Unified snapshot storage management

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9448731-B2
Application number	US-201414542371-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 14, 2014
Priority date	Nov 14, 2014
Publication date	Sep 20, 2016
Grant date	Sep 20, 2016

Abstract

An illustrative approach to managing snapshots streamlines how and when snapshots are generated in a storage management system, such that fewer snapshots may be generated without diminishing the scope of data protection. A novel unified-snapshot storage policy may govern snapshots for any number of subclients. A unified-snapshot job based on the unified-snapshot storage policy enables the illustrative storage management system to automatically discover relevant components and generate at most one snapshot per target logical unit number (“LUN”) in a storage array. Each snapshot may comprise the data of any number of subclients and/or clients in the storage management system. Accordingly, one unified-snapshot job may yield a minimum but sufficient number of snapshots comprising data of all subclients associated with the governing unified-snapshot storage policy. An enhanced storage manager may manage the unified-snapshot jobs. One or more enhanced media agents and/or data agents may participate in the unified-snapshot jobs and in subsequent cataloguing of the snapshots.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for snapshot management in a storage management system that comprises one or more snapshot-capable storage arrays hosting a plurality of logical unit numbers, the method comprising:
executing a unified-snapshot job that generates at most one snapshot for a logical unit number in the plurality of logical unit numbers, regardless of the number of clients that store primary data to the respective logical unit number;
wherein the executing of the unified-snapshot job comprises:
discovering, by a storage manager, a first subclient of a first client and a second subclient of a second client which is distinct from the first client,
wherein the first client generates first primary data that is stored to one or more logical unit numbers in the plurality of logical unit numbers, and
wherein the first subclient represents a logical grouping of part of the first primary data, and
wherein the second client generates second primary data that is stored to at least one of the one or more logical unit numbers storing the first primary data, and
wherein the second subclient represents a logical grouping of part of the second primary data,

discovering, by a media agent component of the storage management system, a first logical unit number in the plurality of logical unit numbers, wherein the first logical unit number comprises (i) data of the first subclient and (ii) data of the second subclient,
instructing, by the media agent, a first storage array that hosts the first logical unit number to generate and store a first snapshot of the first logical unit number; and

registering, by at least one of the media agent and the storage manager: (a) a first association between the generated first snapshot of the first logical unit number and the first subclient, and (b) a second association between the generated first snapshot of the first logical unit number and the second subclient.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
cataloguing the first snapshot generated in the unified-snapshot job relative to the first subclient, based on the respective registered association, wherein the cataloguing is performed at least in part by a first data agent associated with the first client.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
cataloguing the first snapshot generated in the unified-snapshot job relative to the first subclient, based on the respective registered association, wherein the cataloguing is performed at least in part by a first data agent associated with the first client, wherein the cataloguing associates a file of the first subclient with a datapath to the file in the first snapshot.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
after the unified-snapshot job is completed: (A) cataloguing the first snapshot generated in the unified-snapshot job relative to the first subclient, based on the respective registered association, wherein the cataloguing is performed at least in part by a first data agent associated with the first client, and (B) cataloguing the first snapshot generated in the unified-snapshot job relative to the second subclient, based on the respective registered association, wherein the cataloguing is performed at least in part by a second data agent associated with the second client.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the cataloguing associates a first file of the first subclient with a first datapath to the first file in the first snapshot, and associates a second file of the second subclient with a second datapath to the second file in the first snapshot.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein a logical unit number designates a portion of storage in a storage array.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein a volume configured in a client computing device maps to at least one logical unit number in the plurality of logical unit numbers.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein a logical unit number in the plurality of logical unit numbers designates at least one volume configured on a client computing device.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the unified-snapshot job unifies the data of the first subclient in the first logical unit number and the data of the second subclient in the first logical unit number into at most one snapshot of the first logical unit number regardless of the number of clients that store respective primary data to the first logical unit number.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the unified-snapshot job unifies the data of the first subclient in the first logical unit number and the data of the second subclient in the first logical unit number into at most one snapshot of the first logical unit number regardless of the number of clients that store respective primary data to the first logical unit number, and wherein the unified-snapshot job is based on a storage policy associated with the first subclient and the second subclient.

11. A method for snapshot management in a storage management system that comprises one or more snapshot-capable storage arrays hosting a plurality of logical unit numbers, the method comprising:
configuring, by a storage manager that manages the storage management system, a storage policy;
associating, by the storage manager, one or more subclients with the storage policy,
wherein the storage management system comprises a plurality of clients,
wherein each client generates primary data that is stored to one or more logical unit numbers hosted by one or more storage arrays, and
wherein each subclient of a client represents a logical grouping of part of the client's primary data;

executing a unified-snapshot job based on the storage policy, wherein the executing is managed by the storage manager, and wherein the executing comprises:
discovering, by the storage manager, a plurality of subclients that are associated with the storage policy, wherein the plurality of subclients comprises a first subclient of a first client and a second subclient of a second client which is distinct from the first client,
discovering, by a media agent component of the storage management system, a first logical unit number that comprises (i) data of the first subclient and (ii) data of the second subclient, and
instructing, by the media agent, a first storage array that hosts the discovered first logical unit number to generate and store a first snapshot of the first logical unit number;

registering, by at least one of the media agent and the storage manager, (a) a first association between the generated first snapshot of the first logical unit number and the first subclient, and (b) a second association between the generated first snapshot of the first logical unit number and the second subclient; and
cataloguing the first snapshot relative to the first subclient and the second subclient, based on the respective registered association, wherein the cataloguing is performed at least in part by a data agent.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein executing the unified-snapshot job further comprises discovering, by the storage manager, a plurality of subclients that are snapshot-enabled.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein executing the unified-snapshot job based on the storage policy generates only one snapshot for a discovered logical unit number, regardless of the number of clients that store primary data to the respective discovered logical unit number.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein the unified-snapshot job generates only one snapshot for a discovered logical unit number, regardless of the number of subclients whose data a discovered logical unit comprises.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein executing the unified-snapshot job based on the storage

Assignees

• Commvault Systems Inc

Inventors

• Nallathambi Vimal Kumar
• Vijayan Manoj Kumar

Classifications

• H04L67/1097

  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

• G06F3/0635

  by changing the path, e.g. traffic rerouting, path reconfiguration · CPC title

• G06F3/067

  Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS] · CPC title

• G06F11/1464 Primary

  for networked environments · CPC title

• G06F3/065

  Replication mechanisms · CPC title