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-9848045-B2
Application number	US-201414287965-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 27, 2014
Priority date	May 27, 2014
Publication date	Dec 19, 2017
Grant date	Dec 19, 2017

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. An offline messaging system for use in a data storage environment, wherein the data storage environment includes a first storage manager and a second storage manager, the system comprising:
at least one processor; and
an intermediary media agent that is configured to communicate with both the first storage manager and the second storage manager,
wherein the first storage manager manages a remote storage operation cell that performs storage management operations when out of communication with the second storage manager,
wherein the second storage manager manages a second storage operation cell that is distinct from the remote storage operation cell, and further wherein the second storage manager is a repository of information about storage management operations, which are managed and reported by the first storage manager in regard to the remote storage operation cell, and
wherein the first storage manager and the second storage manager communicate with each other via the intermediary media agent; and

wherein the intermediary media agent is further configured to:
receive messages from the second storage manager, wherein the messages are directed to the first storage manager,
process one or more of the received messages, at least in part when the intermediary 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 one or more messages received from the first storage manager,
wherein at least one of the one or more messages received from the first storage manager comprises metadata about one or more storage management operations that occurred under the management of the first storage manager in the remote storage operation cell.

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

3. The offline messaging system of claim 1 wherein the intermediary media agent comprises a message processing module that is configured for offline processing of one or more received messages, wherein the offline processing occurs at least in part when the intermediary media agent is out of communication with the first storage manager.

4. The offline messaging system of claim 1 wherein the intermediary media agent is further configured to communicate (i) with the first storage manager based on a first instance of media agent software configured for operating with the first storage manager, and (ii) with the second storage manager based on a second instance of the media agent software configured for operating with the second storage manager.

5. A computer-readable medium, excluding transitory propagating signals, storing instructions that, when executed by at least one secondary storage computing device, cause the secondary storage computing device to perform operations that comprise:
receive messages from a second storage manager, wherein the messages are directed to a first storage manager that manages a remote storage operation cell that performs storage management operations when out of communication with the second storage manager,
process one or more of the received messages, at least in part when the secondary storage computing device is out of communication with the first storage manager, into one or more processed messages prior to transmission to the first storage manager, and
when in communication with the first storage manager, transmit the one or more processed messages to the first storage manager;
wherein the stored instructions define an intermediary media agent as between the first storage manager and the second storage manager; and
wherein the second storage manager manages a second storage operation cell that is distinct from the remote storage operation cell, and further wherein the second storage manager is a repository of information about the storage management operations, which are managed and reported by the first storage manager in regard to the remote storage operation cell, and
wherein the first storage manager and the second storage manager do not directly communicate and communicate with each other via the intermediary media agent.

6. The computer-readable medium of claim 5 , wherein the operations further comprise:
transmit 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 storage management operations that occurred under the management of the first storage manager in the remote storage operation cell.

7. The computer-readable medium of claim 5 , wherein the operations further comprise:
wherein the one or more processed messages transmitted to the remote storage manager comprise at least one command relative to a storage management operation that is to be executed in the remote storage operation cell under the management of the first storage manager.

8. An offline messaging system comprising:
a secondary storage computing device that is configured to perform as an intermediary media agent between a first storage manager and a second storage manager,
wherein the first storage manager manages a remote storage operation cell that performs storage management operations when out of communication with the second storage manager, and
wherein the intermediary media agent is configured to:
receive messages from the second storage manager, wherein the messages are directed to the first storage manager,
process the received messages into one or more processed messages prior to transmission to the first storage manager, and
when in communication with the first storage manager, transmit the one or more processed messages to the first storage manager;

wherein the second storage manager manages a second storage operation cell that is distinct from the remote storage operation cell, and further wherein the second storage manager is a repository of information about the storage management operations, which are managed and reported by the first storage manager in regard to the remote storage operation cell; and
wherein the first storage manager and the second storage manager do not directly communicate and communicate with each other via the intermediary media agent.

9. The offline messaging system of claim 8 wherein the messages received from the second storage manager that are directed at the first storage manager comprise a message that requires no response from the first storage manager.

10. The offline messaging system of claim 8 wherein the messages received from the second storage manager that are directed at the first storage manager comprise a message that requires no response from the first storage manager, wherein the message is a time of day change that is to take effect at the first storage manager.

11. The offline messaging system of claim 8 wherein the messages received from the second storage manager that are directed at the first storage manager comprise a message that requires no response from the first storage manager, wherein the message is a response to a query for further instructions previously received from the first storage manager.

12. The offline messaging system of claim 8 wherein the messages received from the second storage manager that are directed at the first stor

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