Abstract: A method and system for reducing storage requirements and speeding up storage operations by reducing the storage of redundant data includes receiving a request that identifies one or more files or data objects to which to apply a storage operation. For each file or data object, the storage system determines if the file or data object contains data that matches another file or data object to which the storage operation was previously applied, based on awareness of the application that created the data object. If the data objects do not match, then the storage system performs the storage operation in a usual manner. However, if the data objects do match, then the storage system may avoid performing the storage operation with respect to the particular file or data object.

Abstract: A resource allocation system begins with an ordered plan for matching requests to resources that is sorted by priority. The resource allocation system optimizes the plan by determining those requests in the plan that will fail if performed. The resource allocation system removes or defers the determined requests. In addition, when a request that is performed fails, the resource allocation system may remove requests that require similar resources from the plan. Moreover, when resources are released by a request, the resource allocation system may place the resources in a temporary holding area until the resource allocation returns to the top of the ordered plan so that lower priority requests that are lower in the plan do not take resources that are needed by waiting higher priority requests higher in the plan.

Abstract: An improved content indexing (CI) system is disclosed herein. For example, the improved CI system may include a distributed architecture of client computing devices, media agents, a single backup and CI database, and a pool of servers. After a file backup occurs, the backup and CI database may include file metadata indices and other information associated with backed up files. Servers in the pool of servers may, in parallel, query the backup and CI database for a list of files assigned to the respective server that have not been content indexed. The servers may then request a media agent to restore the assigned files from secondary storage and provide the restored files to the servers. The servers may then content index the received restored files. Once the content indexing is complete, the servers can send the content index information to the backup and CI database for storage.

Abstract: An improved content indexing (CI) system is disclosed herein. For example, the improved CI system may include a distributed architecture of client computing devices, media agents, a single backup and CI database, and a pool of servers. After a file backup occurs, the backup and CI database may include file metadata indices and other information associated with backed up files. Servers in the pool of servers may, in parallel, query the backup and CI database for a list of files assigned to the respective server that have not been content indexed. The servers may then request a media agent to restore the assigned files from secondary storage and provide the restored files to the servers. The servers may then content index the received restored files. Once the content indexing is complete, the servers can send the content index information to the backup and CI database for storage.

Abstract: A method and system for creating an index of content without interfering with the source of the content includes an offline content indexing system that creates an index of content from an offline copy of data. The system may associate additional properties or tags with data that are not part of traditional indexing of content, such as the time the content was last available or user attributes associated with the content. Users can search the created index to locate content that is no longer available or based on the associate attributes.

Abstract: A system and method to perform data management operations in a data management system assigns the data management request to one or more available data management resources. If the data management request fails, at least one data management resource at least partially responsible for the failure is determined, as is a category associated with the one data management resource at least partially responsible for the failure. Other data management requests are identified in a list of data management requests that request data management resources having the same category and the list of data management requests is updated to indicate that the data management system should not perform the other identified data management requests.

Abstract: Techniques for providing data retention services based on a geographic region are disclosed. In one aspect, a location of a computing device is determined. A geographic entity corresponding to the location of the computing device is then determined. A data retention policy is applied to production data of the computing device based on regulations of the geographic entity. Other aspects are also disclosed.

Abstract: A system for archiving data objects using secondary copies is disclosed. The system creates one or more secondary copies of primary data that contains multiple data objects. The system may maintain a first data structure that tracks the data objects for which the system has created secondary copies and the locations of the secondary copies. To archive data objects in the primary data, the system identifies data objects to be archived, verifies that previously-created secondary copies of the identified data objects exist, and replaces the identified data objects with stubs. The system may maintain a second data structure that both tracks the stubs and refers to the first data structure, thereby creating an association between the stubs and the locations of the secondary copies.

Abstract: Virtualization sprawl can lead to virtual machines with no designated periodic backup. If the data associated with these unprotected virtual machines is not backed up, it cannot be restored if needed, leading to system failures. A data storage system identifies and protects the unprotected virtual machines. For instance, the system compares a list of virtual machines with a list of computing devices having a designated backup policy in the data storage system and determines which of the virtual machines are unprotected. The system further automatically categorizes the unprotected virtual machines, identifies those unprotected virtual machines that remain uncategorized, and applies a default backup policy to the uncategorized and unprotected virtual machines to provide protected virtual machines.

Abstract: Virtualization sprawl can lead to virtual machines with no designated periodic backup. If the data associated with these unprotected virtual machines is not backed up, it cannot be restored if needed, leading to system failures. A data storage system identifies and protects the unprotected virtual machines. For instance, the system compares a list of virtual machines with a list of computing devices having a designated backup policy in the data storage system and determines which of the virtual machines are unprotected. The system further automatically categorizes the unprotected virtual machines, identifies those unprotected virtual machines that remain uncategorized, and applies a default backup policy to the uncategorized and unprotected virtual machines to provide protected virtual machines.

Abstract: An identity management system is augmented to compute a time-varying confidence score for an asserted attribute value, typically a value that is received from a third party identity issuer. In this approach, an identity provider (IdP) computes a time-varying confidence score for an asserted attribute that the IdP includes in a security assertion returned to a service provider. The confidence score typically is “deteriorating” (i.e., diminishes over time) for an attribute value. The degree to which the score deteriorates, however, may be altered by one or more qualified attribute verification event(s). Preferably, the IdP maintains a profile of the service provider, and that profile may also include other information, such as a threshold for an attribute confidence score that the SP deems acceptable (to enable access to the service). Based on the SP profiling, the IdP also can recommend use of a given identity issuer for a specific attribute.

Abstract: Techniques for providing data retention services based on a geographic region are disclosed. In one aspect, a location of a computing device is determined. A geographic entity corresponding to the location of the computing device is then determined. A data retention policy is applied to data of the computing device based on regulations of the geographic entity. Other aspects are also disclosed.

Abstract: A resource allocation system begins with an ordered plan for matching requests to resources that is sorted by priority. The resource allocation system optimizes the plan by determining those requests in the plan that will fail if performed. The resource allocation system removes or defers the determined requests. In addition, when a request that is performed fails, the resource allocation system may remove requests that require similar resources from the plan. Moreover, when resources are released by a request, the resource allocation system may place the resources in a temporary holding area until the resource allocation returns to the top of the ordered plan so that lower priority requests that are lower in the plan do not take resources that are needed by waiting higher priority requests higher in the plan.

Abstract: A method and system for creating an index of content without interfering with the source of the content includes an offline content indexing system that creates an index of content from an offline copy of data. The system may associate additional properties or tags with data that are not part of traditional indexing of content, such as the time the content was last available or user attributes associated with the content. Users can search the created index to locate content that is no longer available or based on the associate attributes.

Abstract: Certain embodiments described herein relate to an improved selective data backup system. In some embodiments, one or more components in an information management system can determine that a portion of the primary data scheduled for backup was previously backed up or is scheduled to be backed up as part of another backup operation. For example, a data agent performing a cluster-level backup operation for an entire cluster of storage servers may check whether any part of the primary data was previously backed up by a prior server-level backup operation for one of the storage servers in the cluster. If so, the data agent may skip, in the cluster-level backup operation, any portion of the primary data stored in the storage server previously backed up as part of the prior server-level backup operation.

Abstract: A system and method to perform data management operations in a data management system assigns the data management request to one or more available data management resources. If the data management request fails, at least one data management resource at least partially responsible for the failure is determined, as is a category associated with the one data management resource at least partially responsible for the failure. Other data management requests are identified in a list of data management requests that request data management resources having the same category and the list of data management requests is updated to indicate that the data management system should not perform the other identified data management requests.

Abstract: An information management cell health monitoring system is provided herein that can monitor one or more information management systems, identify any performance issues that are occurring within an information management system, and automatically, or in response to a user input, transmit an instruction to the information management system to execute a workflow to resolve the performance issue(s). For example, the information management cell health monitoring system receives operational data, secondary copy policies, and/or similar data from an information management cells via a network. The information management cell health monitoring system analyzes the received information to identify any issues. If an issue is detected, the information management cell health monitoring system retrieves workflows and determines whether any of the workflows can be used to resolve the detected issue.

Abstract: A system for archiving data objects using secondary copies is disclosed. The system creates one or more secondary copies of primary copy data that contains multiple data objects. The system maintains a first data structure that tracks the data objects for which the system has created secondary copies and the locations of the secondary copies. To archive data objects in the primary copy data, the system identifies data objects to be archived, verifies that previously-created secondary copies of the identified data objects exist, and replaces the identified data objects with stubs. The system maintains a second data structure that both tracks the stubs and refers to the first data structure, thereby creating an association between the stubs and the locations of the secondary copies.

Abstract: According to certain aspects, systems and methods are provided for automating recovery of a networked data storage environment. For instance, a system can generate a data recovery package configured to automatically carry out a process for recovering a data storage environment and/or associated data. The content of the particular workflow depends on the data storage environment, and can be defined by a user.

Abstract: In accordance with some aspects of the present invention, systems and methods are provided for dynamically and/or automatically selecting and/or modifying data path definitions that are used in performing storage operations on data. Alternate data paths may be specified or selected that use some or all resources that communicate with a particular destination to improve system reliability and performance. The system may also dynamically monitor and choose data path definitions to optimize system performance, conserve storage media and promote balanced load distribution.