Abstract: This disclosure relates to a method, article of manufacture, and apparatus for generating a snapshot map used to facilitate storage system management. In some embodiments, this includes receiving a set of selection criteria, generating a snapshot map based on the set of selection criteria, associating the snapshot map with a timestamp, storing the snapshot map along with the timestamp, associating an identifier after storing the snapshot map and the timestamp in a database, and displaying the snapshot map after obtaining the snapshot map from the database based on the identifier.

Abstract: This disclosure relates to a method, article of manufacture, and apparatus for generating a snapshot history map. In some embodiments, this includes retrieving at least one storage pairing, extracting a snapshot history based on the at least one storage pairing, the snapshot history including a list of snapshot details sorted in chronological order, and displaying a chronological representation of the snapshot history based upon the snapshot details sorted in chronological order. In some embodiments, this further includes generating the snapshot details after performing successful snapshots using the at least one storage pairing, and extracting the snapshot history based on the at least one storage pairing includes extracting the snapshot history of the at least one pairing by querying a database.

Abstract: This disclosure relates to a method, article of manufacture, and apparatus for generating a snapshot map used to facilitate storage system management. In some embodiments, this includes displaying a snapshot map comprising a set of components, each of the component representing a snapshot configuration characteristic, selecting a component from the set of components, obtaining the snapshot configuration characteristic represented by the selected component, dragging the selected component from the snapshot map, dropping the selected component to a configuration display, generating configurations based on the snapshot configuration characteristic, summarizing in the configuration display the configurations, and confirming the configurations.

Abstract: This disclosure relates to a method, article of manufacture, and apparatus for intelligent pairing for snapshot based backups. In some embodiments, this includes according to rules, obtaining a list of available devices in a storage group using a snapshot method, among the list of available devices, generating a list of currently paired devices with a source using the snapshot method, generating a list of unrelated but available devices using the source, the list of currently paired devices, and the list of available devices, if the list of currently paired devices is not empty, selecting one or more target devices from the list of currently paired devices and pairing the one or more target devices with the source, otherwise, selecting the one or more target devices from the list of unrelated but available devices and pairing the one or more target devices with the source.

Abstract: This disclosure relates to a method, article of manufacture, and apparatus of intelligent pairing using a lookup database for snapshot based backups. In some embodiments, this includes obtaining a snapshot method, locating a source to be backed up, searching a database using the source and the snapshot method, if the searching did not find at least one matching record, locating a target device in a storage group and pairing the target device with the source, if the searching found at least one matching record, obtaining a corresponding target device from the at least one matching record and pairing the corresponding target device with the source, and performing a backup of the source using the snapshot method.

Abstract: This disclosure relates to a method, article of manufacture, and apparatus for intelligently determining snapshot method during snapshot based backup. In some embodiments, this includes at a second time instance, calculating a data change rate since a first time instance, obtaining policies, wherein each of the policies specifies a backup method and one or more corresponding conditions, determining a snapshot method based on the data change rate and the policies, and performing a snapshot using the snapshot method.

Abstract: This disclosure relates to a method, article of manufacture, and apparatus of intelligent configuration for snapshot based backups. In some embodiments, this includes obtaining a snapshot method, locating a source to be backed up, locating a paring configuration, if the paring configuration cannot be located, locating one or more target devices in a storage group using the snapshot method, and if the pairing configuration is located, obtaining one or more corresponding target devices from the configuration and validating the one or more corresponding target devices within the storage group using the snapshot method.