Emc IP Holding Company LLC

Dell Products Inc.

Arun Murti

Mark D Malamut

Adam E Brenner

Joey C Lei

Stephen Smaldone

Lev Ayzenberg

Vijay Anand

Sharon Vitek

Jehuda Shemer

Lihui Su

Jing Yu

Ming Zhang

Mengze Liao

Zhenzhen Lin

James Morton

Chegu Vinod

Cherami Min Liu

Maxim Drobachevsky

Xiaolei Hu

Roger Hongyi Che

Ming Zang

Embodiments are described for a method and system of applying data protection software mechanisms to network devices to auto-discover the networking equipment, save changes from memory (TCAM) to local storage, backup changes to protection storage, provide auditing and tracking history of changes, and provide the ability to deploy test/development copies of changes using software defined networking techniques. A coordinator protects network devices organized into a plurality of partitions by creating a backup of each network device, pushing backup policies to individual data protection units for the network devices within each partition to provide a consistent-state backup of the network devices, and backing up the configuration changes of the network devices to a protection storage device.

Coordinated data protection for multiple networking devices

Embodiments are described for a method and system of applying data protection software mechanisms to network devices to auto-discover the networking equipment, save changes from memory (TCAM) to local storage, backup changes to protection storage, provide auditing and tracking history of changes, and provide the ability to deploy test/development copies of changes using software defined networking techniques. Embodiments include an efficient visual mapping aspect provided through a GUI to display the topography and backup/protection configuration of network devices in a system.

Visual mapping of protection status for networking devices

One example method includes receiving from a node, in an HSAN that includes multiple nodes, an ADD_DATA request to add an entry to a distributed ledger of the HSAN, the request comprising a user ID that identifies the node, a hash of a data segment, and a storage location of the data segment at the node, performing a challenge-and-response process with the node to verify that the node has a copy of the data that was the subject of the entry, making a determination that a replication factor X has not been met, and adding the entry to the distributed ledger upon successful conclusion of the challenge-and-response process.

Hyper-scale P2P deduplicated storage system using a distributed ledger

Embodiments automate the timely remediation of issues by matching failed operations to a script or set of scripts that is configured to fix the problem. A method detects a backup operation alert message sent from a data manager or storage system that encodes one or more attributes affected by the backup operation, wherein the attributes are weighted to reflect a percentage importance of the a corresponding script to fix the problem. A script library is scanned to identify scripts that match the alert message. A component generates a score for each script, where the score factors the relevance of the script to the backup operation based on the weighted attributes. Scores for each single script each possible combination of multiple scripts are computed and compared, and the script or script combination with the highest score is executed by the self-healing process.

Self-healing data protection system matching system attributes to relevant scripts using multiple scripts

One example method includes defining object groups by classifying each object in a backup saveset based on respective object types of the objects such that all objects in an object group are the same object type, assigning a different respective storage media type to each of the object groups, storing each object group at a respective storage target, representing each object group with a respective Merkle tree that includes a base hash, and mapping each base hash to the storage target where the object group associated with the Merkle tree that includes the base hash is stored.

Automatically determining optimal storage medium based on source data characteristics

Embodiments for a method performing data migration such as backups and restores in a network by identifying characteristics of data in a data saveset to separate the data into defined types based on respective characteristics, assigning a data label to each defined type by receiving user selection or automatically merging or selecting a priority label, from among many labels associated with a file, defining migration rules for each data label, discovering assigned labels during a migration operation; and applying respective migration rules to labeled data in the data saveset. The migration rules can dictate storage location, access rights, replication periods, retention periods, and similar parameters.

Multiple data labels within a backup system

Embodiments are described for preventing undesired data deletion on protection storage by using delete restrictions. A delete restriction component prevents data from being staged for permanent erasure, such as by preventing files from being moved to a trash folder. A well-known process (WKP), such as a backup or migration operation that is known to request data expiration, is used to validate data deletions. The WKP identifies data that is no longer to be retained. The WKP uses a well-known process expiration list (WEL) that holds hashes of the data. A bucket confirmation count indicates candidates for data deletion. Separately, Garbage Collection maintains another list of hashes that are deletion candidates. A separate process finds common hashes between the WKP and GC hashes, and then removes the data pointed to by the common hashes.

Preventing attacks on protection storage using delete restriction

Embodiments automate the timely remediation of issues by matching failed operations to a script that is configured to fix the problem or problems without causing additional side effects, thus minimizing unavailability of services and loss of data. A method detects a backup operation alert message sent from a data manager or storage system that encodes one or more attributes affected by the backup operation, wherein the attributes are weighted to reflect a percentage importance of the a corresponding script to fix the problem. A script library is scanned to identify scripts that match the alert message. A component generates a score for each script, where the score factors the relevance of the script to the backup operation based on the weighted attributes, and executes the script with the highest score, as the script most likely to fix the issue causing the alert message.

Self-healing data protection system matching system attributes to relevant scripts using weighted attributes

Embodiments help timely remediation of issues in a data protection system by automatically evaluating scripts configured to address the issues. The system has a bounded list of possible attributes that are deemed important by system administrators. Each attribute is assigned a System Impact Score (SIS) along a defined scale. A self-healing processing component monitors the state of each attribute over time. The scripts are evaluated through repeated execution and use of the attribute monitoring to determine which attributes are affected by a script. Weights are assigned to each attribute affected by a script to aid in the selection of scripts most likely to remediate an actionable issue. Regularly performing script evaluation and attribute weighting allows for updating of scripts with an accurate list of attributes to overcome problems associated with manual updates.

Self-healing data protection system automatically determining attributes for matching to relevant scripts

Tracking changes to a document by defining a document record having a unique document record and comprising an index and a file name of the document, and defining a backup record for the document in a series of backups, which includes a timestamp for each backup, and a bitmask for the document. The bitmask has a single bit position for each document in the container which is set to a first binary value to indicate that the corresponding document is unchanged and a second binary value to indicate whether the document is changed or deleted. A primary query is received and resolved for the document by analyzing the document record to find the file name. A secondary query using the document record ID is resolved to find all tracked versions of the document, and the results are returned to the user in the form of a version history list.

File lifetime tracking for cloud-based object stores

One example method includes receiving, from an entity, a proposed entry for a ledger, where the ledger is shared and accessible by multiple users and includes a whitelist and a blacklist, determining, or assigning, a credibility score and rate limiter value for the entity, comparing the credibility score and rate limiter value with respective credibility score and rate limiter value thresholds, determining that the credibility score and rate limiter value meet or exceed the respective credibility score and rate limiter value thresholds, and submitting the proposed entry to the ledger.

Data integrity and consensuses with blockchain

Optimizing backups for a data protection system by determining a size of a dataset to be saved in each backup operation and an available bandwidth in each transfer window of transfer windows for data transfers between a source and destination. An order of the backup operations is defined based on first ordering the backups based on decreasing dataset size and second ordering the transfer windows in order of decreasing bandwidth, and matching the backups to the transfer windows in accordance with these orderings. A dynamic window sizing process determines an initial change between the minimum and maximum bandwidth utilization over a period of time and then iteratively split and consolidate the time blocks until optimal utilization over the time period is reached.

Network informed policy creation using dynamically sized windows

Embodiments automate the timely remediation of issues by matching failed operations to a script that is configured to fix the problem or problems without causing additional side effects, thus minimizing unavailability of services/data and loss of data. A method detects a backup operation alert message sent from a data manager or storage system that encodes one or more attributes affected by the backup operation. A script library is scanned to identify scripts that match the alert message. A component generates a score for each script, where the score factors the relevance of the script to the backup operation, and executes the script with the highest score, as the script most likely to remediate the issue causing the alert message.

Self-healing data protection system matching system attributes in alert messages to relevant scripts

Described is a system that provides for granular and customized upgrades of sub-systems deployed within a third-part system. The system generates an upgrade manager service for implementation of a first sub-system upgrade package from within a third-party system that hosts the first sub-system. The system generates the first sub-system upgrade package according to a compatibility with a first sub-system version currently deployed in the third-party system to update the first sub-system with a feature(s) available in an upgraded version of the first sub-system. The system sends the upgrade manager service to the third-party system. The system receives a first request for the first sub-system upgrade package from the upgrade manager service running in the third-party system. The system sends the first sub-system upgrade package for implementation at the first sub-system by the upgrade manager service running in the third-party system.

Flexible upgrade of multi-subsystem products

A three-phase full quorum commit method enabling backing up of network devices that do not offer direct hooks in order to have application consistent protection. Devices are verified to be ready to perform a backup, and a condition of reaching and maintaining a full quorum of devices within a maximum time period is required before the system can be backed up. The three phase backup process reduces the chance of changes to network devices from corrupting consistency among the saved states of the different and disparate network devices. Multiple devices of different makes and models participate together as a unified backup as a network partition and all devices are verified as being in a ready state. The device configuration data is moved from device memory to local disk, and can then be tiered to secondary storage.

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Mission Viejo, CA, United States of America

Arun Murti