system or an application. Each pointer points
to a respective stored data block, so collectively, the set of
pointers reflect the storage location and state of the data object
(e.g., file(s) or volume(s) or data set(s)) at a particular point
in time when the snapshot copy was created.
[0185] In some embodiments, once a snapshot has been taken,
subsequent changes to the file system typically do not overwrite
the blocks in use at the time of the snapshot. Therefore, the
initial snapshot may use only a small amount of disk space needed
to record a mapping or other data structure representing or
otherwise tracking the blocks that correspond to the current state
of the file system. Additional disk space is usually required only
when files and directories are actually modified later.
Furthermore, when files are modified, typically only the pointers
which map to blocks are copied, not the blocks themselves. In some
embodiments, for example in the case of "copy-on-write" snapshots,
when a block changes in primary storage, the block is copied to
secondary storage or cached in primary storage before the block is
overwritten in primary storage. The snapshot mapping of file system
data is also updated to reflect the changed block(s) at that
particular point in time. In some other cases, a snapshot includes
a full physical copy of all or substantially all of the data
represented by the snapshot. Further examples of snapshot
operations are provided in U.S. Pat. No. 7,529,782, which is
incorporated by reference herein.
[0186] Replication Operations
[0187] Another type of secondary copy operation is a replication
operation. Some types of secondary copies 116 are used to
periodically capture images of primary data 112 at particular
points in time (e.g., backups, archives, and snapshots). However,
it can also be useful for recovery purposes to protect primary data
112 in a more continuous fashion, by replicating the primary data
112 substantially as changes occur. In some cases a replication
copy can be a mirror copy, for instance, where changes made to
primary data 112 are mirrored to another location (e.g., to
secondary storage device(s) 108). By copying each write operation
to the replication copy, two storage systems are kept synchronized
or substantially synchronized so that they are virtually identical
at approximately the same time. Where entire disk volumes are
mirrored, however, mirroring can require significant amount of
storage space and utilizes a large amount of processing
resources.
[0188] According to some embodiments storage operations are
performed on replicated data that represents a recoverable state,
or "known good state" of a particular application running on the
source system. For instance, in certain embodiments, known good
replication copies may be viewed as copies of primary data 112.
This feature allows the system to directly access, copy, restore,
backup or otherwise manipulate the replication copies as if the
data was the "live", primary data 112. This can reduce access time,
storage utilization, and impact on source applications 110, among
other benefits.
[0189] Based on known good state information, the information
management system 100 can replicate sections of application data
that represent a recoverable state rather than rote copying of
blocks of data. Examples of compatible replication operations
(e.g., continuous data replication) are provided in U.S. Pat. No.
7,617,262, which is incorporated by reference herein.
[0190] Deduplication/Single-Instancing Operations
[0191] Another type of data movement operation is deduplication,
which is useful to reduce the amount of data within the system. For
instance, some or all of the above-described secondary storage
operations can involve deduplication in some fashion. New data is
read, broken down into blocks (e.g., sub-file level blocks) of a
selected granularity, compared with blocks that are already stored,
and only the new blocks are stored. Blocks that already exist are
represented as pointers to the already stored data.
[0192] In order to stream-line the comparison process, the
information management system 100 may calculate and/or store
signatures (e.g., hashes) corresponding to the individual data
blocks and compare the hashes instead of comparing entire data
blocks. In some cases, only a single instance of each element is
stored, and deduplication operations may therefore be referred to
interchangeably as "single-instancing" operations. Depending on the
implementation, however, deduplication or single-instancing
operations can store more than one instance of certain data blocks,
but nonetheless significantly reduce data redundancy. Moreover,
single-instancing in some cases is distinguished from deduplication
as a process of analyzing and reducing data at the file level,
rather than the sub-file level.
[0193] Depending on the embodiment, deduplication blocks can be of
fixed or variable length. Using variable length blocks can provide
enhanced deduplication by responding to changes in the data stream,
but can involve complex processing. In some cases, the information
management system 100 utilizes a technique for dynamically aligning
deduplication blocks (e.g., fixed-length blocks) based on changing
content in the data stream, as described in U.S. Pat. Pub. No.
2012/0084269, which is incorporated by reference herein.
[0194] The information management system 100 can perform
deduplication in a variety of manners at a variety of locations in
the information management system 100. For instance, in some
embodiments, the information management system 100 implements
"target-side" deduplication by deduplicating data (e.g., secondary
copies 116) stored in the secondary storage devices 108. In some
such cases, the media agents 144 are generally configured to manage
the deduplication process. For instance, one or more of the media
agents 144 maintain a corresponding deduplication database that
stores deduplication information (e.g., datablock signatures).
Examples of such a configuration are provided in U.S. Pat. Pub. No.
2012/0150826, which is incorporated by reference herein.
Deduplication can also be performed on the "source-side" (or
"client-side"), e.g., to reduce the amount of traffic between the
media agents 144 and the client computing device(s) 102 and/or
reduce redundant data stored in the primary storage devices 104.
Examples of such deduplication techniques are provided in U.S. Pat.
Pub. No. 2012/0150818, which is incorporated by reference
herein.
[0195] Information Lifecycle Management and Hierarchical Storage
Management Operations
[0196] In some embodiments, files and other data over their
lifetime move from more expensive, quick access storage to less
expensive, slower access storage. Operations associated with moving
data through various tiers of storage are sometimes referred to as
information lifecycle management (ILM) operations.
[0197] One type of ILM operation is a hierarchical storage
management (HSM) operation. A HSM operation is generally an
operation for automatically moving data between classes of storage
devices, such as between high-cost and low-cost storage devices.
For instance, an HSM operation may involve movement of data from
primary storage devices 104 to secondary storage devices 108, or
between tiers of secondary storage devices 108. With each tier, the
storage devices may be progressively relatively cheaper, have
relatively slower access/restore times, etc. For example, movement
of data between tiers may occur as data becomes less important over
time.
[0198] In some embodiments, an HSM operation is similar to an
archive operation in that creating an HSM copy may (though not
always) involve deleting some of the source data. For example, an
HSM copy may include data from primary data 112 or a secondary copy
116 that is larger than a given size threshold or older than a
given age threshold and that is stored in a backup format.
[0199] Often, and unlike some types of archive copies, HSM data
that is removed or aged from the source copy is replaced by a
logical reference pointer or stub. The reference pointer or stub
can be stored in the primary storage device 104 to replace the
deleted data in primary data 112 (or other source copy) and to
point to or otherwise indicate the new location in a secondary
storage device 108.
[0200] According to one example, files are generally moved between
higher and lower cost storage depending on how often the files are
accessed. When a user requests access to the HSM data that has been
removed or migrated, the information management system 100 uses the
stub to locate the data and often make recovery of the data appear
transparent, even though the HSM data may be stored at a location
different from the remaining source data. The stub may also include
some metadata associated with the corresponding data, so that a
file system and/or application can provide some information about
the data object and/or a limited-functionality version (e.g., a
preview) of the data object.
[0201] An HSM copy may be stored in a format other than the native
application format (e.g., where the data is compressed, encrypted,
deduplicated, and/or otherwise modified from the original
application format). In some cases, copies which involve the
removal of data from source storage and the maintenance of stub or
other logical reference information on source storage may be
referred to generally as "on-line archive copies". On the other
hand, copies which involve the removal of data from source storage
without the maintenance of stub or other logical reference
information on source storage may be referred to as "off-line
archive copies".
[0202] Auxiliary Copy and Disaster Recovery Operations
[0203] An auxiliary copy is generally a copy operation in which a
copy is created of an existing secondary copy 116. For instance, an
initial or "primary" secondary copy 116 may be generated using or
otherwise be derived from primary data 112, whereas an auxiliary
copy is generated from the initial secondary copy 116. Auxiliary
copies can be used to create additional standby copies of data and
may reside on different secondary storage devices 108 than initial
secondary copies 116. Thus, auxiliary copies can be used for
recovery purposes if initial secondary copies 116 become
unavailable. Exemplary compatible auxiliary copy techniques are
described in further detail in U.S. Pat. No. 8,230,195, which is
incorporated by reference herein.
[0204] The information management system 100 may also perform
disaster recovery operations that make or retain disaster recovery
copies, often as secondary, high-availability disk copies. The
information management system 100 may create secondary disk copies
and store the copies at disaster recovery locations using auxiliary
copy or replication operations, such as continuous data replication
technologies. Depending on the particular data protection goals,
disaster recovery locations can be remote from the client computing
devices 102 and primary storage devices 104, remote from some or
all of the secondary storage devices 108, or both.
[0205] Data Processing and Manipulation Operations
[0206] As indicated, the information management system 100 can also
be configured to implement certain data manipulation operations,
which according to certain embodiments are generally operations
involving the processing or modification of stored data. Some data
manipulation operations include content indexing operations and
classification operations can be useful in leveraging the data
under management to provide enhanced search and other features.
Other data manipulation operations such as compression and
encryption can provide data reduction and security benefits,
respectively.
[0207] Data manipulation operations can be different than data
movement operations in that they do not necessarily involve the
copying, migration or other transfer of data (e.g., primary data
112 or secondary copies 116) between different locations in the
system. For instance, data manipulation operations may involve
processing (e.g., offline processing) or modification of already
stored primary data 112 and/or secondary copies 116. However, in
some embodiments data manipulation operations are performed in
conjunction with data movement operations. As one example, the
information management system 100 may encrypt data while performing
an archive operation.
[0208] Content Indexing
[0209] In some embodiments, the information management system 100
"content indexes" data stored within the primary data 112 and/or
secondary copies 116, providing enhanced search capabilities for
data discovery and other purposes. The content indexing can be used
to identify files or other data objects having pre-defined content
(e.g., user-defined keywords or phrases), metadata (e.g., email
metadata such as "to", "from", "cc", "bcc", attachment name,
received time, etc.).
[0210] The information management system 100 generally organizes
and catalogues the results in a content index, which may be stored
within the media agent database 152, for example. The content index
can also include the storage locations of (or pointer references
to) the indexed data in the primary data 112 or secondary copies
116, as appropriate. The results may also be stored, in the form of
a content index database or otherwise, elsewhere in the information
management system 100 (e.g., in the primary storage devices 104, or
in the secondary storage device 108). Such index data provides the
storage manager 140 or another component with an efficient
mechanism for locating primary data 112 and/or secondary copies 116
of data objects that match particular criteria.
[0211] For instance, search criteria can be specified by a user
through user interface 158 of the storage manager 140. In some
cases, the information management system 100 analyzes data and/or
metadata in secondary copies 116 to create an "off-line" content
index, without significantly impacting the performance of the
client computing devices 102. Depending on the embodiment, the
system can also implement "on-line" content indexing, e.g., of
primary data 112. Examples of compatible content indexing
techniques are provided in U.S. Pat. No. 8,170,995, which is
incorporated by reference herein.
[0212] Classification Operations--Metabase
[0213] In order to help leverage the data stored in the information
management system 100, one or more components can be configured to
scan data and/or associated metadata for classification purposes to
populate a metabase of information. Such scanned, classified data
and/or metadata may be included in a separate database and/or on a
separate storage device from primary data 112 (and/or secondary
copies 116), such that metabase related operations do not
significantly impact performance on other components in the
information management system 100.
[0214] In other cases, the metabase(s) may be stored along with
primary data 112 and/or secondary copies 116. Files or other data
objects can be associated with user-specified identifiers (e.g.,
tag entries) in the media agent 144 (or other indices) to
facilitate searches of stored data objects. Among a number of other
benefits, the metabase can also allow efficient, automatic
identification of files or other data objects to associate with
secondary copy or other information management operations (e.g., in
lieu of scanning an entire file system). Examples of compatible
metabases and data classification operations are provided in U.S.
Pat. Nos. 8,229,954 and 7,747,579, which are incorporated by
reference herein.
[0215] Encryption Operations
[0216] The information management system 100 in some cases is
configured to process data (e.g., files or other data objects,
secondary copies 116, etc.), according to an appropriate encryption
algorithm (e.g., Blowfish, Advanced Encryption Standard [AES],
Triple Data Encryption Standard [3-DES], etc.) to limit access and
provide data security in the information management system 100.
[0217] The information management system 100 in some cases encrypts
the data at the client level, such that the client computing
devices 102 (e.g., the data agents 142) encrypt the data prior to
forwarding the data to other components, e.g., before sending the
data media agents 144 during a secondary copy operation. In such
cases, the client computing device 102 may maintain or have access
to an encryption key or passphrase for decrypting the data upon
restore. Encryption can also occur when creating copies of
secondary copies, e.g., when creating auxiliary copies. In yet
further embodiments, the secondary storage devices 108 can
implement built-in, high performance hardware encryption.
[0218] Management Operations
[0219] Certain embodiments leverage the integrated, ubiquitous
nature of the information management system 100 to provide useful
system-wide management functions. As two non-limiting examples, the
information management system 100 can be configured to implement
operations management and e-discovery functions.
[0220] Operations management can generally include monitoring and
managing the health and performance of information management
system 100 by, without limitation, performing error tracking,
generating granular storage/performance metrics (e.g., job
success/failure information, deduplication efficiency, etc.),
generating storage modeling and costing information, and the
like.
[0221] Such information can be provided to users via the user
interface 158 in a single, integrated view. For instance, the
integrated user interface 158 can include an option to show a
"virtual view" of the system that graphically depicts the various
components in the system using appropriate icons. The operations
management functionality can facilitate planning and
decision-making. For example, in some embodiments, a user may view
the status of some or all jobs as well as the status of each
component of the information management system 100. Users may then
plan and make decisions based on this data. For instance, a user
may view high-level information regarding storage operations for
the information management system 100, such as job status,
component status, resource status (e.g., network pathways, etc.),
and other information. The user may also drill down or use other
means to obtain more detailed information regarding a particular
component, job, or the like.
[0222] In some cases the information management system 100 alerts a
user such as a system administrator when a particular resource is
unavailable or congested. For example, a particular primary storage
device 104 or secondary storage device 108 might be full or require
additional capacity. Or a component may be unavailable due to
hardware failure, software problems, or other reasons. In response,
the information management system 100 may suggest solutions to such
problems when they occur (or provide a warning prior to
occurrence). For example, the storage manager 140 may alert the
user that a secondary storage device 108 is full or otherwise
congested. The storage manager 140 may then suggest, based on job
and data storage information contained in its database 146, an
alternate secondary storage device 108.
[0223] Other types of corrective actions may include suggesting an
alternate data path to a particular primary or secondary storage
device 104, 108, or dividing data to be stored among various
available primary or secondary storage devices 104, 108 as a load
balancing measure or to otherwise optimize storage or retrieval
time. Such suggestions or corrective actions may be performed
automatically, if desired. Further examples of some compatible
operations management techniques and of interfaces providing an
integrated view of an information management system are provided in
U.S. Pat. No. 7,343,453, which is incorporated by reference herein.
In some embodiments, the storage manager 140 implements the
operations management functions described herein.
[0224] The information management system 100 can also be configured
to perform system-wide e-discovery operations in some embodiments.
In general, e-discovery operations provide a unified collection and
search capability for data in the system, such as data stored in
the secondary storage devices 108 (e.g., backups, archives, or
other secondary copies 116). For example, the information
management system 100 may construct and maintain a virtual
repository for data stored in the information management system 100
that is integrated across source applications 110, different
storage device types, etc. According to some embodiments,
e-discovery utilizes other techniques described herein, such as
data classification and/or content indexing.
Information Management Policies
[0225] As indicated previously, an information management policy
148 can include a data structure or other information source that
specifies a set of parameters (e.g., criteria and rules) associated
with secondary copy or other information management operations.
[0226] One type of information management policy 148 is a storage
policy. According to certain embodiments, a storage policy
generally comprises a logical container that defines (or includes
information sufficient to determine) one or more of the following
items: (1) what data will be associated with the storage policy;
(2) a destination to which the data will be stored; (3) datapath
information specifying how the data will be communicated to the
destination; (4) the type of storage operation to be performed; and
(5) retention information specifying how long the data will be
retained at the destination.
[0227] Data associated with a storage policy can be logically
organized into groups, which can be referred to as "sub-clients". A
sub-client may represent static or dynamic associations of portions
of a data volume. Sub-clients may represent mutually exclusive
portions. Thus, in certain embodiments, a portion of data may be
given a label and the association is stored as a static entity in
an index, database or other storage location.
[0228] Sub-clients may also be used as an effective administrative
scheme of organizing data according to data type, department within
the enterprise, storage preferences, or the like. Depending on the
configuration, sub-clients can correspond to files, folders,
virtual machines, databases, etc. In one exemplary scenario, an
administrator may find it preferable to separate e-mail data from
financial data using two different sub-clients.
[0229] A storage policy can define where data is stored by
specifying a target or destination storage device (or group of
storage devices). For instance, where the secondary storage device
108 includes a group of disk libraries, the storage policy may
specify a particular disk library for storing the sub-clients
associated with the policy. As another example, where the secondary
storage devices 108 include one or more tape libraries, the storage
policy may specify a particular tape library for storing the
sub-clients associated with the storage policy, and may also
specify a drive pool and a tape pool defining a group of tape
drives and a group of tapes, respectively, for use in storing the
sub-client data.
[0230] Datapath information can also be included in the storage
policy. For instance, the storage policy may specify network
pathways and components to utilize when moving the data to the
destination storage device(s). In some embodiments, the storage
policy specifies one or more media agents 144 for conveying data
(e.g., one or more sub-clients) associated with the storage policy
between the source (e.g., one or more host client computing devices
102) and destination (e.g., a particular target secondary storage
device 108).
[0231] A storage policy can also specify the type(s) of operations
associated with the storage policy, such as a backup, archive,
snapshot, auxiliary copy, or the like. Retention information can
specify how long the data will be kept, depending on organizational
needs (e.g., a number of days, months, years, etc.)
[0232] The information management policies 148 may also include one
or more scheduling policies specifying when and how often to
perform operations. Scheduling information may specify with what
frequency (e.g., hourly, weekly, daily, event-based, etc.) or under
what triggering conditions secondary copy or other information
management operations will take place. Scheduling policies in some
cases are associated with particular components, such as particular
sub-clients, client computing device 102, and the like. In one
configuration, a separate scheduling policy is maintained for
particular sub-clients on a client computing device 102. The
scheduling policy specifies that those sub-clients are to be moved
to secondary storage devices 108 every hour according to storage
policies associated with the respective sub-clients.
[0233] When adding a new client computing device 102,
administrators can manually configure information management
policies 148 and/or other settings, e.g., via the user interface
158. However, this can be an involved process resulting in delays,
and it may be desirable to begin data protecting operations
quickly.
[0234] Thus, in some embodiments, the information management system
100 automatically applies a default configuration to client
computing device 102. As one example, when a data agent(s) 142 is
installed on a client computing devices 102, the installation
script may register the client computing device 102 with the
storage manager 140, which in turn applies the default
configuration to the new client computing device 102. In this
manner, data protection operations can begin substantially
immediately. The default configuration can include a default
storage policy, for example, and can specify any appropriate
information sufficient to begin data protection operations. This
can include a type of data protection operation, scheduling
information, a target secondary storage device 108, data path
information (e.g., a particular media agent 144), and the like.
[0235] Other types of information management policies 148 are
possible. For instance, the information management policies 148 can
also include one or more audit or security policies. An audit
policy is a set of preferences, rules and/or criteria that protect
sensitive data in the information management system 100. For
example, an audit policy may define "sensitive objects" as files or
objects that contain particular keywords (e.g. "confidential," or
"privileged") and/or are associated with particular keywords (e.g.,
in metadata) or particular flags (e.g., in metadata identifying a
document or email as personal, confidential, etc.).
[0236] An audit policy may further specify rules for handling
sensitive objects. As an example, an audit policy may require that
a reviewer approve the transfer of any sensitive objects to a cloud
storage site, and that if approval is denied for a particular
sensitive object, the sensitive object should be transferred to a
local storage device 104 instead. To facilitate this approval, the
audit policy may further specify how a secondary storage computing
device 106 or other system component should notify a reviewer that
a sensitive object is slated for transfer.
[0237] In some implementations, the information management policies
148 may include one or more provisioning policies. A provisioning
policy can include a set of preferences, priorities, rules, and/or
criteria that specify how clients 102 (or groups thereof) may
utilize system resources, such as available storage on cloud
storage and/or network bandwidth. A provisioning policy specifies,
for example, data quotas for particular client computing devices
102 (e.g. a number of gigabytes that can be stored monthly,
quarterly or annually). The storage manager 140 or other components
may enforce the provisioning policy. For instance, the media agents
144 may enforce the policy when transferring data to secondary
storage devices 108. If a client computing device 102 exceeds a
quota, a budget for the client computing device 102 (or associated
department) is adjusted accordingly or an alert may trigger.
[0238] While the above types of information management policies 148
have been described as separate policies, one or more of these can
be generally combined into a single information management policy
148. For instance, a storage policy may also include or otherwise
be associated with one or more scheduling, audit, or provisioning
policies. Moreover, while storage policies are typically associated
with moving and storing data, other policies may be associated with
other types of information management operations. The following is
a non-exhaustive list of items the information management policies
148 may specify: [0239] schedules or other timing information,
e.g., specifying when and/or how often to perform information
management operations; [0240] the type of secondary copy 116 and/or
secondary copy format (e.g., snapshot, backup, archive, HSM, etc.);
[0241] a location or a class or quality of storage for storing
secondary copies 116 (e.g., one or more particular secondary
storage devices 108); [0242] preferences regarding whether and how
to encrypt, compress, deduplicate, or otherwise modify or transform
secondary copies 116; [0243] which system components and/or network
pathways (e.g., preferred media agents 144) should be used to
perform secondary storage operations; [0244] resource allocation
between different computing devices or other system components used
in performing information management operations (e.g., bandwidth
allocation, available storage capacity, etc.); [0245] whether and
how to synchronize or otherwise distribute files or other data
objects across multiple computing devices or hosted services; and
[0246] retention information specifying the length of time primary
data 112 and/or secondary copies 116 should be retained, e.g., in a
particular class or tier of storage devices, or within the
information management system 100.
[0247] Policies can additionally specify or depend on a variety of
historical or current criteria that may be used to determine which
rules to apply to a particular data object, system component, or
information management operation, such as: [0248] frequency with
which primary data 112 or a secondary copy 116 of a data object or
metadata has been or is predicted to be used, accessed, or
modified; [0249] time-related factors (e.g., aging information such
as time since the creation or modification of a data object);
[0250] deduplication information (e.g., hashes, data blocks,
deduplication block size, deduplication efficiency or other
metrics); [0251] an estimated or historic usage or cost associated
with different components (e.g., with secondary storage devices
108); [0252] the identity of users, applications 110, client
computing devices 102 and/or other computing devices that created,
accessed, modified, or otherwise utilized primary data 112 or
secondary copies 116; [0253] a relative sensitivity (e.g.,
confidentiality) of a data object, e.g., as determined by its
content and/or metadata; [0254] the current or historical storage
capacity of various storage devices; [0255] the current or
historical network capacity of network pathways connecting various
components within the storage operation cell; [0256] access control
lists or other security information; and [0257] the content of a
particular data object (e.g., its textual content) or of metadata
associated with the data object.
Exemplary Storage Policy and Secondary Storage Operations
[0258] FIG. 1E shows a data flow data diagram depicting performance
of storage operations by an embodiment of an information management
system 100, according to an exemplary data storage policy 148A. The
information management system 100 includes a storage manger 140, a
client computing device 102 having a file system data agent 142A
and an email data agent 142B residing thereon, a primary storage
device 104, two media agents 144A, 144B, and two secondary storage
devices 108A, 108B: a disk library 108A and a tape library 108B. As
shown, the primary storage device 104 includes primary data 112A,
112B associated with a file system sub-client and an email
sub-client, respectively.
[0259] As indicated by the dashed box, the second media agent 144B
and the tape library 108B are "off-site", and may therefore be
remotely located from the other components in the information
management system 100 (e.g., in a different city, office building,
etc.). In this manner, information stored on the tape library 108B
may provide protection in the event of a disaster or other
failure.
[0260] The file system sub-client and its associated primary data
112A in certain embodiments generally comprise information
generated by the file system and/or operating system of the client
computing device 102, and can include, for example, file system
data (e.g., regular files, file tables, mount points, etc.),
operating system data (e.g., registries, event logs, etc.), and the
like. The e-mail sub-client, on the other hand, and its associated
primary data 112B, include data generated by an e-mail client
application operating on the client computing device 102, and can
include mailbox information, folder information, emails,
attachments, associated database information, and the like. As
described above, the sub-clients can be logical containers, and the
data included in the corresponding primary data 112A, 112B may or
may not be stored contiguously.
[0261] The exemplary storage policy 148A includes a backup copy
rule set 160, a disaster recovery copy rule set 162, and a
compliance copy rule set 164. The backup copy rule set 160
specifies that it is associated with a file system sub-client 166
and an email sub-client 168. Each of these sub-clients 166, 168 are
associated with the particular client computing device 102. The
backup copy rule set 160 further specifies that the backup
operation will be written to the disk library 108A, and designates
a particular media agent 144A to convey the data to the disk
library 108A. Finally, the backup copy rule set 160 specifies that
backup copies created according to the rule set 160 are scheduled
to be generated on an hourly basis and to be retained for 30 days.
In some other embodiments, scheduling information is not included
in the storage policy 148A, and is instead specified by a separate
scheduling policy.
[0262] The disaster recovery copy rule set 162 is associated with
the same two sub-clients 166, 168. However, the disaster recovery
copy rule set 162 is associated with the tape library 108B, unlike
the backup copy rule set 160. Moreover, the disaster recovery copy
rule set 162 specifies that a different media agent 144B than the
media agent 144A associated with the backup copy rule set 160 will
be used to convey the data to the tape library 108B. As indicated,
disaster recovery copies created according to the rule set 162 will
be retained for 60 days, and will be generated on a daily basis.
Disaster recovery copies generated according to the disaster
recovery copy rule set 162 can provide protection in the event of a
disaster or other data-loss event that would affect the backup copy
116A maintained on the disk library 108A.
[0263] The compliance copy rule set 164 is only associated with the
email sub-client 166, and not the file system sub-client 168.
Compliance copies generated according to the compliance copy rule
set 164 will therefore not include primary data 112A from the file
system sub-client 166. For instance, the organization may be under
an obligation to store maintain copies of email data for a
particular period of time (e.g., 10 years) to comply with state or
federal regulations, while similar regulations do not apply to the
file system data. The compliance copy rule set 164 is associated
with the same tape library 108B and media agent 144B as the
disaster recovery copy rule set 162, although a different storage
device or media agent could be used in other embodiments. Finally,
the compliance copy rule set 164 specifies that copies generated
under the compliance copy rule set 164 will be retained for 10
years, and will be generated on a quarterly basis.
[0264] At step 1, the storage manager 140 initiates a backup
operation according to the backup copy rule set 160. For instance,
a scheduling service running on the storage manager 140 accesses
scheduling information from the backup copy rule set 160 or a
separate scheduling policy associated with the client computing
device 102, and initiates a backup copy operation on an hourly
basis. Thus, at the scheduled time slot the storage manager 140
sends instructions to the client computing device 102 to begin the
backup operation.
[0265] At step 2, the file system data agent 142A and the email
data agent 142B residing on the client computing device 102 respond
to the instructions received from the storage manager 140 by
accessing and processing the primary data 112A, 112B involved in
the copy operation from the primary storage device 104. Because the
operation is a backup copy operation, the data agent(s) 142A, 142B
may format the data into a backup format or otherwise process the
data.
[0266] At step 3, the client computing device 102 communicates the
retrieved, processed data to the first media agent 144A, as
directed by the storage manager 140, according to the backup copy
rule set 160. In some other embodiments, the information management
system 100 may implement a load-balancing, availability-based, or
other appropriate algorithm to select from the available set of
media agents 144A, 144B. Regardless of the manner the media agent
144A is selected, the storage manager 140 may further keep a record
in the storage manager database 140 of the association between the
selected media agent 144A and the client computing device 102
and/or between the selected media agent 144A and the backup copy
116A.
[0267] The target media agent 144A receives the data from the
client computing device 102, and at step 4 conveys the data to the
disk library 108A to create the backup copy 116A, again at the
direction of the storage manager 140 and according to the backup
copy rule set 160. The secondary storage device 108A can be
selected in other ways. For instance, the media agent 144A may have
a dedicated association with a particular secondary storage
device(s), or the storage manager 140 or media agent 144A may
select from a plurality of secondary storage devices, e.g.,
according to availability, using one of the techniques described in
U.S. Pat. No. 7,246,207, which is incorporated by reference
herein.
[0268] The media agent 144A can also update its index 153 to
include data and/or metadata related to the backup copy 116A, such
as information indicating where the backup copy 116A resides on the
disk library 108A, data and metadata for cache retrieval, etc.
After the 30 day retention period expires, the storage manager 140
instructs the media agent 144A to delete the backup copy 116A from
the disk library 108A.
[0269] At step 5, the storage manager 140 initiates the creation of
a disaster recovery copy 116B according to the disaster recovery
copy rule set 162. For instance, at step 6, based on instructions
received from the storage manager 140 at step 5, the specified
media agent 144B retrieves the most recent backup copy 116A from
the disk library 108A.
[0270] At step 7, again at the direction of the storage manager 140
and as specified in the disaster recovery copy rule set 162, the
media agent 144B uses the retrieved data to create a disaster
recovery copy 116B on the tape library 108B. In some cases, the
disaster recovery copy 116B is a direct, mirror copy of the backup
copy 116A, and remains in the backup format. In other embodiments,
the disaster recovery copy 116C may be generated in some other
manner, such as by using the primary data 112A, 112B from the
storage device 104 as source data. The disaster recovery copy
operation is initiated once a day and the disaster recovery copies
116A are deleted after 60 days.
[0271] At step 8, the storage manager 140 initiates the creation of
a compliance copy 116C, according to the compliance copy rule set
164. For instance, the storage manager 140 instructs the media
agent 144B to create the compliance copy 116C on the tape library
108B at step 9, as specified in the compliance copy rule set 164.
In the example, the compliance copy 116C is generated using the
disaster recovery copy 116B. In other embodiments, the compliance
copy 116C is instead generated using either the primary data 112B
corresponding to the email sub-client or using the backup copy 116A
from the disk library 108A as source data. As specified, compliance
copies 116C are created quarterly, and are deleted after ten
years.
[0272] While not shown in FIG. 1E, at some later point in time, a
restore operation can be initiated involving one or more of the
secondary copies 116A, 116B, 116C. As one example, a user may
manually initiate a restore of the backup copy 116A by interacting
with the user interface 158 of the storage manager 140. The storage
manager 140 then accesses data in its index 150 (and/or the
respective storage policy 148A) associated with the selected backup
copy 116A to identify the appropriate media agent 144A and/or
secondary storage device 116A.
[0273] In other cases, a media agent may be selected for use in the
restore operation based on a load balancing algorithm, an
availability based algorithm, or other criteria. The selected media
agent 144A retrieves the data from the disk library 108A. For
instance, the media agent 144A may access its index 153 to identify
a location of the backup copy 116A on the disk library 108A, or may
access location information residing on the disk 108A itself.
[0274] When the backup copy 116A was recently created or accessed,
the media agent 144A accesses a cached version of the backup copy
116A residing in the media agent index 153, without having to
access the disk library 108A for some or all of the data. Once it
has retrieved the backup copy 116A, the media agent 144A
communicates the data to the source client computing device 102.
Upon receipt, the file system data agent 142A and the email data
agent 142B may unpackage (e.g., restore from a backup format to the
native application format) the data in the backup copy 116A and
restore the unpackaged data to the primary storage device 104.
Exemplary Secondary Copy Formatting
[0275] The formatting and structure of secondary copies 116 can
vary, depending on the embodiment. In some cases, secondary copies
116 are formatted as a series of logical data units or "chunks"
(e.g., 512 MB, 1 GB, 2 GB, 4 GB, or 8 GB chunks). This can
facilitate efficient communication and writing to secondary storage
devices 108, e.g., according to resource availability. For example,
a single secondary copy 116 may be written on a chunk-by-chunk
basis to a single secondary storage device 108 or across multiple
secondary storage devices 108. In some cases, users can select
different chunk sizes, e.g., to improve throughput to tape storage
devices.
[0276] Generally, each chunk can include a header and a payload.
The payload can include files (or other data units) or subsets
thereof included in the chunk, whereas the chunk header generally
includes metadata relating to the chunk, some or all of which may
be derived from the payload. For example, during a secondary copy
operation, the media agent 144, storage manager 140, or other
component may divide the associated files into chunks and generate
headers for each chunk by processing the constituent files.
[0277] The headers can include a variety of information such as
file identifier(s), volume(s), offset(s), or other information
associated with the payload data items, a chunk sequence number,
etc. Importantly, in addition to being stored with the secondary
copy 116 on the secondary storage device 108, the chunk headers can
also be stored to the index 153 of the associated media agent(s)
144 and/or the storage manager index 150. This is useful in some
cases for providing faster processing of secondary copies 116
during restores or other operations. In some cases, once a chunk is
successfully transferred to a secondary storage device 108, the
secondary storage device 108 returns an indication of receipt,
e.g., to the media agent 144 and/or storage manager 140, which may
update their respective indexes 150, 153 accordingly.
[0278] During restore, chunks may be processed (e.g., by the media
agent 144) according to the information in the chunk header to
reassemble the files. Additional information relating to chunks can
be found in U.S. Pat. No. 8,156,086, which is incorporated by
reference herein.
Example Data Storage Environment For Automated Client Grouping
[0279] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example
arrangement of resources in a data storage environment. As shown,
the data storage system 250 may generally include a storage manager
201, a data agent 295, a media agent 205, a storage device 215,
and, in some embodiments, may include certain other components such
as a client 285, a data or information store 290, database or index
211, jobs agent 220, an interface module 225, and a management
agent 230. Such a system and elements thereof are exemplary of a
modular storage system such as the CommVault Simpana system
available from CommVault Systems, Inc. of Oceanport, N.J., and
further described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/610,738,
now U.S. Pat. No. 7,035,880, which is incorporated herein by
reference, in its entirety.
[0280] A data storage system, such as the system 250, may generally
include combinations of hardware and software components associated
with performing storage operations on electronic data. According to
some embodiments of the present disclosure, storage system 250 may
be related to data storage cells and provide some or all of the
functionality of data storage cells as described in U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 09/354,058, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,395,282 which
is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
[0281] In accordance with certain embodiments of the present
disclosure, additional storage operations performed by storage
systems may include creating, storing, retrieving, and migrating
primary storage data (e.g., data stored at information store 290)
and secondary storage data (which may include, for example,
snapshot copies, backup copies, Hierarchical Storage Management
(HSM) copies, archive copies, and other types of copies of
electronic data) stored on storage devices 215. In some
embodiments, storage systems may also provide one or more
integrated management consoles for users or system processes to
interface with in order to perform certain storage operations on
electronic data as further described herein. Such integrated
management consoles may be displayed at a central control facility
or several similar consoles distributed throughout multiple network
locations to provide global or geographically specific network data
storage information.
[0282] In some embodiments, storage operations may be performed
according to various storage preferences, for example as expressed
by a user preference or storage policy. A storage policy is
generally a data structure or other information source that
includes a set of preferences and other storage criteria associated
with performing a storage operation. The preferences and storage
criteria may include, but are not limited to, a storage location,
relationships between system components, network pathway to
utilize, retention policies, data characteristics, compression or
encryption requirements, preferred system components to utilize in
a storage operation, other criteria relating to a storage
operation, combinations of the same and the like. Thus, in certain
embodiments, a storage policy may indicate that certain data is to
be stored in a specific storage device, retained for a specified
period of time before being aged to another tier of secondary
storage, copied to secondary storage using a specified number of
streams. A storage policy may be stored in the storage manager
database or index 211, to archive media as metadata for use in
restore operations or other storage operations, or to other
locations or components of the system.
[0283] In certain embodiments, a schedule policy may specify when
to perform storage operations and how often, and may also specify
performing certain storage operations on sub-clients of data and
how to treat those sub-clients. A sub-client may represent static
or dynamic associations of portions of data of a volume and are
typically mutually exclusive. Thus, in certain embodiments, a
portion of data may be given a label and the association is stored
as a static entity in an index, database or other storage location
used by the system. Sub-clients may also be used as an effective
administrative scheme of organizing data according to data type,
department within the enterprise, storage preferences, combinations
of the same or the like.
[0284] For example, an administrator may find it preferable to
separate e-mail data from financial data using two different
sub-clients having different storage preferences, retention
criteria, or the like. Storage systems may contain not only
physical devices, but also may represent logical concepts,
organizations, and hierarchies. For example, a first storage system
250 may be configured to perform a first type of storage operations
such as HSM operations, which may include backup or other types of
data migration, and may include a variety of physical components
including the storage manager 201 (or management agent 230), the
media agent 205, the client component 285, and other components as
described herein. A second storage system, or cell may contain the
same or similar physical components, however, it may be configured
to perform a second type of storage operations such as Storage
Resource Management (SRM) operations, and may include as monitoring
a primary data copy or performing other known SRM operations.
[0285] Thus, as can be seen from the above, although the first and
second storage cells are logically distinct entities configured to
perform different management functions (i.e., HSM and SRM
respectively), each cell may contain the same or similar physical
devices. Alternatively, in other embodiments, different storage
cells may contain some of the same physical devices and not others.
For example, a storage system configured to perform SRM tasks may
contain the media agent 205, client 285, or other network device
connected to a primary storage volume, while a storage cell
configured to perform HSM tasks may instead include a media agent
205, client 285, or other network device connected to a secondary
storage volume and not contain the elements or components
associated with and including the primary storage volume. These two
cells, however, may each include a different storage manager that
coordinates storage operations via the same media agents 205 and
storage devices 215. This "overlapping" configuration allows
storage resources to be accessed by more than one storage manager
201 such that multiple paths exist to each storage device 215
facilitating failover, load balancing and promoting robust data
access via alternative routes.
[0286] Alternatively, in some embodiments, the same storage manager
201 may control two or more cells (whether or not each storage cell
has its own dedicated storage manager). Moreover, in certain
embodiments, the extent or type of overlap may be user-defined
(e.g., through a control console) or may be automatically
configured to optimize data storage and/or retrieval.
[0287] The client device 285, in certain embodiments, is a
computing device including one or more software applications
generating production data that is stored in the data storage
system 250. For instance, primary copies of the production data can
be stored in the information stores 290 associated with the
respective client devices 285, and secondary copies of the
production data can be stored in one or more of the secondary
storage devices 215. The client devices 285 can comprise any
appropriate type of computing device, including workstations,
personal computers, computerized tablets, PDAs, and other devices
suitable for the purposes described herein. In some cases, each
client device 285 is associated with one or more users and/or
corresponding user accounts. For instance, in one embodiment, where
the storage system 250 is implemented in a corporate environment,
at least some of the client devices 285 are employee workstations.
The data agent 295 may be a software module or part of a software
module that is generally responsible for copying, archiving,
migrating, and recovering data from client computer 285 stored in
an information store 290 or other memory location. Each client
computer 285 may have at least one data agent 295 and the system
can support multiple client computers 285. In some embodiments,
data agents 295 may be distributed between client 285 and storage
manager 201 (and any other intermediate components) or may be
deployed from a remote location or its functions approximated by a
remote process that performs some or all of the functions of data
agent 295.
[0288] Embodiments of the present disclosure may employ multiple
data agents 295 each of which may backup, migrate, and recover data
associated with a different application. For example, different
individual data agents 295 may be designed to handle Microsoft
Exchange data, Lotus Notes data, Microsoft Windows file system
data, Microsoft Active Directory Objects data, and other types of
data. Other embodiments may employ one or more generic data agents
295 that can handle and process multiple data types rather than
using the specialized data agents described above.
[0289] If a client computer 285 has two or more types of data, one
data agent 295 may be required for each data type to copy, archive,
migrate, and restore the client computer 285 data. For example, to
backup, migrate, and restore all of the data on a Microsoft
Exchange server, the client computer 285 may use one Microsoft
Exchange Mailbox data agent 295 to backup the Exchange mailboxes,
one Microsoft Exchange Database data agent 295 to backup the
Exchange databases, one Microsoft Exchange Public Folder data agent
295 to backup the Exchange Public Folders, and one Microsoft
Windows File System data agent 295 to backup the client computers
285 file system. In such embodiments, these data agents 295 may be
treated as four separate data agents 295 by the system even though
they reside on the same client computer 285.
[0290] Alternatively, other embodiments may use one or more generic
data agents 295, each of which may be capable of handling two or
more data types. For example, one generic data agent 295 may be
used to back up, migrate and restore Microsoft Exchange 2000
Mailbox data and Microsoft Exchange 2000 Database data while
another generic data agent may handle Microsoft Exchange 2000
Public Folder data and Microsoft Windows 2000 File System data, or
the like.
[0291] Data agents 295 may be responsible for arranging or packing
data to be copied or migrated into a certain format such as an
archive file. Nonetheless, it will be understood this represents
only one example and any suitable packing or containerization
technique or transfer methodology may be used if desired. Such an
archive file may include a list of files or data objects copied in
metadata, the file and data objects themselves. Moreover, any data
moved by the data agents may be tracked within the system by
updating indexes associated appropriate storage managers or media
agents.
[0292] Generally speaking, storage manager 201 may be a software
module or other application that coordinates and controls storage
operations performed by storage system 250. Storage manager 201 may
communicate with some or all elements of storage system 250
including client computers 285, data agents 295, media agents 205,
and storage devices 215, to initiate and manage system backups,
migrations, and data recovery. Although the storage manager 201 is
shown as residing in primary storage, the storage manager may
generally control components in both primary storage and secondary
storage subsystems, as shown and described with respect to FIG.
1D.
[0293] Storage manager 201 may include a jobs agent 220 that
monitors the status of some or all storage operations previously
performed, currently being performed, or scheduled to be performed
by storage operation cell 250. Jobs agent 220 may be
communicatively coupled with an interface agent 225 (typically a
software module or application). Interface agent 225 may include
information processing and display software, such as a graphical
user interface ("GUI"), an application program interface ("API"),
or other interactive interface through which users and system
processes can retrieve information about the status of storage
operations. Through interface 225, users may optionally issue
instructions to various storage systems 250 regarding performance
of storage and recovery operations that may be implemented by the
storage systems 250. For example, a user may modify a schedule
concerning the number of pending snapshot copies or other types of
copies scheduled as needed to suit particular needs or
requirements. As another example, a user may employ the GUI to view
the status of pending storage operations in some or all of the
storage cells in a given network or to monitor the status of
certain components in a particular storage cell (e.g., the amount
of storage capacity left in a particular storage device).
[0294] Storage manager 201 may also include a management agent 230
that is typically implemented as a software module or application
program. In general, management agent 230 provides an interface
that allows various management components 201 in other storage
operation cells 250 to communicate with one another. For example,
assume a certain network configuration includes multiple cells 250
adjacent to one another or otherwise logically related in a WAN or
LAN configuration (not shown). With this arrangement, each cell 250
may be connected to the other through each respective interface
agent 225. This allows each cell 250 to send and receive certain
pertinent information from other cells 250 including status
information, routing information, information regarding capacity
and utilization, or the like. These communication paths may also be
used to convey information and instructions regarding storage
operations.
[0295] For example, a management agent in a first storage cell may
communicate with a management agent in a second storage cell
regarding the status of storage operations in the second storage
cell. Another illustrative example includes the case where a
management agent in first storage cell communicates with a
management agent 230 in a second storage cell to control the
storage manager 201 (and other components) of the second storage
cell via the management agent 230 contained in the storage manager
201.
[0296] Another illustrative example is the case where management
agent 230 in the first storage cell 250 communicates directly with
and controls the components in the second storage cell 250 and
bypasses the storage manager 201 in the second storage cell. If
desired, storage cells 250 can also be organized hierarchically
such that hierarchically superior cells control or pass information
to hierarchically subordinate cells or vice versa.
[0297] Storage manager 201 may also maintain an index, a database,
or other data structure 211. The data stored in database 211 may be
used to indicate logical associations between components of the
system, user preferences, management tasks, media containerization
and data storage information or other useful data, as described in
greater detail in application Ser. No. 10/818,749, now U.S. Pat.
No. 7,246,207, herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
For example, the storage manager 201 may use data from database 211
to track logical associations between media agent 205 and storage
devices 215 (or movement of data as containerized from primary to
secondary storage). In addition, to the index 211, the storage
system 250 can also include one or more indexes as part of the
media agent 205.
[0298] Generally speaking, a media agent, which may also be
referred to as or be implemented on a secondary storage computing
device 207, may be implemented as a software module that conveys
data, as directed by storage manager 201, between a client computer
285 and one or more storage devices 215 such as a tape library, a
magnetic media storage device, an optical media storage device,
solid state media, or any other suitable storage device. In one
embodiment, secondary computing device 207 may be communicatively
coupled with and control a storage device 215. A secondary
computing device 207 may be considered to be associated with a
particular storage device 215 if that secondary computing device
207 is capable of routing and storing data to particular storage
device 215.
[0299] In operation, a secondary computing device 207 associated
with a particular storage device 215 may instruct the storage
device to use a robotic arm or other retrieval means to load or
eject a certain storage media, and to subsequently archive,
migrate, or restore data to or from that media. Secondary computing
device 207 may communicate with a storage device 215 via a suitable
communications path such as a SCSI or fiber channel communications
link. In some embodiments, the storage device 215 may be
communicatively coupled to a data agent 295 via a storage area
network ("SAN"). As shown, in certain embodiments, each client 285
can communicate with any of the secondary storage computing devices
207, e.g., as directed by the storage manager 201. Moreover, each
secondary storage device 207 can communicate with any of the
secondary storage devices 215, e.g., as directed by the storage
manager. Thus, storage operations can be routed to the storage
devices 215 in a dynamic and flexible manner. This inter-networked
configuration provides both scalability and efficient component
utilization. Further compatible examples of dynamic storage
operations are provided in application Ser. No. 10/818,749, now
U.S. Pat. No. 7,246,207.
[0300] Each secondary storage computing device 207 may maintain an
index 226, a database, or other data structure 226 which may store
index data generated during backup, migration, and restore and
other storage operations as described herein. For example,
performing storage operations on Microsoft Exchange data may
generate index data. Such index data provides a secondary computing
device 205 or other external device with a fast and efficient
mechanism for locating data stored or backed up. Thus, in some
embodiments, a secondary storage computing device index 226, or a
storage manager database 211, may store data associating a client
285 with a particular secondary computing device 207 or storage
device 215, for example, as specified in a storage policy, while a
database or other data structure in secondary computing device 207
may indicate where specifically the client 285 data is stored in
storage device 215, what specific files were stored, and other
information associated with storage of client 285 data. In some
embodiments, such index data may be stored along with the data
backed up in a storage device 215, with an additional copy of the
index data written to index cache in a secondary storage device.
Thus, the data is readily available for use in storage operations
and other activities without having to be first retrieved from the
storage device 215.
[0301] Generally speaking, information stored in cache is typically
recent information that reflects certain particulars about
operations that have recently occurred. After a certain period of
time, this information is sent to secondary storage and tracked.
This information may need to be retrieved and uploaded back into a
cache or other memory in a secondary computing device before data
can be retrieved from storage device 215. In some embodiments, the
cached information may include information regarding format or
containerization of archive or other files stored on storage device
215.
[0302] In some embodiments, certain components may reside and
execute on the same computer. For example, in some embodiments, a
client computer 285, such as a data agent 295 or a storage manager
201, coordinates and directs local archiving, migration, and
retrieval application functions as further described in U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 09/610,738. This client computer 285 can
function independently or together with other similar client
computers 285.
[0303] Furthermore, components of the storage system of FIG. 2 can
also communicate with each other via a computer network. For
example, the network may comprise a public network such as the
Internet, virtual private network (VPN), token ring or TCP/IP based
network, wide area network (WAN), local area network (LAN), an
intranet network, point-to-point link, a wireless network, cellular
network, wireless data transmission system, two-way cable system,
interactive kiosk network, satellite network, broadband network,
baseband network, combinations of the same or the like.
[0304] Additionally, the various components of FIG. 2 may be
configured for deduplication. For example, one or more of the
clients 285 can include a deduplicated database. The data stored in
the storage devices 215 or storage devices 290 may also be
deduplicated. For example, one or more of the media agents 205
associated with the respective storage devices 215 can manage the
deduplication of data in the storage devices 215.
[0305] In some embodiments, the storage manager 201 may also
include a client groups database 270, a configuration rules
database 271, a client grouping module 272, and a configuration
manager 274. The client grouping module 272 can group or associate
one or more client computing devices (e.g., clients 285, etc.)
together as part of a smart client group, or client group. The
client grouping module 272 can group the one or more clients based
on a set of one or more criteria that may or may not be associated
with the clients. For instance, in some cases, a client may satisfy
criteria associated with a client group by having a particular
characteristic or attribute. In other cases, a client may satisfy
the criteria by not having a particular characteristic or
attribute. While the present disclosure is described primarily with
respect to client computing devices, the grouping concepts
described herein may apply to other components or devices, such as
storage devices, virtual machines, workspaces, network devices,
workstations, servers, etc.
[0306] In some cases, each storage system 250 can be one cell in a
set of storage system cells. In such cases where there are multiple
storage cells 250, the client grouping module 272 creates client
groups based on clients included in a particular storage cell 250,
such as the clients 285. Thus, each storage cell 250 may have
separate client groups for the clients within the particular cell.
Alternatively, in some cases, the client grouping module 272 can
create client groups that include clients spanning multiple storage
cells 250.
[0307] The configuration manager 274 can configure client devices
based on a set of rules associated with a client group. For
example, a client group that includes computing devices from a
sales department may be associated with a rule that computing
devices associated with the client group have sales and inventory
tracking software installed. As a second example, a client group
that includes computing devices for a software development team may
be associated with a rule that computing devices associated with
the client group be backed up every night. In contrast, the sales
client group may be associated with a rule that associated
computing devices be backed up on a weekly basis. Although the
configuration manager 274 and the client grouping module 272 are
described distinctly, in some embodiments, the configuration
manager 274 and the client grouping module 272 can be a single
system. Alternatively, the configuration manager 274 and the client
grouping module 272, or portions thereof, may reside on separate
computing systems.
[0308] The client group definitions may be stored at the client
groups database 270 and the rules associated with configuring the
clients associated with a client group may be stored at the
configuration rules database 271. In some cases the client groups
database 270 and the configuration rules database 271 may be
included as part of a single data repository or database system
and, e.g., stored on a single storage device. In other cases, each
of the databases 270, 271 may be stored in separate repositories,
database systems and/or storage devices. Further, storing the
client group definitions can include storing the criteria
associated with a client group and the identity of clients that are
included in the client group (e.g., clients that satisfy the
criteria associated with the client group).
Examples of Client Grouping Criteria
[0309] As previously mentioned, the client grouping module 272 can
create or define a client group based on one or more client
grouping criteria. The client grouping criteria can include any
type of attribute or characteristic associated with a client
computing device (or other grouped component). Generally, but not
necessarily, the client grouping criteria can include any attribute
that can be shared in common between at least two client devices.
Some non-limiting examples of attributes that can be used as
criteria for creating a new client group can include client name,
operating system name, hardware configuration, application or
software configuration, agent configuration, client group
membership, clients with pinned jobs, clients with repeatedly
scheduled jobs, and time zone.
[0310] To provide a better understanding of the client grouping
criteria, and not to limit the number or type of possible client
grouping criteria that may be used with the present disclosure,
each of the aforementioned examples of client grouping criteria
will now be described in more detail. The client name can be used
to identify one or more clients with a particular name or the same
name. Generally, network configurations require that client devices
have a unique name among devices in a network or among devices in a
sub-network of a network. In such cases, the client name can be
used to identify one or more clients that share at least part of a
name in common. For example, client devices associated with a sales
and marketing group of an organization may each include the term
"sales" as the first part of the device's names (e.g.,
"sales.sub.--1", "sales.sub.--2", "sales.sub.--3", etc.). In such
cases, one criterion for creating the new client group can be that
the client name includes the term "sales."
[0311] Similar to the client name, the operating system name can be
used to identify one or more clients with a particular operating
system. In some embodiments, the operating system name criterion
can be used to identify clients using one or more operating systems
from a set of operating systems. For example, the operating name
criterion can be used to identify clients that use any
Microsoft.RTM. operating system or any Linux or Unix-based
operating system.
[0312] Client grouping criteria can be based on the hardware
category of the clients. For example, one client grouping criteria
can be laptops, which would identify all computing systems that are
laptops. Similarly, the client grouping criteria could be used to
identify smartphones, tablets, servers, desktops, etc.
Alternatively, or in addition, the client grouping criteria can be
based on the specific hardware configuration of the client devices.
For example, a client group may be based on clients that have at
least 4 Gigabytes (GB) of Random Access Memory (RAM). As a second
example, a client group may be based on clients that have both a
dual or quad core processor and a solid state hard drive.
[0313] Another client grouping criterion that may be used to define
a new client group is the software or application configuration of
a client. The software configuration of a client can include any
number of software configuration factors including, for example:
the type of software installed on a client; the identity of
specific software installed on a client; the version of software
installed on a client; the configuration of the software installed
on a client; or a combination of two or more of the aforementioned
software configuration factors. For example, a client group may be
based on clients that include a particular email client (e.g.,
Outlook.RTM., Eudora.RTM., Thunderbird.RTM., etc.). As another
example, a client group may be based on clients that include
particular database software or the latest version of the
particular database software.
[0314] Agent configuration can also be used to define a new client
group. The criterion of agent configuration can include the type of
agents (e.g., data agents 295) that are installed on a client and,
in some cases, the particular configuration of the installed
agents. Different data management agents or data agents 295 may be
configured to backup, migrate, and recover data associated with a
different application. For example, different individual data
agents 295 may be designed to handle Microsoft Exchange data, Lotus
Notes data, Microsoft Windows file system data, Microsoft Active
Directory Objects data, and other types of data. Other embodiments
may employ one or more generic data agents 295 that can handle and
process multiple data types rather than using the specialized data
agents described above. One example definition of a new client
group could be based on clients that include an agent designed to
handle Microsoft Exchange data and an agent designed to handle
Microsoft Active Directory Objects data.
[0315] In some cases, a client group can be a member of another
client group. For example, client groups may be nested or arranged
in a hierarchy with parent and child client groups, or inner nodes
and leaf nodes. A more detailed example of a client group hierarchy
is described below with respect to FIG. 4. In cases where a client
group may be a member of another client group, a new client group
can be based on one or more other client groups. Further, a client
can be identified based on the one or more client groups of which
the client is a member. For example, a client group that is created
to include clients that use a Microsoft.RTM. operating system may
include client grouping criteria defining that clients added to the
group also be a member of one or more of the following groups: a
Windows XP.RTM. client group, a Windows 7 client group, a Windows
Server 2008 client group, and a Windows Phone 7 client group.
[0316] Pinned jobs can also be used to define a client group. A
pinned job generally refers to an operation whose result is
retained for at least a specific period of time (e.g., for
long-term retention) regardless of a global policy or a
multi-client policy that includes the client performing the
operation and/or the client that is the subject of the operation.
For example, an organization may have a retention policy that
includes deleting backups of storage drives every 3-months.
However, a particular client may have a pinned job that includes
performing a backup operation and retaining the backup of the
client for one year. In some cases, the specific period of time may
be indefinite or until the job is unpinned by a user (e.g., an
administrator). A client group may be defined that includes all
clients that include a pinned job of a particular type or of any
type.
[0317] Clients with associated with an operation that is scheduled
to be performed on a repeated basis for a specific period, an
indefinite period of time, or until cancelled can also be used as a
criterion for creating a client group. Although the operation may
be scheduled to be performed repeatedly, the operation may or may
not be performed on a continuous basis. For example, the operation
may be scheduled to be performed on a nightly, weekly, monthly, or
yearly basis. Some non-limiting examples of operations or processes
that may be scheduled as repeated jobs include deduplication,
backup, system health checks, and system updates.
[0318] Another criterion that can be used to define a client group
is geographic region, such as the North-East of America. Further, a
client group can be based on the clients that are located in one or
more time zones. For example, one client group can be based on
clients located in the Eastern Standard Time zone and another
client group can be based on the Pacific Standard Time zone. As
another example, a client group can be based on clients located in
all time zones that are included within Europe.
[0319] In some cases, the client grouping criteria may be defined
to include clients that do not include particular criteria. For
example, a client group may be defined to include clients that do
not satisfy a particular hardware configuration, do not include
particular software, are not in a particular geographic region
(e.g., are not located within a particular time zone), or do not
include a particular term as part of the client name.
[0320] Additional non-limiting examples of criteria that may be
used as client grouping criteria can include: an associated user or
set of users, an associated department of an entity or
organization, a usage pattern of clients, a purchase date of
clients, clients with one or more specific agents installed (e.g.,
exchange agents), storage policy, clients with encryption enabled,
clients with a particular priority of configuration settings (e.g.,
high-priority settings, or administrator settings), and a date a
client was included with or added to the storage system 250.
Example of a Client Group Creation Process
[0321] FIG. 3 presents a flowchart of an example of a client group
creation process 300 in accordance with the present disclosure. The
process 300 can be implemented, at least in part, by any system
that can create or define a client group based on a set of criteria
related to the configuration and setup of client devices. Further,
the process 300 can be implemented, at least in part, by any system
that can assign or associate one or more client devices that
satisfy a client group's set of criteria with the client group. For
example, the process 300, in whole or in part, can be implemented
by the storage manager 201, the media agent 205, the client
grouping module 272, and the configuration manager 274, to name a
few. Although any number of systems, in whole or in part, can
implement the process 300, to simplify discussion, portions of the
process 300 will be described with reference to particular
systems.
[0322] The process 300 begins at block 302 where, for example, the
client grouping module 272 receives one or more client grouping
criteria for creating a new client group. In some embodiments, the
client grouping criteria may be stored at a database (e.g., the
database 270 or 271), and the client grouping module 272 accesses
the database to obtain the client grouping criteria. The client
grouping criteria may be specified by a user or by an application.
In some cases, only an authorized user (e.g., an administrator) may
specify the client grouping criteria. Further, in some cases, the
client grouping criteria may be provided via a user interface, such
as may be provided by the interface agent 225. Alternatively, or in
addition, the client grouping criteria may be received from an
application hosted by the storage manger 201 or by another
computing system. The client grouping criteria can include any
criterion for grouping clients including the non-limiting examples
described above in the section titled "Examples of Client Grouping
Criteria." In certain embodiments, the client grouping module 272
may be configured to use one or more default sets of client
grouping criteria to group clients. In such embodiments, the
default sets of client grouping criteria may, optionally, be
overwritten by an administrator, or other authorized user or
system.
[0323] At block 304, the client grouping module 272 identifies one
or more clients (or other devices, systems, or grouped components)
satisfying the client grouping criteria. The client grouping module
272 may identify a client satisfying the client grouping criteria
by accessing one or more data sources that include or store
attributes associated with the client. For example, the client
grouping module 272 may access a database or data structure that
includes at least some of the attributes of the client. This
database or data structure may be stored in any type of data store
accessible by the client grouping module 272, such as the database
or index 211, the client groups database 270, the configuration
rules database 271, or a client information database (not shown).
Alternatively, or in addition, the client grouping module 272 may
access a client to determine if the client satisfies the client
grouping criteria. The one or more clients can include any type of
computing system as previously described above. For example, the
clients can include laptops, desktops, servers, mobile phones
(e.g., smartphones), tablets, etc. In some embodiments, a client
may satisfy the client grouping criteria if the client satisfies a
subset of the client grouping criteria. For example, if the client
grouping criteria includes five criteria, the client grouping
module 272 may determine that a client satisfies the client
grouping criteria if the client satisfies at least four of the five
criteria.
[0324] The client grouping module 272 creates a client group
associated with the client grouping criteria at block 306. Creating
a client group can include creating an entry in a database or data
structure and/or creating a new data structure associated with the
client group. This entry or data structure can include a number of
attributes and metadata associated with the client group. For
example, the attributes and/or metadata can include the client
group name, the client grouping criteria associated with the client
group, a set of configuration rules as will be described further
below, the identity of clients that satisfy the client grouping
criteria, and any other information that can be used to define a
client group. The client group (e.g., the entry or the data
structure associated with the client group) can be stored at any
type of data store accessible by the client grouping module 272,
such as the database or index 211, the client groups database 270,
the configuration rules database 271, or a client information
database (not shown).
[0325] At block 308, the client grouping module 272 assigns the one
or more clients (or other devices, systems, or grouped components)
identified at the block 304 to the client group created at the
block 306. Assigning a client to the client group can include
storing the name of the client and/or a reference to the client in
a data structure or an entry in a database associated with the
client group. In some cases, assigning a client to the client group
can include providing access to the client to an agent or
application that enforces and/or executes policies and/or
configuration rules associated with the client group.
[0326] At block 310, the configuration manager 274, for example,
receives a set of configuration rules for configuring a client. In
some cases, the configuration rules are received as part of the
client group creation process (e.g., the process associated with
the block 306). Alternatively, or in addition, the configuration
rules may be received along with an identity of or a reference to
the client group that is to be associated with the configuration
rules. Further, in some cases, the configuration manager 274 may
obtain the set of configuration rule by accessing the rules from
the configuration rules database 271. The configuration rules can
include any type of rule for configuring a client. For example, the
configuration rules can include: specifying software for
installation on a client; specifying configurations for software
installed on a client; specifying software to remove from a client
and/or to block from installation on a client; specifying the
allocation of resources on a client (e.g., the amount or percentage
of hard drive space reserved for a particular purpose); the
frequency an operation is performed in relation to a client (e.g.,
how often data stored on the client is backed up, how often a
cleanup utility is executed on a client, how often a deduplication
process is executed on a client, etc.); the external resources the
client can access (e.g., the backup server associated with the
client; software licensing server associated with the client,
etc.), etc. In some cases, the configuration rules can include
preventing a particular configuration of a client. For example, the
configuration rules could prevent the installation of particular
software, the deletion of particular data or software, or accessing
particular systems.
[0327] The configuration manager 274 associates the set of
configuration rules with the client group at block 312. Associating
the set of configuration rules with the client group can include
storing the set of configuration rules with the client group
definition. Further, associating the set of configuration rules
with the client group can include storing the set of configuration
rules at a database or data store associated with the client group.
For example, the set of configuration rules may be stored at the
configuration rules database 271 and/or the client groups database
270. In some embodiments, the client group, or client group
definition, can include a pointer or link to the configuration
rules, which may be stored in the same data store or a different
data store from the client group. In some embodiments, a default
set of configuration rules may be associated with a client group
automatically, or by default. In such cases, blocks 310 and 312 may
be optional. However, in certain embodiments, the configuration
rules can be modified or overwritten by an administrator or other
authorized user or system.
[0328] At block 314, the configuration manager 274 configures each
client associated with the client group based on the set of
configuration rules. Configuring the clients can include performing
the configuration rules or causing processes to be initiated that
result in the configuration rules being satisfied. For instance, in
one embodiment, the configuration manager 274 resides on the
storage manager 201 as shown and provides configuration
instructions to each target client 285, which performs the
configuration. In some embodiments, one or more of the blocks 310,
312, and 314 may be optional. For example, in some cases, a client
group may be used to identify clients, or to facilitate accessing
clients, but not necessarily to configure clients. Advantageously,
in some embodiments, using a client group to identify or access
clients is faster than manually identifying or accessing a set of
clients. In some embodiments, some or all of the configuration
rules may be implemented by other systems. For example, some
configuration rules may be implemented by the storage manager 201,
by one or more data management agents or other components installed
on the client, by a media agent, by the client itself, etc.
[0329] Although the process 300 has generally been described with
respect to client devices, in some embodiments, the process 300, as
well as the additional processes described herein, may be performed
with respect to sub-components of a client device (or other
appropriate component in the data storage system 250). As a few
examples, the processes may be performed with respect to a
particular software application, workspace and/or account (e.g., a
user account) on a client or a number of clients. For instance, in
some cases, the block 304 may include identifying one or more
software applications, workspaces and/or accounts that satisfy a
set of grouping criteria. Further, the block 314 may include
configuring a workspace and/or account based on the set of
configuration rules. Thus, in some cases, a client that includes
multiple workspaces and/or accounts may include multiple
configurations, one for each workspace and/or account client.
[0330] In some embodiments, the process 300 may be repeated
multiple times for different sets of client grouping criteria.
Clients that satisfy the client grouping criteria of multiple
client groups may be assigned to multiple client groups.
Alternatively, a client may be assigned to the client group that
includes the most client grouping criteria that the client
satisfies. In some cases, parent client groups can include other
client groups or child client groups. In such cases, the clients
associated with the child client groups may also be associated with
the parent client group, but clients associated with the parent
client groups may or may not be associated with the child client
groups. One non-limiting example of client group relationships,
hierarchical client groups, is described in further detail below
with respect to FIG. 4.
[0331] In some embodiments, a client may belong to two different
client groups that may have conflicting configuration rules. In
such cases, the client groups may be associated with different
rankings or priority levels. The configuration manager 274 can
determine which configuration rules to follow based on the priority
levels of the client groups. Further, in cases where only some
configuration rules conflict, the non-conflicting configuration
rules may be implemented regardless of which client group the
configuration rule includes the configuration rule. In some cases,
a user may be informed of a conflict in configuration rules between
the clients groups of a particular client, and the use can
determine which configuration rules to follow or whether to take an
alternative action, such as redefining the client groups.
Example of a Client Addition Process
[0332] FIG. 4 presents a flowchart of an example of a client
addition process 400 in accordance with the present disclosure. The
process 400 can be implemented, at least in part, by any system
that can add a client to a client group that has been created using
a client group creation process, such as the process 300. For
example, the process 400, in whole or in part, can be implemented
by the storage manager 201, the media agent 205, the client
grouping module 272, and the configuration manager 274, to name a
few. Although any number of systems, in whole or in part, can
implement the process 400, to simplify discussion, portions of the
process 400 will be described with reference to particular
systems.
[0333] The process 400 begins at block 402 where, for example, the
client grouping module 272 identifies a new client (or other
device, system, or grouped component). The new client may be a
client that is newly added to a set of clients associated with an
organization or an existing client that is newly accessible by the
client grouping module 272. In some embodiments, the client
identified at the block 402 may be an existing client whose
configuration and/or attributes have changed thereby potentially
changing the client group(s) with which the client may be
associated. While in some cases modifying a client will change one
or more of the client's associated client groups, in other cases,
modifying a client will not change the client's associated client
groups. To simplify discussion, the rest of the process 400 will be
described with respect to a new client. However, it should be
understood that the process 400 can be performed with respect to a
modified client.
[0334] At block 404, the client grouping module 272 identifies a
set of characteristics or attributes associated with the new
client. Identifying the set of attributes associated with the new
client can include accessing a database that includes metadata
associated with the client. Alternatively, or in addition,
identifying the set of attributes may include accessing the new
client to determine the attributes. In some cases, a polling model
can be used to determine a client's attributes. In such cases, the
storage manager 250 or client grouping module 272 can poll clients
periodically to detect configuration or attribute changes of the
client. In other cases, a messaging module (not shown) may be used
by a client to report changes in the client's configuration or
attributes to the storage manager 250 or client grouping module
272. The client may report the changes when they occur or at some
other specific time. Further, the attributes identified at the
block 404 may include a complete set of attributes associated with
the client or, in some cases, a subset of attributes. For example,
a database may include ten pieces of metadata associated with the
client, but, in some cases, the client grouping module 272 may
access less than the ten pieces of metadata. The determination of
which pieces of metadata to access may be based on the
characteristics associated with existing client groups,
administrative settings, and/or any other factor that may be used
to determine the metadata to access. In some embodiments, the block
404 may include some or all of the embodiments described above with
respect to the block 304 and determining the attributes of a
client.
[0335] The client grouping module 272 identifies a client group
associated with at least a subset of the characteristics or
attributes associated with the new client at block 406. Identifying
the client group can include accessing characteristics or client
grouping criteria associated with one or more client groups from a
database, such as the client groups database 270, that stores the
client group definitions. Alternatively, or in addition, the client
grouping module 272 may access a data structure associated with one
or more client groups from a data store that includes data
associated with the client groups.
[0336] At block 408, the client grouping module 272 assigns the new
client to the client group identified at the block 406. In some
cases, multiple client groups may be identified at the block 406
that are associated with the set of characteristics identified at
the block 404. In such cases, the client grouping module 272 may
assign the new client to each of the client groups. Alternatively,
or in addition, the client grouping module 272 may cause a user to
be prompted to select one or more of the client groups associated
with the set of client characteristics. The client can then be
assigned to the one or more client groups selected by the user. In
some embodiments, a user may assign a client to a particular client
group. In such cases, the blocks 404, 406, and 408 may be
optional.
[0337] In some embodiments, at least some client groups may form a
hierarchical structure with each client group representing a node
in the hierarchy. The hierarchy may be based on the client
characteristics that form the client grouping criteria. For
example, a parent node may include characteristics A and B, and a
child node that descends from the parent node may include
characteristics A, B, and C. Clients having characteristics A and B
may be assigned to the client group represented by the parent node.
Clients having characteristics A, B, and C may be assigned to the
client group represented by the child node. In some cases, the
clients with characteristics A, B, and C may be assigned to the
parent node and the child node client groups. Each parent node may
have multiple child nodes. Further, in some cases, each child node
may have one or more parent nodes. For example, continuing with the
previous example, a second parent node may include characteristics
D and E. A child node having characteristics A, B, D, E, and F may
descend from the parent node of the previous example and the second
parent node. Clients having characteristics A, B, D, E, and F may
then be assigned to a client group represented by the child node
having characteristics A, B, D, E, and F. Although the above
examples describe a two-level hierarchy with a level of parent
nodes and a level of child nodes, the hierarchy is not limited as
such. The hierarchy can include any number of levels and a node may
be both a parent node and a child node. Further, in some cases, a
client group can include another client group. For example, the
client group of the parent node can include the client groups of
the child nodes.
[0338] In some cases, clients may be associated with each node, or
client group, whose client grouping criteria the client satisfies.
Thus, a client with characteristics A, B, and C may be associated
with both the parent node, associated with characteristics A and B,
and the child node, associated with characteristics A, B, and C, of
the example described above. In other cases, clients may be
associated with the node that includes the highest number of
characteristics satisfied by the clients. Thus, a client with
characteristics A, B, and C, may be associated with the child node,
associated with characteristics A, B, and C, but not necessarily
the parent node, associated with characteristics A and B, of the
example described above.
[0339] It is possible in some cases that a client may not satisfy
the client grouping criteria of any client groups. In such cases,
the client may be assigned to a special client group or default
client group for clients which do not satisfy any of the other
client groups. In other cases, a new client group may be created
based on the client's characteristics using, for example, the
process 300. Alternatively, or in addition, a user may be notified
that a client does not satisfy the client group criteria of any
existing client group, and the user can then be given the option to
create a new client group, modify an existing client group, assign
the client to a default area, or modify the client to conform to
one or more client groups.
[0340] At block 410, the configuration manager 274, for example,
accesses a set of client configuration rules associated with the
client group. The client configuration rules may be accessed from a
data store, data structure, or database entry associated with the
client group. For example, the client configuration rules may be
accessed from the configuration rules database 271, the client
groups database 270, or any other data store. In embodiments where
the client is assigned to multiple client groups, the configuration
manager 274 may access a set of client configuration rules
associated with each client group.
[0341] At block 412, the configuration manager 274 configures the
client based on the set of client configuration rules. In
embodiments where the client is assigned to multiple client groups,
the configuration manager 274 may configure the client based on the
client configuration rules associated with each client group.
Alternatively, the configuration manager 274 may configure the
client based on the client configuration rules associated with a
client group that is identified as higher priority. In other cases,
the configuration rules used may be based on identifying the client
group whose name is alphabetically first or last compared to the
client's other client groups. As another alternative, the
configuration rules of the client group that was created most
recently or least recently may be used. In other cases, the
configuration rules associated with the client group that is the
highest or that is the lowest in a hierarchy may be used to
configure the client. As yet another alternative, the configuration
manager 274 may configure the client based on non-conflicting
client configuration rules associated with each client group.
Conflicting configuration rules may be ignored or a process may be
used to select the conflicting configuration rule to use. This
process of selecting the conflicting configuration rule to follow
can include selecting the configuration rule of the client group
with the highest priority, that was created first or last, or any
other process for selecting a client group. In certain embodiments,
the block 412 may include some or all of the embodiments associated
with the block 314. Further, in some cases, the blocks 410 and 412
may be optional.
Example of a Client Group Configuration Update Process
[0342] FIG. 5 presents a flowchart of an example of a client group
configuration update process 500 in accordance with the present
disclosure. The process 500 can be implemented, at least in part,
by any system that can update the client configuration rules
associated with a client group and that can configure one or more
clients from the client group based on the updated client
configuration rules. For example, the process 500, in whole or in
part, can be implemented by the storage manager 201, the media
agent 205, the client grouping module 272, and the configuration
manager 274, to name a few. Although any number of systems, in
whole or in part, can implement the process 500, to simplify
discussion, portions of the process 500 will be described with
reference to particular systems.
[0343] In certain embodiments, the process 500 may occur when a
user manually modifies a set of configuration rules associated with
a client group using, for example a GUI or other interface
presented by the storage manager 201. In other embodiments, the
process 500 may occur when an automated system modifies a client
group's configuration rules based on a trigger. This trigger may
include any type of change to hardware or software of the storage
system 250. For example, the trigger may be based on the
availability of new software or a newer version of existing
software.
[0344] The process 500 begins at block 502 where, for example, the
client grouping module 272 receives the identity of a client group.
In some cases, the block 502 can include receiving a set of
characteristics associated with a client group and identifying the
client group based on the set of received characteristics.
[0345] At block 504, the client grouping module 272 receives a
modified set of client configuration rules. The modified set of
client configuration rules can include a new set of client
configuration rules or a change to the set of client configuration
rules associated with the client group identified at the block 502.
Further, the modified set of client configuration rules can include
the entire set of configuration rules or may be limited to the
configuration rules that are being modified. In some cases, the
modified set of configuration rules can include new rules.
Alternatively, or in addition, the modified set of configuration
rules can include the deletion of configuration rules that were
previously associated with the client group identified at the block
502.
[0346] The client grouping module 272 associates the set of
modified configuration rules with the client group at block 506.
Associating the set of modified configuration rules with the client
group can include storing the set of modified configuration rules
in place of the configuration rules that were previously associated
with the client group. In some cases, associating the set of
modified configuration rules with the client group can include
removing rules previously associated with the client group. In some
embodiments, the block 506 may include some or all of the
embodiments associated with the block 312.
[0347] At block 508, the configuration manager 274, for example,
reconfigures each client associated with the client group based on
the set of modified configuration rules. In some embodiments, the
block 508 can include some or all of the embodiments associated
with the block 314. In some cases, the block 508 may be optional.
For example, some or all of the existing clients may already be
configured according to the modified configuration rules. In such
cases, configuration rules may be modified, for example, the
purpose of future clients that may be added to the client
group.
Example of a Client Disassociation/Reconfiguration Process
[0348] FIG. 6 presents a flowchart of an example of a client
disassociation/reconfiguration process 600 in accordance with the
present disclosure. The process 600 can be implemented, at least in
part, by any system that can disassociate a client from a client
group. Further, the process 600 can be implemented, at least in
part, by any system that can reconfigure a client. For example, the
process 600, in whole or in part, can be implemented by the storage
manager 201, the media agent 205, the client grouping module 272,
and the configuration manager 274, to name a few. Although any
number of systems, in whole or in part, can implement the process
600, to simplify discussion, portions of the process 600 will be
described with reference to particular systems.
[0349] The process 600 begins at block 602 where, for example, the
configuration manager 274 identifies or detects a client with a
modified configuration. In some cases, a modified client may be
registered with the configuration manager 274 as having been
modified. Alternatively, or in addition, metadata associated with
the modified client that is stored at a data store (e.g., the
client groups database 270) may be updated to indicate the client
has been modified. In some cases, a polling model can be used to
determine whether a client's configuration has changed. In such
cases, the storage manager 250 or the configuration manager 274 can
poll clients periodically to detect configuration or attribute
changes of the client. In other cases, a messaging module (not
shown) may be used by a client to report changes in the client's
configuration or attributes to the storage manager 250 or the
configuration manager 274. The client may report the changes when
they occur or at some other specific time. The configuration
manager 274 may register the change to the metadata associated with
the particular modified client(s), or the configuration manager 274
may access the data store at a scheduled time to identify clients
that have been modified. For example, the configuration manager 274
may check the data store every hour, every night, or once a week to
determine if a client has been modified. In some cases, the
configuration manager 274 may access a client to determine if the
client has been modified. In some embodiments, the configuration
manager 274 identifies clients as having been modified in response
to the modification of a particular set or subset of attributes.
Thus, in some cases, a modification to an attribute of a client
that is not from the particular set of attributes will not cause
the client to be identified as a modified client.
[0350] At block 604 the client grouping module 272, for example,
determines characteristics, or attributes, associated with the
client identified at the block 602. Identifying the characteristics
associated with the client may include accessing the client to
determine the characteristics. Alternatively, or in addition,
determining the client's attributes may include accessing a data
store that includes metadata associated with the client. This
metadata can include, inter alia, the client's attributes.
[0351] The client grouping module 272 identifies a client group
associated with the client at block 606. Identifying the client
group associated with the client can include accessing the client
groups database 270. At block 608, the client grouping module 272
determines characteristics, or client grouping criteria, associated
with the client group. Identifying the client grouping criteria can
include accessing the client groups database 270.
[0352] At decision block 610, the client grouping module 272
determines whether the client characteristics of the client with
the modified configuration and the client group characteristics
match. Determining whether the client characteristics and the
client group characteristics match can include determining whether
the client characteristics satisfy the client grouping criteria. If
the client characteristics still match the client grouping
criteria, the process 600 ends.
[0353] If the client grouping module 272 determines that the client
characteristics of the client with the modified configuration no
longer match the client group characteristics, the client grouping
module 272 disassociates the client from the client group at block
612. Disassociating the client from the client group can include
causing a user (e.g., an administrator) to be informed that the
client no longer satisfies the client grouping criteria of the
group and that the client is being removed from the group. In some
cases, the user may have the option to confirm or to undo the
configuration change to maintain the client as part of the client
group.
[0354] At block 614, the storage manager 250 can cause the client
to be associated with another client group using a client grouping
process or a process to add a client to a client group. For
example, the block 614 can include initiating the process 400. In
some embodiments, the block 614 may be optional.
[0355] In some embodiments, instead of disassociating the client
from the client group at the block 612, the configuration manager
274 reconfigures the client to satisfy the client grouping
criteria. Whether to disassociate the client from the client group
or to reconfigure the client to match the client grouping criteria
of the client group may be based on one or more characteristics of
the client. For example, a client identified as belonging to the
sales or marketing department may be disassociated from the client
group to which it previously belonged. However, a client identified
as belonging to the research and development compartment may be
reconfigured and/or have modifications to the client reversed so as
to maintain the client as a member of its current client group. In
some cases, the decision of whether to disassociate the client or
reconfigure the client may be based on system configuration
settings of the storage manager 201.
[0356] In cases where the client is associated with multiple client
groups, rather than the process 600 ending at decision block 610,
block 612, or block 614, the process 600 may return to the block
606 and repeat the subsequent processes for each client group that
includes the client.
[0357] Each of the previously described processes (e.g., processes
300, 400, 500, and 600) may be fully automated and user interaction
may not be required or may be optional. In some cases, at least
some of the processes may involve user interaction. For example,
client grouping characteristics may be provided by a user. As a
second example, a user may confirm whether to add or remove a
client from a client group.
Example of a User Interface
[0358] FIG. 7 presents an example of a user interface 700 for
creating a client group in accordance with the present disclosure.
A user can use the user interface 700 to specify client grouping
criteria that can be used to define a client group. Further, the
user can specify configuration rules via the user interface 700 for
configuring clients that satisfy the client grouping criteria of
the client group. Although the user interface 700 is illustrated as
a Graphical User Interface (GUI), the user interface 700 is not
limited as such. For example, in some cases, the user interface 700
may be a Command Line Interface (CLI), a text-based interface, or a
combination of interface types. Further, although the user
interface 700 is illustrated in FIG. 7 as an application window, in
some cases, the user interface 700 may be presented via a web
browser.
[0359] The user interface 700 can be accessed using any computing
system. For example, the user interface 700 can be accessed via a
client 285. Further, in some cases, the user interface 700 can be
accessed using the storage manager 201. For example, the interface
agent 225 of the storage manager 201 may cause the user interface
700 to be generated and/or presented to a user via a display
associated with the storage manager 201 or via a client 285 that
can communicate with the storage manager 201.
[0360] The user interface 700 can include a number of interface
elements to facilitate creating the client group. For example, the
user interface 700 can include a name field 702, a description
field 704, an association option selection interface 706, a rule
group panel 710, a configuration rules panel 730, an add group
button 750, and a preview button 752.
[0361] The name field 702 can be used to enter a name for the
client group. Alternatively, the user interface 700, the storage
manager 201, or a subsystem of the storage manager 201 (e.g., the
client grouping module 272 or interface agent 225) can generate the
name for the client group. The name may be generated based on any
factor including, for example, the client grouping criteria entered
in the rule group panel 710.
[0362] The description field 704 can be used to specify a
description for the client group defined by the client grouping
rules. As with the name field 702, a user can supply the contents
of the description field 704 or the user interface 700, the storage
manager 201, or a subsystem of the storage manager 201 can supply
the contents of the description field 704.
[0363] A user can specify whether clients that satisfy the client
grouping criteria are automatically associated with the client
group defined via the user interface 700 by selecting the automatic
association option from the association option selection interface
706. Alternatively, a user can cause, for example, the user
interface 700 or the client grouping module 272, to present clients
that satisfy the client grouping criteria to the user by selecting
the manual association option from the association option selection
interface 706. Presenting clients to a user can include presenting
any type of information associated with the client to the user,
such as the client's name, physical location, department,
configuration, etc. The user can then decide on a per client basis
whether to associate the client with the client group defined via
the user interface 700. Advantageously, in certain embodiments, by
presenting a client to the user that satisfies the client grouping
criteria and by allowing the user to confirm whether to add the
client to the client group, the user can verify that the client
group includes clients that are to be associated with the client
group. Further, the user can confirm the client group does not
include clients that should not be associated with the client
group. In addition, with the manual association option, the user
has the ability to exclude or include a client regardless of
whether the client satisfies the client grouping criteria.
[0364] Another option available, in some cases, to the user to
verify the clients that will be added to the client group is the
preview button 752. This button can be used to cause the user
interface 700 to present the user with the identity of clients that
will be associated with the client group if the user confirms
creation of the client group by selecting the add rule group button
750 or the ok button 754. Alternatively, or in addition, the
preview button 752 can be used to preview the effects of
configuration rules specified in the configuration rules panel 730
on each client included in the client group or that will be
included in the client group if creation of the client group is
confirmed. Because there may be large numbers of clients, the
preview function can greatly improve efficiency and reduce the risk
of undesired groupings.
[0365] In order to define the client group, a user can specify the
set of client grouping criteria using the rule group panel 610.
Using the rule group panel 710, the user can specify any number and
type of client group criteria that can be used to identify one or
more clients. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 7, a user can
create a client group including clients that have an Exchange
Database agent installed and that are virtual clients. Further, as
illustrated by the match option 712, in the example illustrated in
FIG. 7, a client must satisfy all of the criteria specified in the
rule group panel 710 to be included in the client group. Using the
match option 712, a user can specify the number or percentage of
rules that a client must satisfy to be included in a client group.
For example, in some cases a client can be included in a defined
client group if the client satisfies at least 75% of the specified
rules or 4 of 5 specified rules. In some cases, certain rules may
be weighted more heavily than other rules. In such cases, a client
that satisfies a more heavily weighted rule may be included in the
client group while a client that satisfies more rules, but, not the
more heavily weighted rule, may not be included in the client group
and vice versa.
[0366] A user can add additional client grouping criteria, or
configuration rules, to a client group definition by selecting the
plus button 714. Similarly, a client grouping criterion, or
configuration rule, can be deleted from a client group definition
by selecting the minus button 716 corresponding to the deleted
criterion or rule.
[0367] Using the configuration rule panel 730, a user can specify
configuration rules for configuring clients associated with the
client group defined by the client grouping criteria of the rule
group panel 710. The configuration rules can include any number or
type of configuration rules. Further, in some cases, the
configuration rules may be optional. Thus, as previously mentioned,
a user can add or remove configuration rules by selecting the plus
button 714 or the minus button 716 respectively. In the example
illustrated in FIG. 7, the client group includes four configuration
rules. Upon creation of the client group and/or confirmation of the
configuration rules associated with the client group created via
the user interface 700 each client associated with the client group
will be configured using the four configuration rules specified in
the configuration rule panel 730. Thus, each client association
with the client group will be configured to be backed up on a
nightly bases and have its data deduplicated on a weekly basis.
Further, each client of the client group will have an antivirus
utility installed and a set of simulation tools installed. The
specific software to be installed may be specified in the
configuration rules panel 730 or may be identified in a table, or
other data structure, that associates specific software with the
labels presented to the user in the user interface 700.
Advantageously, in certain embodiments, by updating an entry in the
data structure, a user can update the version of software or the
specific software selected for installation on clients of a number
of client groups without separately editing the definition of each
client group or the configuration rules associated with each client
group. For example, if a new version of the antivirus utility is
released, the user can update the antivirus entry in the data
structure, and all client groups that include a configuration rule
specifying that an antivirus utility be installed can automatically
update the antivirus utility on all clients included in the client
groups.
[0368] For illustrative purposes, the configuration rules panel 730
is depicted in the same window as the rules group panel 730 in FIG.
7. However, in some embodiments, the rule group panel 710 and the
configuration rule panel 730 may be in separate windows. Further,
in some cases, the configuration rule panel 730 may be presented to
the user after the user creates the client group by, for example,
selecting the add rule group button 750.
TERMINOLOGY
[0369] Conditional language, such as, among others, "can," "could,"
"might," or "may," unless specifically stated otherwise, or
otherwise understood within the context as used, is generally
intended to convey that certain embodiments include, while other
embodiments do not include, certain features, elements and/or
steps. Thus, such conditional language is not generally intended to
imply that features, elements and/or steps are in any way required
for one or more embodiments or that one or more embodiments
necessarily include logic for deciding, with or without user input
or prompting, whether these features, elements and/or steps are
included or are to be performed in any particular embodiment.
[0370] Depending on the embodiment, certain acts, events, or
functions of any of the algorithms described herein can be
performed in a different sequence, can be added, merged, or left
out all together (e.g., not all described acts or events are
necessary for the practice of the algorithms). Moreover, in certain
embodiments, acts or events can be performed concurrently, e.g.,
through multi-threaded processing, interrupt processing, or
multiple processors or processor cores or on other parallel
architectures, rather than sequentially.
[0371] Systems and modules described herein may comprise software,
firmware, hardware, or any combination(s) of software, firmware, or
hardware suitable for the purposes described herein. Software and
other modules may reside on servers, workstations, personal
computers, computerized tablets, PDAs, and other devices suitable
for the purposes described herein. Software and other modules may
be accessible via local memory, via a network, via a browser, or
via other means suitable for the purposes described herein. Data
structures described herein may comprise computer files, variables,
programming arrays, programming structures, or any electronic
information storage schemes or methods, or any combinations
thereof, suitable for the purposes described herein. User interface
elements described herein may comprise elements from graphical user
interfaces, command line interfaces, and other suitable
interfaces.
[0372] Further, the processing of the various components of the
illustrated systems can be distributed across multiple machines,
networks, and other computing resources. In addition, two or more
components of a system can be combined into fewer components.
Various components of the illustrated systems can be implemented in
one or more virtual machines, rather than in dedicated computer
hardware systems. Likewise, the data repositories shown can
represent physical and/or logical data storage, including, for
example, storage area networks or other distributed storage
systems. Moreover, in some embodiments the connections between the
components shown represent possible paths of data flow, rather than
actual connections between hardware. While some examples of
possible connections are shown, any of the subset of the components
shown can communicate with any other subset of components in
various implementations.
[0373] Embodiments are also described above with reference to flow
chart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus
(systems) and computer program products. Each block of the flow
chart illustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of
blocks in the flow chart illustrations and/or block diagrams, may
be implemented by computer program instructions. Such instructions
may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer,
special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing
apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which
execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable
data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the acts
specified in the flow chart and/or block diagram block or
blocks.
[0374] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a
computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or other
programmable data processing apparatus to operate in a particular
manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable
memory produce an article of manufacture including instruction
means which implement the acts specified in the flow chart and/or
block diagram block or blocks. The computer program instructions
may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data
processing apparatus to cause a series of operations to be
performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to
produce a computer implemented process such that the instructions
which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus
provide steps for implementing the acts specified in the flow chart
and/or block diagram block or blocks.
[0375] While certain embodiments have been described, these
embodiments have been presented by way of example only, and are not
intended to limit the scope of the disclosure. Indeed, the novel
methods and systems described herein may be embodied in a variety
of other forms; furthermore, various omissions, substitutions and
changes in the form of the described methods and systems may be
made without departing from the spirit of the disclosure. The
accompanying claims and their equivalents are intended to cover
such forms or modifications as would fall within the scope and
spirit of the disclosure.
* * * * *