Abstract: Disclosed herein are systems, methods, and processes to optimize the storage of pre-allocated units of storage during a backup operation. Null units of storage are identified in pre-allocated units of storage prior to the backup operation. Upon being identified, the null units of storage are inhibited from being written to a backup image during the backup operation.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is the creation of probabilistic data structures for container reclamation. One method involves retrieving a segment object list of a data container and creating a probabilistic data structure. The segment object list comprises a plurality of segment objects, the data container comprises the plurality of segment objects and a plurality of data objects, and each segment object of the plurality of segment objects comprises a hash value determined by performing a hashing function on a corresponding data object of the plurality of data objects. The creating includes, for each segment object in the segment object list, identifying an element of a plurality of elements of the probabilistic data structure using a hash value of the each segment object and setting the element to indicate the segment object references a corresponding data object of the plurality of data objects.

Abstract: The disclosed computer-implemented method for managing replication of data to a remote storage device may include (1) maintaining a first bitmap and a second bitmap storing data acknowledging persistence of target data, respectively, at source and target gateways, where the target gateway serves the remote storage device, (2) sending replication data from a computing device to the source gateway, (3) setting a bit in the first bitmap, where the set bit corresponds to the replication data sent to the source gateway, (4) receiving a first acknowledgement indicating the source gateway received the replication data, (5) copying, in response to the first acknowledgement, the bit to the second bitmap, (6) clearing, in response to the first acknowledgement, the bit in the first bitmap, and (7) receiving a second acknowledgement indicating the target gateway received the replication data. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.

Abstract: Methods, computer program products, computer systems, and the like are disclosed that provide for the tracking of access patterns of inodes, and the issuing of inode read-ahead instructions, in order to pre-fetch inodes. Such a method can include, for example, identifying a unit of metadata in a file system, identifying a file system structure in the file system, determining whether a file structure of the file system structure is non-sequential, and, in response to a determination that the file structure is non-sequential, retrieving a list of units of metadata. In such embodiments, the file system structure is associated with the unit of metadata, and the determining includes accessing the file system structure. Further, in certain embodiments, the units of metadata identified in the list of units of metadata are stored in a storage device of the computer system.

Abstract: Various systems and methods are provided for using various in-core and on-disk data structures to improve the file creation process through the use of previously-occupied inodes. For example, one method involves updating an in-core data structure in response to receiving a command to delete a first file, such that a first node is assigned to the first file, the in-core data structure is stored in a non-persistent computer-readable storage medium, the in-core data structure comprises a plurality of entries, each of the entries comprises information identifying a respective inode of a plurality of inodes as being available, and the updating the in-core data structure comprises storing information regarding the first inode in a first entry of the plurality of entries; and creating a second file, where the creating comprises assigning the first inode to the second file using the information regarding the first inode stored in the first entry.

Abstract: Methods and the like according to the disclosure can include determining an information type of digital information, writing the digital information using a first process (in response to a determination that the information type of the digital information is a first information type), and, in response to a determination that the information type of the digital information is a second information type, determining erasure-coded parity information for the digital information and writing the digital information using a second process (where the digital information is to be written to erasure-coded storage). In the former case, the first process that includes writing the digital information to storage. The second process includes writing the digital information and the erasure-coded parity information to erasure-coded storage, without writing the digital information to a log.

Abstract: The disclosed computer-implemented method for agentless and accelerated backup of a database may include, receiving, by a data backup device from a data server, blocks of data that provide a full backup of data of the data server. The method additionally includes receiving, by the data backup device from the data server, one or more native logs indicating one or more transactions performed by the data server. The method also includes determining, by the data backup device and based on the native logs, one or more changed blocks of the blocks of data. The method further includes providing, by the data backup device, a point in time restore of the data server by creating a synthetic full backup that overlays one or more of the blocks of data with the one or more changed blocks, and that shares remaining blocks of the blocks of data with the full backup.

Abstract: Disclosed are methods and the like that provide for transforming replicated data for consumption in the cloud, for example. Such methods can include attaching a target gateway node at a secondary site to a storage device at the secondary site, searching for an identifier stored in the storage device, and storing replicated data in the replication volume. The identifier is associated with an offset stored in the storage device, and the offset identifies a starting location of a replication volume in the storage device. The replicated data is received by the target gateway node from a source gateway node at a primary site. A starting location is received with the replicated data. The target gateway node stores the replicated data at a first location in the storage volume, and the first location is determined based, at least in part, on the starting location and the first storage location.

Abstract: Methods, computer program products, computer systems, and the like are disclosed that provide for improved write performance in erasure-coded storage systems in an efficient and effective manner. These can include identifying a data segment, identifying metadata, persisting the data segment to a storage system, storing the metadata in the journal, and persisting the metadata to the storage system. In such embodiments, the metadata is associated with the data segment by virtue of the metadata comprising a fingerprint of the data segment. Further, in such embodiments, the persisting the data segment to the storage system is performed without storing the data segment in a journal, and the storage system is an erasure-coded storage system.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are methods, systems, and processes to provide and maintain data consistency during reverse replication. It is determined that a migrate operation or a reverse replication operation has been requested. Upon determining that the migrate operation or the reverse replication operation has been requested, a resynchronization identifier is set in a dirty region log (DRL) associated with a computing device that is subject to the migrate operation or the reverse replication operation. In response to the operation being the reverse replication operation, a master boot record (MBR) sector of a boot disk associated with the computing device is overwritten.

Abstract: Systems and methods for processing data segments are disclosed. In one embodiment, such functionality includes buffering data received from a node (where the data is stored in a buffer as buffered data, an offset value is associated with the data, and a segment size is associated with the buffer), and determining whether the offset value is an integer multiple of the segment size. In response to determination that the offset value is an integer multiple of the segment size, processing the data in the buffer as a segment. Such functionality also includes determining whether the segment is a duplicate of data stored in a deduplicated data store and, in response to a determination that the segment is not a duplicate of data stored in the deduplicated data store, storing the segment in the deduplicated data store.

Abstract: Storage locations in a first tier of a multi-tier storage system are allocated to a first set of data structures (e.g., inodes) in a first file set. A file that is stored in the first tier is associated with a first data structure of the first set. In response to determining that data in the file should be moved to a second tier of the multi-tier storage system, the file is associated with a second data structure in a second file set. The second data structure is allocated a storage location in the second tier. Consequently, two data structures are associated with the file. The data is copied from the first tier to the storage location in the second tier, and can be subsequently accessed using the second data structure.

Abstract: Methods, computer program products, and computer systems for performing dynamic storage tiering in a virtual environment are disclosed. In one embodiment, such a method can include moving a storage object from a first storage tier of a storage system to a second storage tier of the storage system, which can be performed based, at least in part, on tiering information. Such moving can include determining a location of the storage object in the storage system by translating a location of the storage object in a virtual machine file to the location of the storage object in the storage system, using mapping information, and transmitting an instruction to a storage manager of the storage system. The instruction indicates that the storage manager should perform the moving. The mapping information translates a location in the virtual machine file to a corresponding location in the storage system.

Abstract: The disclosed computer-implemented method for producing access control list caches including effective information access permissions across disparate storage devices may include (i) receiving, at a computing device, an instruction to prepare an access control list (ACL) cache and (ii) performing a security action. The security action may include (A) recursively parsing, at the computing device, at least one respective ACL for information stored on at least two disparate storage devices, (B) identifying, at each step of recursion, each direct user and each indirect user having information access permissions in at least one of the respective ACLs, (C) determining, for each unique user in the respective ACLs, per-control point effective permissions, and (D) storing the per-control point effective information access permissions in the ACL cache. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.

Abstract: A method, computer program product, computer system, and the like that provide for the efficient reclamation of storage space in a deduplication system are disclosed. The method, for example, includes identifying one or more storage constructs of a number of storage constructs and generating an indication that a reclamation operation is to be performed with respect to the one or more storage constructs. In an embodiment, each of the plurality of storage constructs includes metadata and a number of units of data. The one or more storage constructs are identified, at least in part, by determining that a portion of the number of units of data of each of the one or more storage constructs is in a state, wherein the determining is based, at least in part, on at least a portion of the metadata.

Abstract: Various systems and methods are provided for propagating information throughout a data center or other network environment. For instance, in certain embodiments, the functionality disclosed herein includes determines propagation rules, and then either stores and/or propagates those rules throughout the datacenter or other network environment. Propagation rules define various conditions or other variables that govern propagation of information throughout a system, such as those systems described herein. The propagation rules can then be used to perform various other functionality. For instance, the functionality described herein can be used to process updates to entities. The functionality described herein can also be used to process updates to propagation metadata. Additionally, the functionality described herein can be used to process the creation of new relationships. The functionality described herein can also be used to process the deletion of objects and/or relationships.

Abstract: The disclosed computer-implemented method for computing a risk score for stored information may include (1) extracting factor-specific information from metadata describing characteristics of files stored on multiple storage devices, (2) assigning at least one respective factor score to at least one respective factor based at least in part on the factor-specific information, and (3) calculating the risk score from the at least one factor score. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are methods, systems, and processes to provide flexible associativity for multitenant applications operating in clustered computing environments. One such method involves updating a configuration file to produce an updated configuration file by generating new relationship information based on associations between a dependent application represented by a parent object and a dependee application represented by a child object. In certain embodiments, the new relationship information is stored in a metadata object.

Abstract: The disclosed computer-implemented method for emulating local storage may include (i) exposing a cloud storage as a local block storage device by providing a translation service that translates commands formatted according to an operating system compatibility standard protocol into commands formatted according to a cloud storage application programming interface protocol, the cloud storage dividing a cloud storage volume into multiple objects, (ii) receiving a command that is formatted according to the operating system compatibility standard protocol and that specifies a length and offset of the cloud storage volume, (iii) translating the command into a translated command formatted according to the cloud storage application programming interface protocol, and (iv) returning a result of executing the translated command. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.

Abstract: The disclosed computer-implemented method for storage block replication in a hybrid storage environment may include receiving a request associated with a data source being replicated to modify a cloud object, storing an instruction for modifying the cloud object, determining that a replication operation for the source has completed, and modifying the cloud object and deleting the instruction for modifying the cloud object in response to determining that the replication operation has completed. In some examples, the request to modify the cloud object may include deleting the cloud object. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.