Abstract: A first snapshot of a volume is created at a first point in time. A first backup operation to backup the volume to a first backup image using the first snapshot is initiated. The first backup operation terminates before completion, e.g., due to a failure. A second snapshot of the volume representing the state of the volume at a second point in time is then created. The second snapshot is used by a second backup operation to resume backing up the volume to a second backup image. The first backup image is then merged with the second backup image.

Abstract: Various embodiments of a system and method for enabling multiple computers to mount a file system are described herein. The file system may be mounted on one computer, and a snapshot copy of the file system may be created and mounted on a second computer. Data for a particular file in the file system may be stored at particular storage locations on a storage device. In response to a read request to access data for the particular file through the file system, the data stored at the particular storage locations may be read and returned. Similarly, in response to a read request to access data for the particular file through the snapshot copy of the file system, the data stored at the particular storage locations may be read and returned.

Abstract: A system and method for automatically updating a software application deployed on a plurality of client computers are disclosed. A server computer may determine a time for the client computers to update the software application and send an update command to each of the client computers at the determined time. In response to the update command, each client computer may download an update for the software application and install the update for the software application.

Abstract: The present invention provides a mechanism to selectively restore portions of a monolithically backed up database, while maintaining hierarchical relationships and other metadata relationships of the restored portions of the database. Embodiments of the present invention provide a method, system and computer-readable storage medium that provides for receiving a request to restore a selected object from among a plurality of backed up objects in a database backup, locating information associated with the selected object in the database backup, and restoring the object-to-restore using the information associated with the selected object in a target area. Database table metadata is gathered from the backed up database at the time the backup was created in order to locate the information associated with the selected object.

Abstract: A method and mechanism for managing a time-indexed block map in a file system configured to store multiple versions of file data. A file system includes inodes or other structures corresponding to files in the system. Responsive to creating a file, one or more blocks are allocated for use in storing the file data. A block map is maintained for the file and is updated to include an identification of the blocks storing the file data and a timestamp corresponding to the stored data. In response to creating a file, data corresponding block map is maintained. In addition, a new entry is created in the block map which identifies the newly allocated blocks. Further, an entry of the block map is updated to (i) identify the particular blocks to which the write was directed and (ii) include a timestamp corresponding to the time of the write.

Abstract: A mechanism to selectively restore portions of a monolithically backed up database, while maintaining security relationships associated with the restored portions of the database is provided. Embodiments of the present invention provide a method, system and computer-readable storage medium for receiving a request to restore a selected object from among a plurality of backed up objects in a database backup, accessing security-related information associated with the selected object in the database backup, restoring the selected object using the information associated with the selected object in a target area, and associating elements of the security-related information with the restored selected object.

Abstract: Various methods and systems for using email to convey backup and restore data are disclosed. One method involves: receiving a request to perform a backup system operation; generating an email that includes data and metadata (which is associated with the data); and sending the email to an email address associated with a backup system component. The request can be a backup request, in which case the data includes data to be backed up, and the backup system component is a backup server. Alternatively, the request can be receiving a restore request. In this scenario, the data includes data to be restored, and the backup system component is a backup client.

Abstract: A system and method for efficiently accessing replicas of a storage object. A first node may perform a find operation to determine a plurality of nodes that each store a replica of a first storage object. For each node in the plurality of nodes, the first node may establish a direct connection to the node. The first node may then access the replicas of the first storage object using the respective direct connections to the plurality of nodes. In one embodiment, the nodes may be nodes in a peer-to-peer network. Establishing a direct connection to each storage object replica may enable the first node to communicate with each node in a single hop without having to pass messages via intermediate nodes in the peer-to-peer network.

Abstract: Embodiments of a mechanism for creating and configuring virtual fabrics in Storage Area Networks (SANs). Embodiments may provide a vendor-neutral mechanism for creating and configuring virtual fabrics in physical SAN fabrics that may include heterogeneous switches. Each virtual fabric may include its own name service, management service, fabric configuration service, zoning service, and/or other fabric services. A vendor-neutral virtual fabric utility may be provided for creating and managing virtual fabrics. In one embodiment, switch ports, switch slots and/or switches may be selected and added to new or existing virtual fabrics using the virtual fabric utility. In one embodiment, SAN components coupled to fabric switches (e.g. hosts, HBAs, HBA ports, storage devices and storage device ports) may be displayed for selection and assignment to the virtual fabric. Switch ports coupled to a selected SAN components may be automatically determined by the virtual fabric utility and added to the virtual fabric.

Abstract: System and method for providing immutable data containers in tiered storage hierarchies. Embodiments may allow fulfillment of regulatory requirements for retaining certain data through management of a user-defined policy. The policy may specify what data in the file system needs to be stored as immutable data to the immutable data container in the file system. File system data may be tracked, and data specified by the policy may be transparently and automatically stored to the immutable data container within the file system. Updates to the data specified by the policy may also be stored to the immutable data container. This may be performed without overwriting or modifying the earlier version(s) of the data stored to the immutable data container, and thus every version of the data specified by the policy may be stored to and, if necessary, reconstructed from the immutable data container.

Abstract: A system for ensuring availability using volume server sets in a storage environment employing distributed block virtualization includes a plurality of volume servers, one or more volume clients, one or more physical block devices and a volume server manager. The volume server manager may be configured to designate the plurality of volume servers as a volume server set with an associated volume server set management policy, and to verify each volume server in the volume server set has access to storage within each block device. In addition, the volume server manager may be configured to designate a first volume server of the volume server set to aggregate storage within the block devices into a logical volume, to make the logical volume accessible to the volume clients, and to share configuration information about the volume with the other volume servers of the volume server set.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for faster recovery of validated continuous data protection time images. In one embodiment of the method, an image validation process is initiated. In response, a first write transaction is generated for writing first new data to a first image of a data object that existed at prior time T1. The first new data is written to a first storage. Thereafter data contents of the first storage are copied to a first memory object. Finally, the first memory object is linked with the first image.

Abstract: Systems and methods for computer system data backup. A computer system includes an application server operating on a first host and a backup application configured to create new target database images for a sequence of backup datasets. The backup datasets include data from source databases associated with the application server. At least one of the source databases is hosted on a remote source host separate from the first host. The computer system includes a client registered with the application server and installed on a backup host. The client stores a seed document in each of the new target database images and modifies each seed document to specify which portions of a backup dataset in the sequence are to be stored in each new target database image. The backup application updates each new target database image based on the contents of a seed document.

Abstract: Creating a synthetic database backup using binary logs. A full backup of a database may be stored, followed by one or more incremental backups. The one or more incremental backups may include first binary log files. A first synthetic differential backup may be created using the first binary log files. Creating the first synthetic differential backup may include translating the first binary log files into a first plurality of SQL statements. The first plurality of SQL statements may be executable to recreate the changes in the database since the full backup. Translating each of the first binary log files into the first plurality of SQL statements may be performed before performing a recovery process to decrease recovery time.

Abstract: A method and system for efficient space management for single-instance-storage volumes is provided. A backup module storing data within a collection of containers according to access locality and retention time of the data, wherein the retention time defines an amount of time the data is stored within the collection of containers before deletion of the data, and the access locality comprises an order in which the data is to be accessed is further provided. A compaction module compacting the stored data by selecting at least two containers among the collection of containers, wherein the selection is performed using a predetermined criteria that includes access locality and retention time of the data is also provided. The compaction module distributes the data among the at least two containers. The compaction criteria creates an imbalance among the containers to create more empty, full, or nearly full containers.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for incrementally backing up database files is described. In one embodiment, the present invention replicates an original database file for the purpose of creating a backup database file. The backup database file is subsequently stored in a data store and the original database file is monitored for at least one change (i.e., new e-mail message). In response to a detected change, the change to the original database file is copied to the backup database file so that the two database files are replicas of each other.

Abstract: One implementation of a method for providing backup storage services for encrypted data includes receiving signatures of convergently encrypted portions of data from client computers, determining whether the encrypted portions are already present on a backup storage, and obtaining only the needed portions. Users unassociated with a particular user account are denied access to information backed up in that account. The backup storage also stores password protected key files holding signatures of the unencrypted portions of data. One implementation of a system includes a memory, a single-instance storage circuit, a user account management circuit, and a signature index. The memory holds a user-account database and backup copies of convergently encrypted portions of data. The single-instance storage circuit uses the signature index to prevent duplicative backup copies. The user account management circuit responds to download requests after authenticating the user information associated with the requested data.

Abstract: The payload of a set of storage devices is encrypted using a payload key that is stored within the set of storage devices itself. However, the payload key is obtainable only if a user has access to n of the storage devices. A first set of keys can be distributed among a set of n storage devices, such that each key is usable to encrypt and/or decrypt a key stored on a different one of the n storage devices. The first set of keys is usable to encrypt portions of the information needed to regenerate another key (e.g., the payload key or a key used to encrypt the payload key). A different portion of the information needed to regenerate the other key is stored on each of the n storage devices. Accordingly, the other key cannot be obtained unless the user has access to all n storage devices.

Abstract: Systems and methods for detecting email content containment are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method comprises generating a first set of hash values corresponding to a first email document, wherein the first set includes a respective hash value corresponding to each of a plurality of character sequences of the first email document. The method further comprises generating a second set of hash values corresponding to a second email document, wherein the second set include a respective hash value corresponding to each of a plurality of character sequences of the second email document, and determining whether the first set of hash values is a subset of the second set of hash values.

Abstract: A system for encapsulating configuration information in storage objects formatted for backup and restore comprises a processor coupled to a memory, where the memory stores instructions executable by the processor to implement a backup manager configured to generate backup versions of a plurality of storage objects (such as files or directories) of a source data set of a primary host. The backup manager may be configured to create an additional storage object that includes information collected from a designated information source in a first format, store the additional storage object within the source data set in a second format, and generate a backup version of the additional storage object.