Lightweight data reconstruction based on backup data

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016004601-A1
Application number	US-201414321619-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 1, 2014
Priority date	Jul 1, 2014
Publication date	Jan 7, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A information management system allows a user to search through a secondary copy of data, such as a back up, archive, or snapshot without first retrieving the secondary copy of data. Instead, the system constructs lightweight data that can be displayed to a user as a representation of the search results. Lightweight data may include metadata or other information that identifies data included in the secondary copy of data. The lightweight data may be perceived as being the secondary copy of data and allow a user to browse through search results. Once the user identifies a search result that is of interest, information in the lightweight data can be used to retrieve the secondary copy of data. Because lightweight data may have a smaller file size than the file size of the secondary copy of data, the latency of performing a search may be reduced.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A networked data storage system comprising:
one or more computing devices comprising computer hardware configured to:
receive a request to create secondary copies of one or more files created by one or more applications running on a client computing device and residing in a primary storage volume associated with the client computing device;
receive payload data and metadata associated with each of the one or more files;
compile secondary copies of the one or more files by inserting a demarcation between the metadata corresponding to the respective file and the payload data corresponding to the respective file;
transmit the secondary copies of the one or more files for storage in one or more secondary storage devices;
subsequent to deletion of a first file of the one or more files from the primary storage volume, receive a first user-generated request for the secondary copy of the first file;
in response to the first user-generated request and using the demarcation between the metadata and the payload data, extract the metadata of the secondary copy of the first file; and
transmit the extracted metadata for storage in a data store, wherein the extracted metadata is accessed from the data store for use in presenting information about the first file to a user, wherein the data store resides in one or more storage devices that are not used to store the primary storage volume.

2 . The networked data storage system of claim 1 , wherein the data store is central to a plurality of client computing devices and stores extracted metadata for user requested files associated with multiple ones of the plurality of client computing devices.

3 . The networked data storage system of claim 1 , wherein one or more computing devices are further configured to receive a second user-generated request for a copy of a second file of the one or more files, the second user-generated request being in response to the user interacting with a graphical user interface to request a full copy of the second file, the first user-generated request being in response to user interaction with the graphical user interface to request a lightweight copy of the first file.

4 . The networked data storage system of claim 1 , wherein the first file further comprises a header.

5 . The networked data storage system of claim 4 , wherein the first file further comprises a first demarcation between the header and the metadata and the demarcation between the metadata and the payload data.

6 . The networked data storage system of claim 5 , wherein the metadata of the first file is an unconcatenated version of the metadata of the first file.

7 . The networked data storage system of claim 5 , wherein the one or more computing devices are further configured to receive lightweight data corresponding to the first file, and wherein the lightweight data is constructed based on the metadata of the first file.

8 . A computer-implemented method for storing data, the computer-implemented method comprising:
with one or more computing devices comprising computer hardware and residing within a networked data storage system:
receiving a request to create secondary copies of one or more files created by one or more applications running on a client computing device and residing in a primary storage volume associated with the client computing device;
receiving payload data and metadata associated with each of the one or more files;
compiling secondary copies of the one or more files by inserting a demarcation between the metadata corresponding to the respective file and the payload data corresponding to the respective file;
transmitting the secondary copy of the one or more files for storage in one or more secondary storage devices;
following deletion of a first file of the one or more files from the primary storage volume, receiving a first user-generated request for the secondary copy of the first file;
in response to the first user-generated request and using the demarcation between the metadata and the payload data, extracting the metadata of the secondary copy of the first file; and
transmitting the extracted metadata for storage in a data store, wherein the extracted metadata is accessed from the data store for use in presenting information about the first file to a user, wherein the data store resides in one or more storage devices that are not used to store the primary storage volume.

9 . The computer-implemented method of claim 8 , wherein the data store is central to a plurality of client computing devices and stores extracted metadata for user requested files associated with multiple ones of the plurality of client computing devices.

10 . The computer-implemented method of claim 8 , further comprising receiving a second user-generated request for a copy of a second file of the one or more files, the second user-generated request being in response to the user interacting with a graphical user interface to request a full copy of the second file, the first user-generated request being in response to user interaction with the graphical user interface to request a lightweight copy of the first file.

11 . The computer-implemented method of claim 8 , wherein the first file further comprises a header.

12 . The computer-implemented method of claim 11 , wherein the first file further comprises a first demarcation between the header and the metadata and the demarcation between the metadata and the payload data.

13 . The computer-implemented method of claim 12 , wherein the metadata of the first file is an unconcatenated version of the metadata of the first file.

14 . The computer-implemented method of claim 12 , further comprising receiving lightweight data that corresponds to the first file stored in the secondary storage, and wherein the lightweight data is constructed based on the metadata in the first file.

Assignees

• Commvault Systems Inc

Inventors

• Ahn Jun H
• Mutha Manas Bhikchand
• Ramaswamy Chitra

Classifications

• G06F2201/84

  Using snapshots, i.e. a logical point-in-time copy of the data · CPC title

• G06F16/148 Primary

  File search processing · CPC title

• G06F2201/80

  Database-specific techniques · CPC title

• G06F11/1458

  Management of the backup or restore process · CPC title

• G06F11/1451 Primary

  by selection of backup contents · CPC title