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-11201919-B2
Application number	US-202016752468-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 24, 2020
Priority date	May 27, 2014
Publication date	Dec 14, 2021
Grant date	Dec 14, 2021

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 computing device comprising one or more hardware processors and computer memory, wherein the computing device executes an intermediary media agent; and
wherein the computing device executing the intermediary media agent is configured to:
communicate with a first storage manager that manages storage operations in a first storage operation cell and with a second storage manager that manages a second storage operation cell,
wherein the storage operations in the first storage operation cell comprise one or more of: copying data, archiving data, migrating data, replicating data, and restoring data from backup,
wherein the first storage manager and the second storage manager are not in direct communication with each other, and
wherein each of the first storage manager and the second storage manager executes on a computing device comprising one or more hardware processors and computer memory;

while out of communication with the first storage manager, receive from the second storage manager a first message directed to the first storage manager in regard to one or more data storage operations of the first storage operation cell;
based on being out of communication with the first storage manager when receiving the first message, transmit to the second storage manager an indication of communications failure between the computing device and the first storage manager;
queue the first message received from the second storage manager in a message queue at the intermediary media agent;
while in communication with the first storage manager, transmit the first message from the message queue to the first storage manager;
receive at least one other message from the first storage manager directed to the second storage manager,
wherein the at least one other message comprises metadata about data storage operations at the first storage operation cell; and

transmit the at least one other message received from the first storage manager to the second storage manager.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the computing device executing the intermediary media agent is further configured not to perform storage operations of the first storage operation cell.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the computing device executing the intermediary media agent is further configured not to be associated with data storage devices for storing secondary copies generated by storage operations of the first storage operation cell.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the computing device executing the intermediary media agent is further configured to: execute a first instance of media agent software for communicating with the first storage manager and execute a second instance of the media agent software for communicating with the second storage manager.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one other message received from the first storage manager comprises a response by the first storage manager to an earlier message from the second storage manager.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the computing device executing the intermediary media agent is further configured to: process first messages received from the second storage manager before transmitting processed messages to the first storage manager, based at least in part on operational parameters associated with the first messages.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the computing device executing the intermediary media agent is further configured to: queue messages received from the second storage manager before processing the messages, which are transmitted, after the processing, to the first storage manager.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first message received from the second storage manager comprises one or more of:
a) a message requiring no response;
b) a status request;
c) a command;
d) a message cancelling one or more previous messages received from the second storage manager;
e) a message updating one or more previous messages received from the second storage manager; and
f) a message replacing one or more previous messages received from the second storage manager.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first storage manager acts on a command in the first message received from the computing device executing the intermediary media agent.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein in response to a command in the first message received from the computing device executing the intermediary media agent, the first storage manager performs one or more of:
initiating an on-demand backup job, causing a storage device to be decommissioned, and reporting on storage operations at the first storage operation cell.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the second storage manager is configured to store information about storage operations in the first storage operation cell as reported by the first storage manager via the computing device executing the intermediary media agent.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the computing device executing the intermediary media agent is further configured to:
receive a second message from the second storage manager in response to the indication of communications failure between the computing device and the first storage manager; and
based on processing the second message, one or more of: cancel the first message for the first storage manager, update the first message for the first storage manager, and replace the first message for the first storage manager.

13. A method comprising:
by a computing device comprising one or more hardware processors and computer memory, wherein the computing device executes an intermediary media agent:
communicating with a first storage manager that manages storage operations in a first storage operation cell and with a second storage manager that manages a second storage operation cell,
wherein the storage operations in the first storage operation cell comprise one or more of: copying data, archiving data, migrating data, replicating data, and restoring data from backup,
wherein the first storage manager and the second storage manager are not in direct communication with each other, and
wherein each of the first storage manager and the second storage manager executes on a computing device comprising one or more hardware processors and computer memory;

while out of communication with the first storage manager, receiving from the second storage manager a first message directed to the first storage manager in regard to one or more data storage operations of the first storage operation cell;
based on being out of communication with the first storage manager when receiving the first message, transmitting to the second storage manager an indication of communications failure between the computing device and the first storage manager;
queueing the first message received from the second storage manager in a message queue at the intermediary media agent;
while in communication with the first storage manager, transmitting the first message from the message queue to the first storage manager;
receiving at least one other message from the first storage manager directed to the second storage manager,
wherein the at least one other message comprises metadata about data storage operations at the first storage operation cell; and

transmitting the at least one other message received from the first storage manager to the second storage manager.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the computing device executing the intermediary media agent is configured not to perform storage operations of the first storage operation cell.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the computing

Assignees

• Commvault Systems Inc

Inventors

• Klose Michael Frank
• 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