Offline messaging between a repository storage operation cell and remote storage operation cells via an intermediary media agent

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10200475-B2
Application number	US-201715729229-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 10, 2017
Priority date	May 27, 2014
Publication date	Feb 5, 2019
Grant date	Feb 5, 2019

Abstract

Offline messaging between a repository storage operation cell and one or more mobile/remote storage operation cells is disclosed. The repository cell is managed by a repository storage manager that communicates to and from the remote cell via a specially-configured media agent. The illustrative intermediary media agent is configured to: queue messages directed to the remote cell, process them according to applicable parameters (e.g., time-to-live constraints, updates, cancellations, etc.), and transmit the processed messages to the remote cell when connectivity is available. The intermediary media agent also relays messages from the remote cell to the repository, including responses by the remote to the processed messages received from the repository via the intermediary media agent.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
a media agent that executes on a first computing device comprising one or more processors and computer memory,
wherein the media agent is configured to communicate with a first storage manager and a second storage manager to enable the first storage manager and the second storage manager to communicate with each other via the media agent,
wherein the first storage manager manages a first storage operation cell for storage management operations, and
wherein the second storage manager manages a second storage operation cell that is distinct from the first storage operation cell, and further wherein the second storage manager is configured to store information about the storage management operations in the first storage operation cell as reported by the first storage manager; and

wherein the media agent is further configured to:
process one or more messages directed to the first storage manager, and received from the second storage manager when the media agent is out of communication with the first storage manager, into one or more processed messages prior to transmission to the first storage manager,
when in communication with the first storage manager, transmit the one or more processed messages to the first storage manager, and
transmit to the second storage manager at least one message received from the first storage manager comprising metadata about one or more of the storage management operations in the first storage operation cell.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one message received by the media agent from the first storage manager comprise a response by the first storage manager to the one or more processed messages transmitted to the first storage manager by the media agent.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the media agent is configured for offline processing of messages directed to the first storage manager and received when the media agent is out of communication with the first storage manager.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the media agent is further configured to communicate (i) with the first storage manager based on a first instance of media agent software that executes on the first computing device for inter-operating with the first storage manager, and (ii) with the second storage manager based on a second instance of the media agent software that executes on the first computing device for inter-operating with the second storage manager.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the one or more messages received from the second storage manager that are directed to the first storage manager comprise a response to a query for further instructions previously received from the first storage manager.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the one or more messages received from the second storage manager that are directed to the first storage manager comprise a status request relative to the first storage operation cell.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the one or more messages received from the second storage manager that are directed to the first storage manager comprise a query about an amount of storage available on a storage device component of the first storage operation cell.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the one or more messages received from the second storage manager that are directed to the first storage manager comprise a command that is to take effect at the first storage manager and which command is to persist whether or not the media agent is in communication with the first storage manager.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the one or more messages received from the second storage manager that are directed to the first storage manager comprise a status request configured to expire after a predefined condition is met while the media agent is out of communication with the first storage manager.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the one or more messages received from the second storage manager that are directed to the first storage manager comprise a dynamic mask that is to be processed by the media agent prior to transmission to the first storage manager to at least one of: cancel, delete, replace, and update another message that was previously received from the second storage manager.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the one or more messages received from the second storage manager that are directed to the first storage manager comprise a static mask that is to be processed by the media agent prior to transmission to the first storage manager to at least one of: cancel, delete, replace, and update another message that was previously received from the second storage manager.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein the media agent is further configured to apply security functionality to protect the second storage manager from transmissions received from the first storage manager.

13. A computer-readable medium, excluding transitory propagating signals, storing instructions that, when executed by at a computing device comprising one or more processors and computer memory, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:
executing a media agent for enabling a first storage manager and a second storage manager to communicate with each other via the media agent,
wherein, whether or not the first storage manager is in communication with the media agent, the first storage manager is configured to manage storage management operations in a first storage operation cell, and
wherein the second storage manager is configured to store information reported by the first storage manager about the storage management operations in the first storage operation cell;

receiving by the media agent messages from the second storage manager directed to the first storage manager;
processing by the media agent one or more of the received messages, at least in part when the media agent is out of communication with the first storage manager, into one or more processed messages prior to transmission thereof to the first storage manager; and
queuing by the media agent the one or more processed messages until the media agent is in communication with the first storage manager for transmission thereto.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the operations further comprise:
transmitting by the media agent to the second storage manager one or more messages received from the first storage manager,
wherein the one or more messages received from the first storage manager comprise metadata about one or more of the storage management operations that occurred under management of the first storage manager in the first storage operation cell.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the one or more processed messages queued for the first storage manager comprise at least one command relative to a storage management operation that is to be executed in the first storage operation cell under management of the first storage manager.

16. A computer-readable medium, excluding transitory propagating signals, storing instructions that, when executed by a computing device comprising one or more processors and computer memory, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:
executing a media agent for enabling a first storage manager and a second storage manager to communicate with each other via the media agent,
wherein, whether or not the first storage manager is in communication with the media agent, the first storage manager is configured to manage storage management operations in a first storage operation cell, and
wherein the second storage manager is configured to store information reported by the first st

Assignees

• Commvault Systems Inc

Inventors

• Klose Michael F
• Haridas Ganesh

Classifications

• H04L67/1074

  for supporting data block transmission mechanisms (file transfer H04L67/06) · CPC title

• H04L51/18

  Commands or executable codes · CPC title

• H04L67/1097 Primary

  for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS] · CPC title